fashion
Enamel and rose-cut diamond vanity case, circa 1924.
NIGHT VISION
Cartier’s rich heritage sparks a glittering new collection of evening bags
Crocodile minaudière case with diamond and onyx clasp, price upon request, 714-540-8231.
BEVERLY HILLS
IN FULL BLOOM With Belgian designer Raf Simons now front and center as artistic director, Christian Dior forges ahead with the reopening of its Beverly Hills boutique. The fresh interior is a mix of 18th-century detailing with modern elements such as a Rob Wynne mirror glass installation in the ceiling of the handbag salon and a stainless steel Johnny Swing couch. 309 N. Rodeo Dr., B.H., 310-859-4700; dior.com.
WRITTEN BY CAROLINE CAGNEY. CARTIER (5): COURTESY OF CARTIER
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ountless iconic masterpieces have been conceived in the atelier above Cartier’s Paris agship—opened by Alfred Cartier in 1899—from the famed 69.42-carat, pear-shaped diamond Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor in 1969 to the audacious gold crocodile necklace commissioned by the late Mexican actress MarĂa FĂŠlix in 1975. Cartier’s ďŹ rst handbag collection debuted in the early 1900s with spun gold and pleated mesh purses and bejeweled minaudières—a category relaunched in 2007 with its classic Marcello day handbag. From the beginning, the brand excelled in fashionable goods, including the daring Flapper vanity case built to ďŹ t only a lipstick, comb and cigarettes. This season, the house continues to give stylish ladies something to hold onto with an expanded set of offerings inspired by the past. “Today’s woman still wants the same thing,â€? says Director of Leather Creation Marlin Yuson. “The designs are more contemporary and graphic, but the spirit is still very much about a beautiful object that a woman covets.â€? Three ultra-sleek styles—box-shape and elongated clutches, and evening purses—are clad in materials of decadence: black crocodile and python skins, satin with silver silk-thread embroidery, and a hard guillochĂŠ shell. The pièce de rĂŠsistance: a solid-silver Panthère clasp, speckled with black lacquer or onyx, and brilliant-cut diamonds, and framed by two Russian-faceted cabochons in chrysoprase, onyx or carnelian. “For Cartier, evening bags are like jewelry,â€? adds Yuson. “[This is] something unique, timeless and truly glamorous.â€? V>Ă€ĂŒÂˆiÀ°VÂœÂ“Â°ĂŠUĂŠ
Backstage at Paris Haute Couture. LEFT Bagatelle ring, price upon request.
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