The Dior Narrative

When looking into the narrative and the dream behind Diorissimo, there are many connotations which jump out of the product, and for me there is a very strong story which unveils. Dior is an incredibly sophisticated and well developed brand, which enables a strong sense of control within the brand; however for me, the dior fragrances are more than just smells, they work together in synergy to create a family like feel. J’adore, Miss Dior and Les Creations de Monsieur Dior are three sisters, and when you unravel the product identify within each fragrance you gain an understanding of the audience, smell, bottle aesthetics, and the feel of the perfume. These factors enable the consumer to learn more about where the product fits within the Dior Fragrance ‘family’. 

J’adore is a very sleek, sexual perfume, which is incredibly feminine and independent. The woman behind the fragrance is heavily beautiful and someone how has confidence within herself, she knows what she wants and how she is going to get it. This very confident and forward figure which appears in the family of Dior is an older sister, and is a well loved, appreciated yet strong smell, and is well developed to the perfect amount.

Next you have Miss Dior, who is the youngest of the three, sisters within the Dior fragrance family; she is cheeky, flirty and incredibly girls; the smell is flowery and pink which is displayed strongly within the packaging colour and bow on the lid. Miss Dior is the youngest and although she is confident in herself she has changes to make to herself, and is giggly. If she were to be drawn, she would too be very beautiful, but younger, and she is fun; which is the most important element which can be taken from the fragrance.

Finally you have the strong family of Les Creations de Monsieur Dior, which are almost the cousins of the Dior family, as they themselves make up 6 of the Dior fragrances, meaning there is a strong bond and collection within the brand. Diorissimo, Diorella, Dioressence and Diorling are almost quadruplets, the smells and the looks which carry the Dior fragrance forward are so similar, the bottle shapes are all identical and the look and feel which can be captured from the fragrance are identical. 

I personally see Diorissimo as an interesting family member within the fragrance market. The bottle itself is very bland, there is very little shape and outstanding factor of the bottle, however this inputs an element of mystery within the product, implying that Dior may have put all their efforts into the smell and left the packaging and bottle plain to allow a sense of the unknown into the product. The sell is so floral and fruity, almost a younger smell, however it was one of the first created which leaves the element of surprise when the scent is smelt as you see the movement behind the smell throughout the years. The Diorissimo woman is incredibly elegant yet simplistic, it leaves a lot to the imagination and allows a true mystical element to her; she too would be incredibly beautiful, old fashioned in her beliefs yet her rebranding makes her young in age. In my opinion, Diorissimo is the most interesting of the Dior Fragrance Collection, and although she isn’t the most famous, this adds the element of surprise to her, which is her unique selling point within the market. 

Dior at Harrods 2013

Just over a year ago, Dior held an event at Harrods to boost products as well as promotion for the brand. This was such an impacting event, which is still causing a push for Dior within the store. For one month in March, a ‘luxury adventure’ had been crested combining the Paris boutique with British charm. Dior opened a cafe there, and a French menu with was also similar to that of Sketch bar, as they worked in synergy to promote the brand. Special British makeup collection was first published with exclusive one-offs for those who were wealthy enough. This event is something that I think is vital to the promotional aspect to the brand, as well as raising awareness. A perfect opportunity, ands something I believe Dior should re-arrange.

Autumn/Winter 2014-15

This year, Dior looked very deeply into the traditional focus of Autumn/Winter; looking into colours, materials, and elements of the holiday which all of the audience can relate to; which lead to fur, white outfits and a lot of long, draped materials. This season Dior used bold colours to represent the silhouettes of city workers, as he wanted the women to be seen completely equal with men – each form was echoed in traditional masculine fabrics. Peak lapels, double breasting and horn buttons take the place of more traditional elements of the feminine tailor. This is one of my favourite collections of the Autumn/Winter Dior range, and has been praised by all, the incredible and beautifully created garments are just stunning; Raf Simons has yet again made an unforgettable collection.

“I wanted to approach the idea of the city as an abstraction, it is how I perceive the world of the city in this collection,” says Raf Simons. “It is an idea of the romantic and the real, a world of possibilities. At the same time I wanted to present women with freedom and possibilities in the way they dress too.”

http://www.dior.com/diortv/en_gb/videos/fashion-shows/haute-couture-autumn-winter-2014-15-fashion-show

Christmas at Dior

When looking at Dior Fragrance, there is one shop which automatically comes to mind in regards to cosmetics and learning more about the company; the Dior Beauty Boutique in Covent Garden. It was the first Boutique of Dior’s to move from Paris, which means that a lot of the products which get sent over appear in the Covent garden store first; which is personal as it had a connection with the company itself; but it also has its unique eye shadow which was made just for the Covent Garden Store. Having elements of individuality and unique selling points within the sales and stores is so important as Covent Garden is now know by some, as the ‘English home of Dior’. It has such a power and hierarchy over the other stores due to this. 

As I am a member of the Special Events and Information side of Dior, I have recently been to see the new Dior Makeup, which is being released at Christmas. Without ruining the surprise, the bottles of nail varnish and the lipsticks come in an incredibly rich gold colour, with a cylindrical theme within the overall style. The colours are so full and wintery, with a day and night wear section. The lip sticks were something else, with two shades for highlighting and a shimmer, it is something that not only I, but so many people will be looking forward for when Christmas arrives. Dior is such a fast moving brand, and not on the products, but the wording, packaging and the overall feel of the products has become so developed over the past few years. In a few weeks I am having a private makeup session with one of the top makeup artists at Dior, to test the new products and the Covent Garden eyeshadow, an incredible and unforgettable experience!

DIORISSIMO – the reasoning behind the shape

Something that isn’t known by many is why the bottle changed shape so drastically from the first production of Diorissimo. However, when the product was re-branded within the collection Les Creations de Monsieur Dior, the company wanted to create something very personal, something unique which taught others about the life of Christian Dior. When Dior used to sketch, he had a very special chair which he sat in, a dark grey armchair with a white rim. It was where he sat, a duplicate of the one he had at home. Dior then made his models sit in the chair for inspiration when he wasn’t able to think of a new and inventive line. Because this was something that was very personal and known by all that worked with him, when the second bottle of Diorissimo was created, it was shaped as if to replicate the armchair.

The sturdy and solid shape of the bottle is to mirror the structure to the chair, and the round rim is the oval cushion which sits on the back of the chair. To the audience this is unknown, as it is simply a perfume bottle, and to them a fragrance, yet Dior created so much more than fragrances, the brand itself were, and still are very particular about the shapes and reasoning behind the products; which is why to this day, it is such a successful and solid business.

Diorissimo 1960

These are four of the posters which were used to publicise the 1960’s Diorissimo perfume, some of the first promotion platforms used by Dior to entice the audience in.

DIORISSIMO

Diorissimo is not only a fragrance created in the 1960’s but Dior himself created a handbag collection along side the perfume. This has, however, now be re-branded and upgraded within the fashion industry. Dior are currently publicising the new Diorissimo bag, made from calfskin with contrasting pockets; this re branding is exactly why Dior are so successful within the industry. They look back at their existing products and see which were especially successful and work with the products, and try and reinvent them to fit the new target market. This is key within this industry in particular, the essence therefore of the product is kept the same, attracting the old market to reminisce within the brand. 

The old bottle, created nearly 55 years ago, was a lot smaller, and rounded at the sides to make a thin oval shape, with half the bottle class to see the perfume itself, then delicately wrapped in a dog tooth print, to match the lid. A small bow was tired around the lid of the bottle; which was a very feminine and the style of the time, which is why Dior is such a successful brand, it continually evolves and changed to fit the target audience. The sectioned bottle is such an effective way to entice the customer, as the eye is drawn toward the bottom of the bottle, showing the buyer just how much perfume you are getting for the price; which is a commonly used technique within the perfumery industry. Although, the old bottle looks very bulky and solid in shape, it was a very different shaped bottle in the 60’s, and attracted a lot of attention within the target market; it was the perfume which was desired and work by those who were upper class. Christian Dior has always had such a positive relationship with his target market, and always will be such an inspiration within the perfumery world. 

The bottle which is still available to buy now is a similar block shape, with rounded edges; but with a modern twist. The oval indented into the bottle to display the brand and name of the bottle is placed in the centre of the bottle itself. There is no dog tooth, however there is a sense of where it used to be, on the rim where the perfume lid is taken off, there is a metallic texture to the neck of the bottle, which is where the dog tooth was placed on the old bottle. There are similarities within the bottles, however the old bottle was a lot more unique and recognisable for customers to quickly distingusish. This is a disadvantage for Dior, as for this perfume in particular they haven’t made the bottle interesting or unique in any way, though it does fit with the collection of bottles; which when they are all together looks sophisticated and simplistic in design.