Dior's Maison Cordelia De Castellane
When it comes to chic, no-one does it better than Dior. Not only when it comes to clothes and haute couture but now at the forefront of interior design. Just have a look at Dior Maison to see how exquisite style can be translated into plates, crystal glasses and table linen - paying justice to what the French say ‘arte de la table’.
The Creative Director of Dior Maison is none other than Cordelia de Castellane, the renowned mogul of Francogrecian heritage. “I was born in Paris, but my mother is from Athens and it’s the place I associate with my family – Greece is like this strong homeland to me. My grandparents lived by Lycabettus, and they passed the culture on,” said De Castellane in an interview for Condé Nast’s Traveller.
De Castellane’s background couldn’t be more connected to fashion and art. Hailing from an aristocratic family, she spent time from an early age observing her uncle, the designer and former assistant to Karl Lagerfeld, Gilles Dufour, at work at the Chanel atelier. She then worked for Emanuel Ungaro before going on to design her eponymous line of children’s clothing in her early 20s. From here she went on to become the Artistic Director of Baby Dior and since 2017 she has been the Artistic Director of Dior Maison.
Whenever she returns to Athens she prefers to stay in the Hotel Grande Bretagne on Syntagma square, “It’s exactly as you’d imagine – polished marble and grand chandeliers, and the sound of piano music everywhere you go. The rooftop bar has the most amazing view at sunset”.
Whenever De Castellane is asked about her favourite Greek brands she never fails to mention Zeus+Dione, “a cool holiday label for timeless linen dresses”.
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Written by Nassia Matsa. London-based, Athens-born writer on culture and tech with published work in Financial Times, Wired and Vogue. She is also a model with campaigns for brands such as Prada, Balenciaga and Burberry among others
