Inside the Inner Sanctums of Luxury
LVMH gave luxury devotees on a one-off glimpse inside their brand's workshops and archives.
By Estella Shardlow on Tuesday 8th November, 2011
The sight of a Christian Dior master tailor crafting swathes of tulle and silk into an haute couture gown, or the brass bolts being secured into the mahogany leather of a bespoke Louis Vuitton trunk, is a privilege most of us never get to lay eyes on.
However, this all changed last month as the luxury conglomerate LVMH threw open the doors to 25 of its prestigious heritage sites later this month. The Christian Dior haute couture salon at 30 Avenue Montaigne and Louis Vuitton’s Art Nouveau family home and workshops in Asnières were among the exclusive addresses taking part in the 'Journées Particulières' showcase.
The two-day open-house event in October was based mainly in Paris, but also extended to various wine estates in Bordeaux and Champagne. In Italy, meanwhile, the public had a rare glimpse at the splendour in Emilio Pucci’s Tuscan villa and Fendi’s palazzo in Rome, and over in Scotland the Glemorangie distillery hosted a tutored tasting of its mature whiskies.
Classical music fans absorbed the Baroque splendour of the Place Vendome apartment where Chopin composed his final masterpiece (the Mazurka opus 86, no 4) in 1849, while jewellery magpies were dazzled by the 200-year archive of diamond tiaras at Chaumet’s Parisian salon.
Whether your particular passion is haute couture, horology or champagne, this was a marvellous opportunity to delve into a world of luxury and craftsmanship, enriched by guided tours and demonstrations from the custodians of these luxury institutions.
