IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Dior is cementing its longstanding relationship with Harrods with a vacation event that may take over the London department store’s windows and facade for a celebration of “The Wonderful World of Dior.”

Running from Nov. 10 to Jan. 3, the multipronged happening will involve events on every floor of the shop, including a micro-village on the lower ground floor and a pop-up café. The front of the shop on Brompton Road will likely be adorned with a monumental light installation featuring classic Dior emblems just like the compass rose, certainly one of the important thing symbols of the brand’s 2022 holiday campaign.

Dior, which traditionally stages a summer pop-up at Harrods, will take over 44 windows with gingerbread house-themed displays celebrating all its product categories, from ready-to-wear and leather goods to fragrances and residential wares. The theme of the tableaux will likely be exclusive to Harrods and Dior’s flagship on Avenue Montaigne in Paris.

“Now we have never led a collaboration of this scale with a department store,” said Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture.

“That is an absolute first, and together with the unprecedented exhibition there will likely be surprises and exclusivities on every floor: from monumental illuminations to entrancing shop windows animating the legendary facade, from two exclusive pop-ups to Café Dior, imagined specially for the event,” he added.

Beccari said Dior’s relationship with Harrods goes back to the beginnings of the French fashion house, with founder Christian Dior attending a show of his collection at the shop in 1954.  

“Harrods is renowned for its iconic Christmas displays, so it’s our pleasure to be partnering with Christian Dior this season to create something truly unique and exceptional for our customers,” said Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods.

“Throughout our history, Dior has been an important partner for Harrods, with our customers responding well across all categories, so it only made sense that we join forces to bring our clients a most enchanted season,” he added.

Dior will launch a dedicated app to permit visitors to book slots for the exhibition, featuring small-scale reproductions of three key buildings: the Paris flagship, which reopened last yr after extensive renovations; founder Christian Dior’s childhood home in Granville, Normandy and the Château de La Colle Noire, the estate he bought within the South of France.

“These have been reproduced, with virtuosity, in reinterpretation of the centuries-old tradition of gingerbread houses. This incredible prowess made possible because of multiple ‘métiers’ and savoir-faire expertise — from sculpture to animation — celebrates the excellence of Dior and the magic of its creations in all forms, from high fashion to perfumes,” Beccari said.

The visit, which takes around quarter-hour, is augmented with immersive video projections, micromapping and holographic projections to take visitors on a journey from dawn until dusk.

The shop may even carry quite a lot of exclusives and pre-launches. Among the many exclusives are square trunks embroidered with gold thread, carrying micro versions of purses including the Saddle and the Lady Dior. High-end products on offer include the Miss Dior chair designed by Philippe Starck. — JOELLE DIDERICH

GOING, GOING, GETTY: When Christie’s was invited to sell the estate of Ann and Gordon Getty, the auction house was invited to the late couple’s home and “really told to take all of it,” based on Elizabeth Seigel, Christie’s vice chairman and specialist in private and iconic collections. This includes what WWD can reveal is a museum-quality collection of tapestries, handbags and residential furnishings that will likely be available for auction across about 10 sales.

The Getty family, as Seigel described, “is who many individuals know on the West Coast for the Getty Collection in Los Angeles. They really held court in philanthropic circles in San Francisco. Their home was a beacon of that world and now we’re throwing the doors open to rejoice a few of their favorite causes. We’re selling all of the contents of their home from paintings on the wall to furniture and textiles within the basement — all for philanthropic causes.” The family also holds immense political sway in California and has close relationships with officials including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Governor Gavin Newsom.

Mrs. Getty’s basement textile archive, including panels and swatches from France, England and India —a lot of them dating back to the 1700s — will likely be the first focus of six online sales that may conclude Oct. 24. These sales may even include items from Mrs. Getty’s jewelry collection — much of it featuring essential pieces from India together with jewelers like Ilias Lalaounis and Tiffany & Co. Moreover, there are handbags from her collection, including pieces from Hermès and Christian Dior.

“Quality is the present thread throughout the gathering,” said Seigel. “The handbag collection is actually special as well — there are a few of the very best names and styles, whether its Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton or VBH. They’re bags you don’t often see at auction.”

On account of the sheer variety of lots within the sale, Christie’s has not placed reserves on any of the web sales lots. Estimates for online sales start as little as $100, to encourage recent bidders to enter the ring. Evening sales estimates are, in fact, much higher — with a set of Meissen plates expected to comprehend a minimum $150,000.

