Fancy yourself a “Françoise Sagan girl” summer? Diptyque’s latest collections, released just in time for the warmer months, are inspired by the same Mediterranean beaches the French writer famously featured in her 1954 novel Bonjour Tristesse.
This summer, the iconic Parisian brand channels the French Riviera with a collection of decorative objects—including a sea-blue matchbox, perfect for lighting up your Vogues the old-fashioned way—and a limited edition set of fragrances, body and hair mists, and candles.
The collection uses scent—our most powerful memory sense—to evoke “the beauty that springs from a thousand details: sunbathing alongside turquoise water, taking a break under colorful umbrellas with your feet in the sand, cooling yourself with the fresh and juicy notes of Ilio, preparing fun dinners,” says Jessie Dawes, chief marketing officer of Diptyque Americas.
While Diptyque has long been a staple of Left Bank chic—the first shop opened in 1961 at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain, in the heart of Paris’s 5th arrondissement—the label has deep ties to the Mediterranean. Desmond Knox-Leet, one of its three founders (alongside Yves Coueslant and Christiane Montadre-Gautrot), spent summers in the South of France as a youth.
It was the strength of these early memories, along with a love of nature—shared with Coueslant and Montadre-Gautrot, who grew up in present-day Vietnam and Fontainebleau, respectively—that first motivated the trio to bring Diptyque to life. This vision remains true today: “Diptyque draws on our founders’ original sources of inspiration,” says president of Diptyque Americas Julien Gommichon, “to dream up enchanting, one-of-a-kind fragrances and items in small assortments.”
The founders’ adoration for the scents, hues, and textures of nature is reflected in the brand’s latest releases. The decorative objects collection—itself a nod to Diptyque’s original Saint-Germain shop, which sold fabrics, jewelry, ornaments, children’s toys, and even vinyl records—features pieces that marry the expansiveness of the outdoors with the comforts of home.
The Medicis Vase, a signature Diptyque object, now sparkles in Mediterranean blue, its color mimicking the tantalizing depths of a dreamy swim spot. “During summertime, the boundaries between indoors and outdoors melt into perfect harmony,” says Dawes. “Every element stimulates the dialogue between the home interior and the great outdoors."
The same hue appears on the collection’s Ribbed Candle Holder, an ideal addition to a dinner party table or outdoor patio, which projects a fluttering, wave-like blue-green light when filled with a lit candle. Coco Brun, a multidisciplinary artist from Brittany, also contributed to the collection in the form of the Traveling Single-Stem Vase, which includes a sheath with leather offcuts and a vase fashioned out of borosilicate glass. The vase, as its name suggests, exemplifies the collection’s spirit of wanderlust: “Nomadic objects,” Dawes says, “to take everywhere, all the time.”
Diptyque’s summer collection—available at the brand’s East Hampton locale—conjures a sunny atmosphere. The bright twinge of sea salt lingers in both the Summer Body Spray and the Ilio Refreshing Face and Body Mist, evoking memories of beach days past. Fresh, juicy notes of prickly pear enliven the fragrance, while bergamot and jasmine bring nuance and a delicate floral counterpoint to awaken the senses.
With striking designs by French artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet, the collection is a perfect complement to any summer adventure—from lounging poolside with Sagan’s simmering novel, to dining by candlelight while your favorite Serge Gainsbourg record spins.
