À la Française

Cordelia de Castellane, the visionary creative director of Dior Maison, talks about infusing French elegance into her designs and creating joyful, inviting spaces that celebrate refined living

- Asih Jenie

From the moment she could hold a pencil, Cordelia de Castellane was immersed in a world of beauty and creativity. Now the creative director of Dior Maison, her designs reflect a deeply ingrained appreciation for fine living a legacy of her extraordinary lineage. Born into one of France's most distinguished aristocratic families, whose roots date back to the ninth century, her upbringing was a mosaic of artistic and cultural influences.

Her mother, Atalanta de Castellane, is an acclaimed interior decorator. Her great-great-uncle, the renowned French architect and artist Emilio Terry, left an indelible mark on her aesthetic through his signature style of blending classical elegance with modernity, which continues to echo in her creations at Dior Maison. It's fair to say that the French art of mixing styles has always been in de Castellane's blood.

Her immersion into design began precociously. At just 15, she interned at Chanel under her uncle, Gilles Dufour, Karl Lagerfeld's close collaborator. This formative experience in a highly refined creative environments ignited a lifelong passion for design, further cultivated through roles at Emanuel Ungaro, and culminating in her positions at Baby Dior and Dior Maison in 2017.

As 2024 draws to a close, and with the festive Le Noël de Monsieur collection recently launched, de Castellane reflects on the art of entertaining à la française and her enduring passion for creating classic, joyful designs.