From Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Bohan, to Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano and Raf Simons, designers and customers alike have, for seven decades, honored an unspoken oath that the house of Dior would always uphold its status as the pinnacle of Parisian high fashion, a gold standard of style and beauty recognized throughout the world.
This month that bond is strengthened yet again with the opening of Dior’s newest boutique. Located in San Francisco’s Union Square, the lavishly chic, art-filled store was recently premiered with a cocktail party that elegantly declared the house’s presence in the very center of the world’s tech industry.
Hosted by Jaime King, the event was attended by designers Andrew Gn and Alex Casterano, Silicon Valley “It Girls” Anne Vyalitsyna, Nikita Kahn and Sarah Somberg, tastemakers such as Katie Traina and Lauren Goodman, as well as some of San Francisco’s most fashionable, such as Xiaojun Lee, Monaz Mehta, Noosheen Hashemi, Mary Beth Shimmon, Sobia Shaikh, Sonya Molodetskaya, Yurie Pascarella, Olya Dzilikhova, Afsaneh Akhtari, OJ Shansby (and dozens more who could surely claim that distinction.)
(Photo courtesy of Dior)
Guests wore a range of Dior styles in tribute to the House, going back to the Ferre era (on Sarah Somberg) and the Galliano era, in addition to the most recent (on Jaime King, for instance), with many anticipating who the next designer will be. But Dior was most represented by the number of bags carried by the guests, from the cherished Lady Dior to the chic little evening clutch.
When not chatting, or admiring the clothing and accessories, guests had a wonderful opportunity to see the store’s art works — appropriate since a portion of the sales from the evening and the day after benefited the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Among the store’s new art pieces one couldn’t help but notice the mesmerizing video art wall by artist Oyoram , the beautiful Laurent Chauvat mirror in the fine jewelry & watches salon, India Mahdavi‘s ‘Bishop’ stools and Stefan Leo ‘Annette Deux’ console in the ready-to-wear area, and the ‘Dots’ mirror glass installation by Rob Wynne in the shoe salon.
With Giorgio Armani opening next door, Prada located across the street*, andValentino, Hermes, and Dolce & Gabbana just steps away, a Grant Street address would seem to be among the most prestigious in the nation’s retail scene. And Dior is its shimmering, glittering, crown jewel.
Yes, it took seven decades to arrive, but was worth the wait.
