By JO TWEEDY FOR MAILONLINE | Thuesday, May 31, 2016
Is it a boutique or an art gallery? Inside Christian Dior’s new London store which features silk carpets, VIP salons and sculptures (but not that many clothes).
– The couture flagship superstore for the super-rich will open its doors on Friday at 160-162 New Bond Street
– The architect behind the Fashion House’s new couture wonderland is celebrated designer Peter Marino
– Store is modelled on a Parisian hôtel particulier – a French townhouse – and brings together an eclectic mix of styles
– Private shoppers can retreat to three VIP salons, where their every shopping whim will be attended to
– Dior is no doubt hoping to capitalise on London’s status as a honeypot for the world’s richest consumers
There’s a new retail temple for London’s super-rich to worship at as Christian Dior prepares to open its glitziest store yet in London’s Mayfair.
The four-floor palace, set to open its doors on Friday, is likely to prove manna from heaven for the capital’s biggest spending consumerists.
In a honeyed building at 160-162 New Bond Street, the House of Dior’s latest store pushes the boundaries of boutique shopping with an interior that looks more like a world-beating museum.
A store with a little Je ne sais quoi…and plenty of couture credentials: New Bond Street in Mayfair will feel a little more Parisian on Friday when Dior opens its new four-floor superstore
The new boutique calls upon some of the world’s most de riguer designers and artists; this floral print is the work of Mark Quinn
A grey stone interior, designed by Peter Marino, has an art gallery feel to it. It is the design handiwork of celebrated New York architect Peter Marino and boasts a grey stone interior, dramatic abstract sculptures and neo-Louis XVI furniture. Among the artists displaying their work on the walls of this shopping wonderland are Marc Quinn and sculptors Tony Cragg and Rado Kirov. The House of Dior is effectively a superstore for the super rich and will bring together the company’s key offerings including womenswear, jewellery, homeware, perfume and Dior Baby.
The city’s male fashionistas will undoubtedly love the Dior Homme boutique on the ground floor which offers a Sur Mesure (made to measure) service.
For those who want to browse without the distraction of other mortals, there are VIP spaces galore including three private salons.
Exhibits: The building could pass as a fashion museum with male fashionistas served on the ground floor with a made to measure service from Dior Homme
A light-drenched marble stairwell with gold banisters is the store’s showpiece and interlinks the different departments. An abstract metal sculpture by Rado Kirov dominates the space between one of the floors
Light and shade: A new conservatory has been added to the historic New Bond Street properties
A perfume that really says you: The DIor perfumerie will create bespoke fragrances for clients
Delicate artworks depicting cherubs on clouds cover the wall in the perfumerie section of the store
Images of London fill one of the corner windows on the grandiose marble staircase
Time to stand and stare: Artworks and sculptures by celebrated artists from around the world feature throughout
Designer kids: Baby Dior will sell couture for newborns and children and has its own specialist department. Right, the carefully styled interior is based on the traditional Parisian townhouse hotel
There is a homely feel to the decor, with garments hanging next to fireplaces in living rooms
It’s all about the interiors, dahling! The Dior Home store is sure to be a hit with well-heeled homeowners
Eye-eye! Limited edition handbags have been created by artist Marc Quinn to celebrate the store’s opening. A ‘light-drenched stairwell’ with gold bannisters will let clients step from department to department in style. Should one’s feet ache from pacing up and down the silk carpets, there’s refreshment in the shape of teas inspired by the House’s fragrance collection.
In a statement released on its website, the company explained the influences behind the new boutique, saying: ‘Tradition and abstraction combine harmoniously through a mastery of motifs and colours. ‘The stone interior is softened with silk carpets and furniture in the neo-Louis XVI style to evoke the atmosphere of a Parisian hôtel particulier.’
The architect behind it, Marino, has a long-standing relationship with the upmarket fashion goliath and received the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture for his work across the globe.
Has anyone told them about the English weather? A minimalist display of shades from the new store
Coffee table and frocks: A few colourful children’s dresses hang in a beautifully-designed living room setting
The Dior Homme boutique on the ground floor will offers a Sur Mesure (made to measure) service
The store will bring together the brand’s key offerings including womenswear, jewellery, homeware, perfume and Dior Baby
A photograph shows the spectacular shop floor reflected in the glass ceiling as VIP guests look around
The architect behind the flagship store, Peter Marino, has a long-standing relationship with the upmarket fashion goliath.To mark the store’s opening, Dior has also announced that it has produced a ‘limited-edition selection of iconic Lady Dior bags’ which carry a floral print bloom by artist Marc Quinn. The fashion house has long since had a love affair with the UK capital, one that is no doubt bolstered by the city’s status as the home of the super-rich, with Middle Eastern clients proving particularly lucrative to luxury brands. Christian Dior himself admired English culture and once paid the biggest of compliments to UK women, writing in his memoirs: ‘When an English woman is pretty she is prettier than a woman of any other nationality.
There’s a shoe emporium for the discerning male customer featuring the latest of the fashion house’s footwear
Celebrities who want to retreat away from their fellow shoppers can head to private salons for more personal shopping
An aerial shot reveals the scale of the new flagship store, which will hope to attract the world’s super-rich
More sculptures: the historic Mayfair building has been transformed inside, making it ready for the Dior clientele
