The fringed bangs, fashioned before she was five years old, the improbably high heels, the flared black skirts: Victoire de Castellane's silhouette is a poem in itself. A Parisienne, de Castellane grew up in an aristocratic family whose originis can be traced back to the 10th century. Her grandmother Sylvia Hennessy along with her friend Barbara Hutton were champions of both enormous and extravagant jewelry. Victoire de Castellane accomplished her first feat of jewelry-making at the age of five: she dismantled a priceless charm-bracelet to make a pair of earrings. At age twelve, she created her first ring. Indifferent to convention though passionate about history and technical challenge, de Castellane's ideas are driven by an exuberant imagination, deriving from mixed sources such as the synthetic wonders of Technicolor; the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney; Hollywood screen idols and manga characters.
In 1998, Victoire de Castellane joined Dior as the first Creative Director of their new jewelry department, a role she continues to this day. Her highly original collections for Dior have redefined and revivified
haute joaillerie for a new generation. With "Fleurs d'exces"
Flowers of excess, she has gone further to create unique works that recall the jeweled obsessions of times past, such as the mechanical nightingale of Hans Christian Andersen's children's tale, Faberge eggs, and the fabulous
bestiaries of animals real and mythic. De Castellane's flowers are intoxicating, but also dangerous because of the poisons that they secrete.
Amanita Satana Diabolus
Acidae Lili Pervertus
Opium Velourosa Purpa
Crystalucinea Metha Agressiva
Extasium Ethero Coitus
Quo Cainus Magic Disco
In the copy with “The Peace Corps ruined my Bernie’s life,” Bernie’s mom explains how she had everything worked out for him—whom he would marry, where he would live (two blocks from her), she even had the furniture picked out. 1968.
This 1970 Peter Max poster was not an official Peace Corps issue. The artist has produced many posters throughout the years for various causes to which the proceeds are donated.
