Luxury: Dior celebrates May Day with a new collection devoted to the Lilly of the Valley.
At this time of year you will usually find road-side stalls selling Lilly of the Valley across most of France and Belgium, where many follow the long tradition of giving the flower to loved ones on May 1st as a sign of their affection. The tradition actually began as far back as 1560 when a knight named Louis Gerard presented the then King Charles IX with a bouquet of Lilly of the Valley as a token of prosperity and luck for the year ahead.
The Lilly of the Valley also happens to have been Christian Dior’s lucky flower, whose delectable scent is a herald of sunny days to come. Its evocative name and delicate whiteness illuminated many of the founding couturier’s shows and designs, such as the ‘Muguet’ dress, embroidered all over with tiny bell-like blooms. In 1954, Monsieur Dior even dedicated an entire line to this spring emblem. Being superstitious, he always had a sprig sewn into the hem of each of his creations and also wore one as a boutonnière himself.
This exquisite lucky charm continues to be reinvented by his successors, in tribute to its beguiling beauty. Perpetuating the high regard in which this precious talisman is held, this season Dior Maison unveils a collection devoted to the flower called ‘New Lily of the Valley’. A chance to discover and rediscover the inspiration behind several Dior creations.
