Diptyque Collection 34

I never do get a longer, more convoluted press release than from Diptyque… in the tiniest writing still possible to be read by the human eye. So, forgive me if there are gaps here. Collection 34 revolves around the boutique at 34 Boulevard Saint Germain in 1961, opened by Desmond Knox-Leet, Yves Coueslant and Christiane Guatrot as an upholstery and fabric store. It’s the first time I have ever known anything about the founders of Diptyque! Anyhoo, they wanted to bring some festive magic to the store, so decorated it with lantern garlands. In doing so, they attracted customers who had been previously uninterested in their fabrics. So, the founders filled the store with curiosities from around the world – toys from Germany and Mexico, ceramics, glass beads and semi-precious stones from Persia, coin purses, cardboard theatres and Welsh woollen blankets – all the sorts of things that were hard to find anywhere else. Eventually, No. 34 became a bazaar of novelties and luxuries. Several years later, they started selling candles …

So, what you’ll find in the collection is a reinterpretation of that time – candle focused, of course. Think bird bottle stoppers, intricate candle holders, glass ornaments, malachite fragrance bottle tops, ceramic candle snuffers – even cushions and bags. It’s exactly the cornucopia of items you might hope to find in secret Parisian bazaar. I have a couple  of items as you can see – I cannot find this particular candle anywhere on the website (which needs a sort out.. it’s an absolute mess and everything is so hard to find).

Neither can I find the scented papers. I’ve spent over an hour trawling to find these things and enough is enough. If you pass a shop, you might find them. Otherwise, good luck!