Diego Dolcini to Unveil Crystal-Heeled Baccarat Shoe Capsule

CRYSTAL VISIONS: Crystal slippers are no longer limited to fairy tales. Celebrating 25 years of heels, Diego Dolcini has collaborated with Baccarat on a limited-edition capsule of 15 footwear designs sporting crystal heels — a “first in the history of shoemaking,” according to the footwear designer.

Dubbed Cristal Couture, the capsule is also designed in signature Baccarat colors: ruby, amber, amethyst and black.

Dolcini named a ruby satin sandal with a torsade-shaped crystal heel echoing Baccarat’s Zenith chandelier after French singer Lou Doillon, dedicating the collection to “iconic French women of today and of the future.” (Think Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Mélanie Laurent, “to name but a few.”)

Hailing a “new chapter” for Baccarat, Daniela Riccardi, chief executive officer of the crystal house, in a statement said the team has been mulling “the idea of bringing Baccarat into the world of couture, catwalks and fashion shows” for some time.

The house will present a retrospective of Dolcini’s footwear oeuvre in the Salle de Bal at the Baccarat headquarters on Place des états-Unis during Paris Couture Week, with a cocktail scheduled for July 1.

The Italian designer has headed the footwear departments of brands including Gucci, under former creative director Tom Ford, Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Vionnet and Casadei. Since 2016, he has been head shoe designer at Balmain.

Baccarat, which in 2017 was acquired by Chinese investment firm Fortune Fountain Capital, will unveil a second couture week project — a collaboration with jewelry designer Lorenz B?umer — on July 5.

A leading Chinese financial holding group specialized in wealth management and experiential luxury, Fortune Fountain Capital acquired the company from U.S. investment firm Starwood Capital Group.

The crystal maker, which makes around 80 percent of its revenues outside of France, is banking on international expansion to drive growth in coming years, with the United States and Asia its priorities.

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