[DLA] Artist Hilary Pecis revisits the Lady Dior, adorning it with enchanting embroidered flowers

Welcome to the Dior Talks podcast series dedicated to the eighth edition of Dior Lady Art, hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this highly-anticipated edition, 12 artists from around the world were invited to transform the iconic Lady Dior handbag into a unique piece of art. Bringing the joyous vibrancy of her work to the Lady Dior universe, LA-based artist Hilary Pecis is known for her color-drenched contemporary still-lifes capturing domestic settings, filled with cats, vases of flowers, stacks of books and other signs of everyday life, with references to art history. Her streetscapes and landscapes are imbued with the special light and visual codes of California.The artist approached the Lady Dior handbag as a three-dimensional canvas surface. Using the virtuoso savoir-faire of the Dior ateliers, she reinterpreted one of her paintings, “Botanical Garden,” depicting a lily pond and reflections from a domed glass ceiling.An ode to the beauty of the plant world so dear to Christian Dior, Pecis’s Lady Dior is festooned with white lotuses and lily pads embroidered with a textured profusion of beads, sequins and rhinestones in all shades of green, as if they were growing off the bag, while the handle has a delightful organic “wobbliness” to it.The velvet-lined creation with its 3D volumes and ornate preciousness also holds personal symbolism, with tributes to her grandmother’s collection of costume jewelry and accessories which she liked to dress up in as a child. “She also had an incredible handbag collection and I wanted to reimagine a Dior bag that would appeal to my six-year-old self and me today, as well as my grandma if she were still alive,” says Pecis. Tune in to the episode to learn more about the artist’s colorful universe and the inspirations behind her Lady Dior bags. 

Om Podcasten

Step inside the contemporary Dior mind with ‘Dior Talks’, a series of podcasts aimed at bringing together both the people who directly shape the creative direction of the House and those whose artistic, cultural or intellectual impact influence its narrative. The sixth series, ‘Feminism’, focuses on the women who have inspired Maria Grazia Chiuri, both professionally and personally, and who have been involved in the bold collaborations with the House that the Creative Director of Women’s collections has orchestrated and championed since her arrival in 2016. These podcasts provide a stimulating outlet for the voices of these influential and empowered figures, who talk openly and honestly about their lives, their motivations, the challenges they’ve overcome and their hopes for the future. The series is hosted by Justine Picardie, the London-based journalist and biographer.