The maison’s new emporium is a confluence of gardens and delicacies befitting Beverly Hills
Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL
Photography by JONATHAN TAYLOR
The sun-saturated House of Dior’s West Coast flagship is a reimagined Eden alive with verdant plants and a lush terrace open to the elements. The Peter Marino–designed four-story boutique, with its undulating limestone and stucco facade, combines California light with Parisian polish. The pared-down architecture lets the space’s central staircase, wound through with a garden created by landscape architect Peter Wirtz, become a focal point amid the ready-to-wear jewelry and accessories collections on different levels.
Just as Christian Dior turned to the plant world for inspiration, Marino also looked to botanicals for the flagship’s third-floor restaurant, the house’s first with dinner service outside Paris. Helmed by renowned San Francisco chef Dominique Crenn, the newest Monsieur Dior includes a bar and indoor and outdoor dining with a menu steeped in cinematic moments and dishes and desserts referencing Jean Seberg and Marilyn Monroe. A wall is covered in art by Nicole Wittenberg, known for her enigmatic landscapes depicting nature. Such works are common throughout the boutique, from images of flora by Karine Laval and Adam Fuss to a commissioned painting by John McAllister and Nancy Lorenz’s lacquered metal panels.
Amid Vladimir Kagan and Ado Chale furniture, there are also limited-edition pieces influenced equally by Hollywood and Paris and exclusive to the store. Reinterpretations of the nipped-waist Bar jacket are joined by a white, gold, and blue sapphire Bois de Rose ring and bracelet, new Lady Dior iterations, and a trunk covered in the house’s bucolic millefiori motif. 323 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-859-4700; dior.com.
Feature image: Dior’s new Peter Marino–designed Rodeo Drive flagship.
This story originally appeared in the 20th Anniversary issue of C Magazine.
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