Dior is looking luxe

This season, Rodeo Drive has a new gem.

Dior has reopened its boutique after an eight-month renovation and set a new standard for shopping on the luxe Beverly Hills street.

Dior has already been making its mark on the red carpet with a bevy of stars (Jessica Biel, Marion Cotillard, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Lawrence) stepping out in designer Raf Simons’ daring designs. And now, the French fashion house is looking to translate all the buzz about its new designer into sales.

The 5,000-square-foot boutique, designed by Peter Marino, has a cool gray interior and an elegant residential feel, with 18th century-inspired furnishings and fixtures mixed with contemporary art.

The first floor has five rooms with Dior’s signature top-handled handbags and lace-covered pumps each in their own spaces, a ready-to-wear salon with fireplace and seating area (now featuring the Cruise collection designed before Simons’ arrival), and a fine jewelry room. Upstairs is a VIP salon.

Dior commissioned several artists to create special pieces for the boutique, including a circular Claude Lalanne ginkgo-leaf bench filled with fresh flowers (in the entry way) and “Cosmic,” a Rob Wynne mirror glass installation on a ceiling (in the handbag area). A Johnny Swing couch made of welded half dollars and stainless steel sits in the ready-to-wear salon and two glass sculptures by artist Jeff Zimmerman reside in the shoe salon alongside a Pae White tapestry. In the fine jewelry area, glittery baubles are displayed in a dollhouse modeled after Dior’s Avenue Montaigne flagship in Paris. Another glam touch? Chairs upholstered with marabou feathers.

Several exclusive items were created for the Rodeo Drive opening, including a gold cuff bracelet made from clusters of stars with a lace-like effect ($1,550) and a pair of mesh pumps with crystal star embroidery ($2,400).

Need more? Simons’ first ready-to-wear collection for spring begins arriving in-store in February.

Dior, 309 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills.