I was so excited for the Bastet palette that I completely forgot I hadn't featured Dior's regular spring collection. The centerpiece of the collection, the Cherie Bow palette, pays homage to the designer's fondness for bows in any and all forms. Says the press release, "Among the timeless
codes of the history of Dior, the bow is one of the most enduring. When
Christian Dior presented his first collection in 1947, he created the
first Miss Dior perfume to commemorate the occasion. Each
bottle of Miss Dior – available exclusively to Dior couture customers –
featured a bow tied around its neck. 'I like bows to finish a neckline, decorate a hat or close a belt,' said Christian Dior. 'Whether small, large or enormous, I like them in any style and any material.' The
bow embodied a playful femininity embodied by the Christian Dior brand,
acting as an essential punctuating element, an eye-catching, finishing
touch of a dress. Known as the 'Fontanges Bow,' the iconic accent serves
as a charming echo of the ribbons that Louis XIV’s mistress wore in her
hair, and quickly became a recurrent reference at the House of Dior,
decorating, among other things, the oval medallions of the House." As for the palette itself, it "features the classic Fontanges Bow
reinvented by Dior jewelry designer Camille Miceli with three elements
that come together to form a delicate bow shape, sealed with a pearl duo
clasp reminiscent of one of Miceli’s iconic designs." You can read more about the origins of the Fontanges Bow here.
Here is the palette. After reading the description as well as the overview of the use of the bow throughout Dior's history, I was a bit underwhelmed by the design, especially after seeing it in person. The hard plastic used for the outer casing looked cheap, which was surprising given how luxe it seemed on last spring's Garden Party palettes. The overall shape seemed bland to me as well. Thus, I did not purchase it for the Makeup Museum.
(image from nordstrom.com)
It's a shame Dior didn't create a more imaginative design given all the examples the house could choose from. As the press release states, bows were a much-loved motif for Dior. From the 1950s…
(images from vam.ac.uk and omgthatdress.tumblr.com)
…through the '80s (the dress on the left is from 1965; on the right is from 1987)…
(images from butterhotshoes.com and vogue.fr)
…and all the way up through today's collections, the bow is a mainstay in Dior pieces.
After reading that the bow was used for Miss Dior perfume, I did a little digging to see if it made an appearance in the ads for the fragrance. Indeed, the bow was popular in the early ads (from 1949 and 1954.) In these you may recognize the style of Rene Gruau, who also drew the New Look silhouette that appeared on the Tailleur Bar palettes:
Even in the '80s Gruau held tight to the bow motif.
(images from hprints.com)
Finally, a contemporary example of the bow for Miss Dior perfume, as modeled by Natalie Portman:
(image from stylenow.info)
The bow isn't just for fragrance ads or on the runway – it's also used for Dior accessory ads. Mila Kunis and Jennifer Lawrence are the most recent faces of Dior.
(images from allclutchbags.com and glamour.com)
With all these examples, you would think the Cherie Bow palette would have been a little more inventive. Additionally, there was no reason Dior should reference the work of their jewelry designer given the bow's extensive manifestation throughout Dior's history.
What do you think of the Cherie Bow palette? Could Dior have done more with its design?