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J’adore Dior Garden Party

J’adore by Dior Parfum d’Eau launch party in Traumgarten by Anna Blachut from A Stylish Story

In early September I was invited to attend the new Dior fragrance launch on the Swiss market. The event took place in Traumgarten Thalwil, just a short ride outside of the Zurich city center.

The event was a celebration of the new parfum d’eau.

Traumgarten actually means “dream garden” in German, and this could not be more accurate. The setting was breathtaking, with koi fish curling around the bottom of a pond, Dior goodie bags piled high on lush green bushes, and flowers, and the new Dior parfum d’eau.

Why Parfum d’eau, not eau de parfum? This is indeed the unique selling point of this new Dior fragrance. It is the first-ever water-based fragrance. It is an alcohol-free fragrance. Instead of alcohol, it is an oil-based fragrance that needs to be shaken before being applied. The new Dior fragrance is a concentration of water and flowers.

In terms of advertising and imagery, the Dior J’adore fragrance has become synonymous with the famous actress Charlize Theron. She has been the face of numerous of the J’adore fragrance campaigns (and before her, Carmen Kass in the 90s). Charlize Theron continues to star in the international campaign launch for the new J’adore Parfum d’eau. But did you know that there will be local digital stars for this Dior Parfum launch? Earlier in the day, the Traumgarten served as a backdrop for the upcoming Dior digital campaign for the perfume in the Swiss market. They shot the most stunning images of the beautiful Swiss influencers Anna Maradan, Elvira Legrand, Lisa Starchak, Sindi Arifi, and Svenja Elena Steness.

The evening event started at 6, there was a garden quiz with prizes to win, delicious food and on each table, there was a white bouquet of Dior flowers along with the new J’adore Parfum d’eau for guests to sample. There was also a pop-up booth with makeup where you could try out the latest Dior Makeup collections with the help of professional makeup artists. There were also several backdrops where you could take your picture including a super fun photo booth, which I loved. Later on, there was a full official presentation of the new Dior fragrance along with a speech from the heads of the markets in the evening.

The theme of the evening reflected the new look of the Parfum d’Eau’s opaque white bottle with its elegant gold neck – the Dress Code was white with a touch of gold. For the event, I wore a Miu Miu white dress with a delicate bow detail along with a cream white tweed blazer, threaded with gold and embellished with a pearl trim. In terms of shoes, I wore a pair of white loafers with gold details. This is because we had been asked to wear comfortable shoes, this is because the garden setting meant that heels would be a tad more complex, and I am so happy I had flat shoes as it allowed me to explore the garden fully. For the event, I had done my makeup using only Dior products. In terms of the look, I did a soft glam look inspired by Lily-Rose Depp’s MET Gala makeup from 2019, so iconic and elegant.

The event was a wonderful moment, and I am so thankful to have been invited. Not to mention because when I was an illustration design student at The University of Edinburgh, my dissertation thesis was in fact on Dior and the iconic perfume ads created by the famous Franco-Italian fashion illustrator René Gruau. In this way, Dior will always truly hold a special place in my heart.

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25Hours in Zurich

Situated in the heart of Zürich, a stones throw away from the central train station, the 25Hours Hotel Langstrasse is ideal if you plan a short trip in Zurich. We stayed in the 25Hours Langstrasse Hotel in Zurich in mid-December for a weekend getaway. It was a great experience, especially as I love Zurich city so much. It is the perfect combination of urban cool kids and sleek city glamour. Zurich is in fact the largest city in Switzerland. It is a melting pot of art, culture, finance, filled with upscale bankers and quirky bohemians.

The neighborhood of the hotel is where the infamous Langstrasse intersects with the hyper-modern Europaalle. Built in 2017, the hotel had a cool and contemporary edge to it. Indeed, the 25Hours Hotel Langstrasse is part of the The 25Hours Hotels group, a group of 13 hotels in 9 cities. Each one is tailored to the specific location. In Zurich there are actually two 25Hours hotels: Langstrasse and Zürich West.

The hotel itself had a hip interior design that reflected the creative district. The room had the most beautiful full length windows. I was particularly in love with the bathroom lighting which was perfect for selfies. Even the bathrobes where edgy. Instead of the usual white bathrobes that hotels provide, these where black with yellow embroidery. The pillows had playful phrases printed on them and the room had its own Polaroid camera which echoed that artsy aspect of the hotel. Indeed the 25hours Langstrasse hotel actually offers an artist in residence programs through “The Atelier”.

With Christmas around the corner, we got to enjoy the Zurich Christmas market and strolled around the beautifully decorated city center all lit up in the evening. Later on in the evening, we headed to the hotel bar, the Cinchona, which is very popular with the local Zurich crowd. The bar decor was quirky and cool with plants that twirled around the golden furniture and bikes hanging from the ceiling.

Then, in the morning we took advantage of the SPA area and sauna – which was very relaxing. There was an endless selection of healthy teas to enjoy and even a tea tap! So that you could instantly brew up a nice cup as you sat back and enjoyed yourself. The different tea names were in line with the hotel’s playful nature, featuring flavors such as “Master Mint”, “Low Rider” “Maybe Baby” and “Lazy Daze”.

Then we heading down to enjoy a delicious brunch. The menu included a wide selection of Mediterranean dishes. There was also some delicious homemade chocolate, in line with the Swiss nature of the location.

Urban, cool and artsy, the beautiful 25Hours Hotel Langstrasse is the ideal for a short stay in Zurich.

Thank you so very much for the most wonderful stay!