Prestige issue 268, November 2015
Refinement in the details
At Dior, attention to detail is all that is done in the name of elegance, luxury and refinement. Tiny, invisible details are everywhere. More than a poetic mantra it’s a way of being, a way of working, a logic behind every creative gesture. In 1954, it was Mr. Dior himself who expressed this attitude in his Little Dictionary of fashion: «In general, what is not seen or a little seen should be done with materials just as beautiful, or even more beautiful than the rest». Sometimes, the invisible is vital. This general rule applies since incessantly with the seasons. It is this rule that prevails in the selection of the hem of a dress, or its precious lining to that of a thread, to the material of a button. Far from the flashes of photographers, a thousand miles from the ceremonial of parades, it is in the silence of the workshops that these microscopic measures are taken, that needles and scissors stir. At Dior, perfection has never been a simple silhouette sketched with a pencil. It is a state of mind that can be verified with a magnifying glass. This lens is also that of watchmakers who assemble on the microscope each pearl element, each feather, each precious stone origami-inspired from the dials of Dior Grand Soir or the spectacle of 3D dials in yellow or rose gold Dior Grand Soir «Frou Frou». It is essential for the mineral and hypnotic marquetry of each Dior VIII Grand Bal, to the jewel and feminine radiance of the D de Dior Precious, set on a fully clothed bracelet of pink or blue sapphires, or degraded emeralds to the diamonds.
Mini D by Dior Color, steel, diamonds, pearl and patent leather strap. Bracelets and buckles set like the Mini D by Dior. © Dior Horlogerie.
«What is not seen or little seen should be made of materials just as beautiful if not even more beautiful than the rest.» Christian Dior
The same attention and the same know-how are required for the dials of La D de Dior Opal and surgical cutting of a mineral disk where colors collide. Recalling the couture spirit within each timepiece, the obsession for detail goes further: it fits into the oscillating weight on the back of the movement, sometimes in sapphire crystal, set or lacquered, or placed one on top of the dial, like gossamer weave of the Dior VIII Grand Bal «golden thread» or the feather fan of Dior VIII Grand Bal «Feathers» or «Cancan».
At Dior, the obsession of detail is not only linked to the valuable elements: it is a reason for being, a way of affirming the taste of life, the pleasure of being. Hence the color gradients of the new bracelets La Mini D de Dior Color, with hues as vividly bright as a rainbow or a tasty cocktail, the choice of satin, pleated bracelets of Dior Grand Soir, miniaturized couture references, lizard scales responding to the drawing of a mass, the smoothness of a needle, drawing of a finger and a push button, diamond hem on the dial of a Dior VIII, crimping a buckle, crown or build. Because the real beauty is there: invisible, permanent, light as each feather dressing a Dior VIII Grand Bal «Cancan»: moving, living, uncovering every moment in the secret of its privacy.
