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PARIS — Tradition has it that on May 1, Dior gifts its employees a sprig of lily of the valley — a French custom said to date back to the 16th century, symbolizing good luck and happiness.
This year, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the May Day custom has been put on hold as most of Dior’s staff continues to work from home. Instead, the French fashion house is celebrating the bloom, which founder Christian Dior turned into a brand signature, with a new homewares collection designed by Cordelia de Castellane.
Currently holed up in her country house some 45 minutes from Paris, the artistic director of Dior Maison has revisited the emblematic house motif with a selection of porcelain plates, hand-painted or engraved glasses, and blown-glass decorative baubles and decanters.
“It was one of Mr. Dior’s favorite flowers,” de Castellane said. “He was extremely superstitious, so lily of the valley was his good-luck charm.”
In addition to gifting the flower to his seamstresses and clients on May 1, the public holiday that is France’s equivalent of Labor Day, Dior insisted that his florist grow it for him year-round in a greenhouse. That way, he could always wear a sprig in his buttonhole, or

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Add Parker to the list of companies that have been put on pause. A spokesman for Vince Holding Corp., which acquired the Parker business in November, confirmed Tuesday it has “pressed pause” on the Parkerny.com business partly due to the coronavirus and partly due to a planned strategic reset with new senior creative director Steven Cateron.
Cateron, who joined Parker in January from Club Monaco, where he was senior vice president for design, is taking this time to reenvision the brand with the goal of relaunching at a later date, said the spokesman. He added that Parker remains available through its wholesale partners.
The parkerny.com site says that the company temporarily closed its distribution center and e-commerce site. “We are still accepting returns, but please note that there may be delays in processing,” the site says. It also mentions that it’s looking forward to coming back to its loyal customers, “with a fresh perspective to help you dress for life’s moments, big and small.”
In November, Vince Holding Corp. acquired Parker and Rebecca Taylor from Sun Capital for $19.7 million. The deal created a portfolio of three contemporary yet distinct brands under Vince Holdings and added $84 million in sales to the corporation.
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