It is hard to talk Dior without noticing how Christian Dior’s lifelong romance with the French Riviera is interwoven in the Maison’s design DNA, informing all of its projects past and present. Known by the French as the Côte d’Azur (“Coast of Azure”), the southeastern French corner of the dreamy Mediterranean coast is named for its seas as blue as the region’s perpetual summer skies. It is against this backdrop of pristine white beaches, sparkling clear waters and an ice-cold Aperol spritz in hand that Dior launches its 2023 summer campaign, Dioriviera.
The Maison describes this summer’s capsule collection as an “an invitation to venture away and to enchantment”, a shoutback to the travel pangs of global citizens in a post-pandemic world. Celebrating summer in a big (and very French) way, Dior has listed key locations across the world which embody their vision of an endless summer to transform into mini-Diorivieras. From Ibiza to Mykynos, the month of June sees Singapore’s Tanjong Beach Club (TBC) having its rightful turn in the Dioriviera summer sun. The Dior X TBC pop-up was launched earlier this month with Parfums Christian Dior global brand ambassador, Cha Eun-Woo gracing the event amongst other friends of the House from across the region.
Classic French chateau decor has been reimagined with a tropical twist for the pop-up, blanketing the club in Dior’s iconic toile de jouy sauvage. These motifs of hunting scenes and mythical rural landscapes have been printed in muted blue and beige to match TBC’s own house colours, transforming the club into what looks like a porcelain chateau nesting delicately on the warm tropical sand. The toile de jouy is emblazoned onto the club’s walls, fabric curtains draping over the alfresco bar as well as rows of day beds underneath large parasols by the private beach.
A drone captures the pool floor with the iconic “Christian Dior” logo (most recognisable from Dior’s mainstay book tote) struck through the middle. Maximalism looks this good when everything is in Dior.
At the club entrance, a large gold “Dior” sign sandwiched by life-sized animal sculptures in toile de jouy skin has been erected. Next to it, a deliciously cream-coloured auto-rickshaw carries as its cargo some of the Maison’s best-selling scents. Centering the scents is the latest addition to the La Collection Privée scents: the new Dioriviera eau de parfum. Named after the summer capsule, it is the first scent from Dior’s creative director of perfume, Francis Kurkdjian, since coming on board in 2021. Described as “festive”, “hedonistic” and “epicurean”, you can expect a bright yet elegant summer perfume with bold fruity fig notes rounded by the soft floral sweetness of Provence roses in bloom, a carefree yet modern scent for all occasions.
The Dioriviera eau de parfum itself acts as a fleeting yet mesmerising introduction to the rest of the capsule featuring fun summer essentials like sarongs, silk wrap tops and the quintessential one-piece swimsuit, all in toile de jouy sauvage. Befitting of lazy weekend afternoons by the beach or lounging at your neighbourhood coffee, the capsule seems to speak in particular to our cries for staying chic while dressing down to endure tropical Singapore’s own perpetual summer heat. Loyal Dior fans can also expect favourites like the Dior book tote and Dway slides to return in softer seasonal colours of pink, grey and denim blue. For the active crowd getting to the beach to sweat it out, the capsule includes lifestyle products such as yoga mats and table tennis paddles to bring a splash of toile de jouy sauvage to every corner of this Dioriviera summer. You can shop the collection now both online and in-stores.
Dioriviera is Dior’s attempt to share the la dolce vita (“the sweet life”) core to French Riviera culture with the rest of the post-pandemic world. The Dioriviera reimagining of iconic beach spots across the globe remind us that an endless summer is more so a way of living, drunk on love for life (and maybe one too many glasses of wine).
The Dioriviera pop-up at Tanjong Beach Club pop-up is open to the public from now till 30 June 2023.
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