Welcome to TGP Tidbits where we round up the happenings and our musings of the design industry each week. This week we take a look at Christian Dior’s Jardins Rêvés, the Downton Abbey auction, and Schiaparelli Comes to the V&A. Written by Natalie Aldridge.
Christian Dior’s Jardins Rêvés
Leave it to Dior to transform a picture-perfect village in Provence into the dreamiest fashion fairytale of the summer. Tucked into the lavender-laced folds of the Luberon Valley, the house has unveiled its latest exhibition, Jardins Rêvés, at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Lacoste campus.
SCAD Lacoste, officially known as La Maison Basse, is a beautifully restored 16th-century farmhouse complex nestled between the storybook towns of Lacoste and Bonnieux. Once home to silkworms, travelers, and even the occasional carriage belonging to the Marquis de Sade, the site has been lovingly reimagined by SCAD into a haven for artists, scholars, and now Dior’s garden of dreams. Its weathered stone walls and sun-soaked courtyards provide the perfect backdrop for a celebration of haute couture in full bloom.
The exhibition pays homage to Christian Dior’s lifelong love affair with flowers. From the rose gardens of his childhood in Granville to the petal-drenched designs of his successors such as Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri, Jardins Rêvés is a fragrant tribute to fashion’s most romantic muse.
Visitors wander through galleries brimming with botanical prints, delicate embroidery, and a fantastical paper garden by Wanda Barcelona. Over thirty couture gowns are on view, each one a masterclass in savoir-faire and floral reverie.
And just when you think it couldn’t get any lovelier, the final gallery reveals a Dior cabinet of curiosities filled with hats, jewels, handbags, and perfume, all nestled among the beauty of Provence. It’s everything we love at The Glam Pad: timeless elegance, a touch of fantasy, and a glorious escape into beauty.
Downton Abbey Goes to Auction
For those who have ever dreamed of dressing for dinner like Lady Mary or delivering a barbed remark in silk like the Dowager Countess, now is your time to shine! On July 16th, the venerable auction house of Bonhams will present Downton Abbey: The Official Auction, a magnificent sale of original costumes, props, and memorabilia from the beloved period series and its cinematic sequels.
Held in partnership with Carnival Films, the production company behind the award-winning phenomenon, the auction will feature more 70 original items from the production. Highlights of the auction will include Lady Mary’s crimson opera coat, Lady Grantham’s delicate floral day dresses, and the silver bell board from below stairs. A selection of period tableware, handwritten prop letters, and even a grand dining table.
Bonhams will host the auction online August 18th to September 16th with a public exhibition of the items on view at Bonhams New Bond Street during the same period, inviting the public to admire the craftsmanship, movie magic, and detail that made Downton Abbey a cultural touchstone.
Whether you are seeking a silk tea gown, a slice of aristocratic charm, or simply wish to indulge in the fantasy, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. As the Dowager might say, “Nothing succeeds like excess.” We cannot wait!
More information on the sale can be found here.
Schiaparelli Comes to the V&A
More excitement in the fashion world! Next spring, the Victoria & Albert Museum will unveil what promises to be one of the most anticipated fashion exhibitions of the decade: Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art. Opening March 21st, 2026, this will be the first UK exhibition dedicated entirely to the extraordinary world of Elsa Schiaparelli, couturier, iconoclast, and surrealist.
Known for her razor-sharp wit, avant-garde collaborations, and flair for the theatrical, Schiaparelli burst onto the Parisian fashion scene in the 1920s with a collection of hand-knitted trompe l’oeil sweaters. By the 1930s, she had become the darling of the artistic elite, working closely with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteauto produce some of the most daring designs ever seen in haute couture. Her famous Lobster Dress, Shoe Hat, and the anatomical Skeleton Dress pushed fashion into the realm of high art and left the world breathless.
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The upcoming exhibition will explore the full breadth of Schiaparelli’s visionary work, with more than 200 pieces on view. Archival sketches, perfume bottles, couture gowns, and fantastical accessories will be shown alongside artworks by her closest collaborators. It is a celebration not only of her wildly imaginative output but of her enduring influence on contemporary fashion, most notably under the current creative direction of Daniel Roseberry.
This retrospective also traces Schiaparelli’s personal and professional ties to London, where she once had a boutique and a loyal clientele among the British aristocracy. It is only fitting, then, that the city will now host this landmark tribute at the V&A. It is a theatrical immersion into the mind of a designer who understood that elegance could also be eccentric.
While the exhibition is a ways off, we are already dreaming of attending next year!
Read our favorite articles of the week!
Susan Crater’s Cozy Connecticut Farmhouse Channels the Spirit of Sister Parish written by Kathleen Hackett for Frederic.
Step Inside Liz Lange’s Glamorous Restoration of Grey Gardens written by Steele Marcoux for Veranda.
Shop this week’s inspired finds!
x Natalie
Follow TGP on Instagram: @theglampad
Follow Natalie on Instagram: @natalieealdridge
From the embossed leather on the walls, allegory painted on the ceiling, and wild roses tumbling through clipped box outside, it is maximalism with manners and a hint of restraint, rich in texture, thought, and legacy. But for me, the most enchanting space was the Library, lined with cedar shelves and so weighted with books that it once threatened to collapse the floor beneath it. That somehow felt like the most glamorous fact of all, a house nearly undone by the weight of its own intellect. Small but mighty, this little library is all-enveloping and felt like a space I’d like to spend hours reading in.
What makes Ham House so extraordinary is how intact it remains. Unlike so many stately homes that were reimagined to suit Victorian or Edwardian tastes, Ham is still very much a 17th-century creation. It is a rare time capsule of life, where the whispers of duchesses and poets still seem to echo through the corridors.
At The Glam Pad, we’ve always had a soft spot for pieces that blend heritage and whimsy, and this collection strikes that balance beautifully. A timeless silhouette with a touch of modern ease, what could be more delightful? Hurry! They’re selling out fast… Click 
A mother of two daughters and a Labrador, Palmer designs with real life in mind, creating homes that are not only beautiful but deeply livable. She also serves on the board of Spoleto Festival USA, one of the country’s premier performing arts festivals, held in her hometown of Charleston.
