It also means that Ms. Scheufele has something of a captive audience, and market, for her new fashion line, which will be shown alongside the new Red Carpet collection. Indeed, it was designed with the jewels in mind: open necklines, bare shoulders, decoration concentrated below the waist so as not to compete with the stones. (An example of the sort of jewels involved: a ring featuring a 127-carat yellow sapphire.)
“Over the years I have worked with lots of good friends in fashion — Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli — and they make beautiful dresses,” Ms. Scheufele said. “But couture today involves so many sequins, so much Swarovski, the clothes end up taking attention from what is really the star — a $5 million necklace. They didn’t match the jewels.”
Her line, entitled Caroline’s Couture and created with a design team and ateliers in Milan, Paris and India, is meant to address that issue rather than to make a major fashion statement. And it is a territory marker of sorts.
“All these fashion houses are trying to get into our space,” Ms. Scheufele said, a reference to brands like Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci that have moved into fine jewelry, as well as rumors that Alessandro Michele, the former Gucci designer, was about to sign on as creative director of Bulgari, with an eye to starting a clothing line for the house.
If that’s happening, Ms. Scheufele s aid, “Why shouldn’t I get into theirs?”
Especially given the potential guest models involved. Like the jewels, the dresses will be available not just to order, but also to borrow for events during the remainder of the festival. The result could be free advertising of the most glamorously insider sort.
