The Tamesis
Going to the club on Monday? That might sound like a tough sell—but not under Dior Beauty’s watch. To celebrate the launch of the new J’adore Intense fragrance, guests ventured up to The Hills for a late-night house party at the famous Brutalist fortress overlooking 90210.
Upon arrival at the $65 million mega-mansion, guests (think: rising stars of young Hollywood, TikTokers and IMDb pages) are greeted by three strategically placed hanging chandeliers in the front yard; instantly reminiscent of the gilded Versailles backdrop in a campaign starring perfume muse Rihanna.
In an equally stunning vignette, French DJs (and twins!) Regis and Brice Abby of Doppelganger Paris operate from a cliff-top booth, playing a set of Sade and 70s disco-style house music against a panoramic view of the city. Attendees dressed in tight, sexy (mostly black) cocktail attire strolled through the 18,000-square-foot all-concrete space. Some paused to pose in front of a roaring fireplace, while others sat on taupe Mario Bellini sectional sofas and placed Lady Dior bags on the bar emblazoned with a black-and-white image of the Palace of Versailles. A familiar face on Instagram pretended to play a game of pool, and friends whipped out their G9 cameras to capture the scene. Throughout, waiters weaved their way through the glamorous crowd, trays adorned with chilled champagne, or the real star of the show: the instantly recognizable J.A.I. bottle, now containing the redesigned fragrance.
Francis Kurkdjian, creative director of Dior fragrances, said: “Tonight is a huge celebration and an important step for me, because in a way, I am now a young man.” Fashion In a quiet corner. “We celebrate the second quarter of the millennium with a new olfactory signature – J’adore Intense, embodied by the iconic Rihanna. We’ve reinvigorated the energy by repurposing and rearranging the entire bouquet with gourmet flair.”
It’s right, enhanced, decadent concentration with a proper dynamo for women on the front lines. “To me, Rihanna is someone who has stepped off the pedestal and blended into the crowd in a very human way,” Kurkojian praised. “Her femininity is very playful, and I also love how she’s always on stage, but in a very cool, normal way. That was the idea of J’adore Intense; to turn that energy into a fragrance you can wear all day long.”
In Kurkdjian’s words, the scent is “something very warm and sensual; not refined, but not overpowering either” – and can certainly be felt in the party air. Guests including Lana Condor, Skai Jackson, Alexandra Shipp and Jurnee Smollett looked on and danced to the music as Grammy Award-winning pianist Brian Kennedy played on the grand piano. Cocktails and virgin concoctions also echo the scent of the perfume, with bartenders creating drinks with jasmine tea, rose water and ylang-ylang garnishes.
When the clock struck 10:01 pm, Club J’adore on the basement level was ready to welcome the crowd of 400 people and get the party going. It’s got everything you could want in a night out, including bottle service, agenda-setting dance groups, music from DJ Kitty Ca$h, an endless supply of burgers and fries delivered straight to the dance floor, and even a smoke machine. Intense? Sure – but it hits the right tone.
