The days are gradually getting longer and lighter and there’s a hint of spring in the air, so a new book dedicated to the beauty of nature – Flower Couture: From My Garden to My House (£38.95, rizzoliusa.com) – feels perfectly apt.
It’s the second by French tastemaker Cordelia de Castellane, who serves as artistic director of Dior Home and Baby Dior, as well as running her own coffee/flower shop in the heart of Paris. A celebration of her country garden throughout the seasons, it’s filled with ideas for bringing the beauty of nature into the home, whether through a casual flower arrangement, or a generously laid table for a meal with friends.
In chapters that are loosely defined by colour, ranging across a kaleidoscopic spectrum of shades from rose pink to sky blue, Cordelia shares her favourite flowers, showing how she arranges them and sharing tips on entertaining, tablescaping and making the most of each moment throughout the year.
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With beautifully evocative photography by Billal Taright capturing the relaxed charm of Cordelia’s garden in the French countryside, it’s the ultimate escapist scrapbook to dive into for inspiration on living à la française.
Cordelia’s love of all things floral inevitably finds its way into her work with Dior, and her most recent collection, ‘Les Gris-gris de Monsieur Dior’, is a perfect example. From his early years in Granville to adulthood, Christian Dior famously loved gardening and so did his younger sister Catherine – she grew the roses that went into his fashion house’s fragrances.
The couturier was also highly superstitious and Cordelia has captured these facets of his character by decorating trinket bowls, plates, tea and coffee sets with the good luck charms and natural motifs so closely associated with the maison.
The star, clover, bee and rose, each one deceptively simple-looking but rich in meaning and significance, are rendered in illustrated form on four earthenware table services, designed for breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner. Like good luck charms, each piece celebrates the everyday magic of sharing a meal with loved ones that was so dear to Christian Dior.
