GARDEN PARTY: Dior will unveil its cruise 2025 collection on June 3 in the gardens of Drummond Castle in Scotland, the French fashion house said Wednesday.
The picturesque location in Perthshire near Crieff, a market town famous for its whisky and history of cattle trading, has featured in films including “Rob Roy” as well as the TV series “Outlander,” in which it stood in for the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
Built into a hillside, the castle started life as a fortified tower in the 15th century.
Its Renaissance-style garden combines the styles of Italian terraces and statuary with French parterres, with a striking 17th century sundial at the center. A beech tree planted by Queen Victoria commemorates her visit in 1842.
The castle, which is not open to visitors, is now the seat of Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who was a maid of honor at the coronation of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Dior staged a ball at the nearby Gleneagles Hotel for its spring 1955 collection, the house said in a statement provided exclusively to WWD. Founder Christian Dior drew inspiration from Scotland for a look in his debut collection in 1947 that he christened Écosse.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of womenswear collections at Dior, is expected to continue her tradition of collaborating with local craftspeople on the annual collection, which has the potential to significantly boost tourism revenues in its destination.
Since the lifting of pandemic-era restrictions, the Dior cruise show has taken place in Mexico City; Seville, Spain; and Athens, Greece. The last time the fashion pack descended on Scotland was in 2012 for the Chanel Métiers d’Art show at Linlithgow Palace near Edinburgh.