Doris Brynner, a longtime head of Dior’s home furnishings and gift department, died Saturday at 93 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after a short illness, her daughter Victoria confirmed to WWD.
A widow of the actor Yul Brynner and a woman with a nonpareil flair for decorating and entertaining, she also did modeling, and worked at Pierre Cardin upon her arrival in France in the ’50s from Chile, and later at Valentino, taking charge of client relations at the Roman couture house.
Throughout her colorful life, Brynner counted a wide array of fashion and Hollywood friends including Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Bergé, Pierre Cardin, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn, Oscar de la Renta, Lee Radziwill and Alain Delon.
Sidney Toledano was running Christian Dior in 1997 when American architect Peter Marino suggested he conscript Brynner to zhuzh up the brand’s giftware department.
“In a few weeks, she changed the whole thing,” Toledano marveled on Saturday, lauding not only Brynner’s superb taste, but her daring and lighthearted approach to tableware, picture frames, wicker baskets and candles.
Glasses etched with Dior’s canework pattern are among the enduring designs she brought to the house, along with clients that moved in her social circles – a swath of Europe’s beau monde with last names like Agnelli and Aga Khan.
Sidney Toledano, Victoria Brynner, Frédéric Mitterand, Doris Brynner and Delphine Arnault in 2012.
Rindoff
Toledano said Brynner kept a small apartment on Avenue Montaigne in Paris and spent a good amount of time in the Dior flagship store, feeling so at home there she would sometimes remove her shoes.
Indeed, she became part of the extended family of Dior owner and luxury titan Bernard Arnault, along with his wife Hélène Mercier-Arnault and his children.
A woman of strong opinions, boundless energy and impeccable dress, Brynner favored well-fitting jackets, chunky earrings and scarves, and vivid colors like pink, red and purple.
“Doris was a great lady, infinitely elegant, who brought passion and a unique energy into our house,” said Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture. “Her expert eye, creative vision and refinement have made it possible to reinvent and modernize our collections dedicated to tableware, in particular by driving connections between know-how, the art of living and fashion. We are extremely grateful to Doris and are deeply saddened by this loss.”
In 2012, Brynner was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, which recognizes significant contributions to the arts. At the time, French politician Frédéric Mitterrand lauded her as a “symbol of chic” who came to Paris in 1965 from her native Chile and won fans immediately in fashion with her beauty and charm.
Brynner became known for her famous eye and taste when she operated The Veranda, a shop in Morges, Switzerland, selling homewares.
She is survived by her daughter Victoria Brynner, and grandchildren Isabella Brynner-Sullivan and Eugene Joseph Sullivan IV. A memorial service is being planned for the spring.
Doris Brynner and Valentino Garavani in 2010.
Dominique Maitre