“The Getty’s selected their favorite West Cost philanthropic causes to divide the cash between — they show two different trajectories,” said Seigel. “Mr. Getty was a composter so a few of the proceeds are going to the San Francisco Conservancy, the San Francisco Opera and Symphony. Mrs. Getty trained as an archaeologist, which I feel speaks to her collection and the way it digs into history. She selected to donate to the Leakey Collection and the Berkeley Geochronology Center and the University of San Francisco.”

Christie’s estimates that your complete Getty collection will usher in around $180 million for these charities combined. — MISTY WHITE SIDELL

SLOW-WOMEN: Slowear is testing the waters for its womenswear range, currently accounting for between 5 percent and 10 percent of its sales. And for the primary time it hosted a Milan Fashion Week presentation to unveil the spring collection.

Welcoming guests at Slowear’s flagship within the arty Brera district — an experiential space called Slowear 18, combining retail space with a mixology bar and café — chief executive officer Marco Bernardini said the corporate is testing what works best for the feminine lineup when it comes to distribution and communication, acknowledging that the present most relevant market is Italy and there may be little international exposure.

“We thought an event was an awesome start, the range has already received attention and I feel it deserves to grow also communication-wise,” Bernardini said.

The lineup on show was a highly curated edit by stylist Tanya Jones, brought on board by the inner women’s design team led by Misa Tesic to distill their vision of urban gear injected with ease and practicality, the identical applied to menswear, the corporate’s forte.

Earthy tones, best exemplified by ivory roomy pants cropped on the ankles and paired with poet-sleeved drop-shouldered coats, in addition to fluid linen pantsuits trading blazers for elongated vests, mingled with sorbet-colored attire. A pea green woolen blazer in the identical weight of crisp cotton was matched to linen pants in a rather lighter shade, while a pleated A-line skirt paired with a voluminous utilitarian jacket was done in a lightweight pink.

“The conversation with Misa revolved across the brand’s DNA and its expertise in menswear. We added a female touch, never tacky or too coy, it’s all about urban ladies, those seen strolling around Brera,” said Jones.

Asked to elaborate on prospects for the ladies’s range, Bernardini said it’s too early to predict sales volumes but he looks forward to 2023 to jumpstart a dedicated strategy.

A longtime menswear player, the Venice-based Slowear is parent to Incotex casual pants; Zanone high-end knitwear; Glanshirt casual shirts; Montedoro outerwear, and Officina Slowear accessories and footwear. As reported earlier this yr, the corporate opened its third U.S. retail outpost but first in Latest York in NoHo. — MARTINO CARRERA

UNLOCKING TIFFANY: Tiffany & Co. continues to refine its image with a recent shop-in-shop dedicated to its most up-to-date jewelry launch.

The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-helmed jeweler has arrange an immersive experience in its temporary Fifth Avenue flagship in Latest York City, dedicated to its recent “Lock” collection.

The pop-up appears to supply a form of luxurious, den-like setting — housed inside a sapphire blue cube with matching carpeting and ambient lighting.

The installation could provide a glimpse of Tiffany’s forthcoming renovated Fifth Avenue flagship when it opens in 2023. While the project began before LVMH’s acquisition, plans for the flagship have since modified significantly and are being devised by star architect Peter Marino.

For the “Lock” installation, Tiffany collaborated with artist Francesco Vullo who made sculptures that highlight the bracelets’ proprietary hinge feature.

Pop-up visitors may even be offered the prospect to have their “Lock” bracelets hand-engraved by Tiffany artisans. The pop-up will remain on view until Nov. 1. — M.W.S.

GET READY FOR GU: Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing is expanding the reach of its lower-priced, trend-driven brand GU with with a pop-up store in Latest York’s SoHo. The corporate told WWD Tuesday that the shop will open on Oct. 7.

As reported, the SoHo pop-up will likely be open for roughly a yr, and will likely be GU’s first foray into the U.S. market. It would be utilized by the corporate to collect opinions and feedback from U.S. consumers. GU said that it goals for the shop to be a store “that’s loved by and grows along with town’s SoHo neighborhood, which welcomes people of diverse cultures, values and lifestyles,” in an announcement. The theme of the shop will likely be “Tokyo to SoHo.”

Along with a collection of popular products for men and women, GU may even be bringing its “GU Osharista” style advisers to customers in its recent SoHo store. The term “osharista” was created by combining the Japanese word oshare (pronounced oh-sha-ray), meaning fashionable, and the English word fashionista.

GU may even launch an official website and social media accounts for the U.S. market from Wednesday, and it has various promotions planned for the opening day of the SoHo store. These include free gifts to early visitors and the primary 3,000 customers to make a purchase order. — KELLY WETHERILLE