A garden of gold

Victoire de Castellane reinterprets the rose for the modern woman in the latest La Rose Dior collection.

- KARISHMA TULSIDAS

Dior’s history is full of symbols and motifs that have become synonymous with the maison, but none more so than the majestic rose, which has proven to be a muse across its product lines, from haute couture and fragrance to jewellery and watches.

Its exalted position within the maison is a tribute to Monsieur Christian Dior himself, whose parents bought a pink-walled villa in Normandy, France, in 1905, the year he was born. Called Les Rhumbs, the villa was perched on a cliff, affording the family a vantage view of the coast. To further amplify this effect, his mother cultivated rose bushes in the surrounding land, creating a lush garden for the family.

In fact, when Monsieur Dior bought his own house, Chateau de la Colle Noire, outside of Cannes, he too would follow in his mother’s footsteps and recreate her famous garden of roses, lavender and jasmine. In 2013, this house was purchased by the Dior brand, and the garden was cultivated again.