Close friends with Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, the Duchess of Cadaval tells us of her passion for music and for Portugal, which caused her to exchange the lights of Paris and New York for the charm of Lisbon and the peace of Évora.
The Duchess of Cadaval, known as Claudine to her friends, welcomed us into her house in Estoril with the affability and grace one would expect of a grande dame. Ever open and friendly, our conversation flowed around subjects close to her heart. The first, from the very outset and the main reason behind our exchange: the Festival Évora Clássica, this year enjoying its 12th edition. The festival started as a classical music event, and until today has relied heavily on the support of the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Nonetheless and little by little, the festival’s vocation has been modified, opening it up to artistic displays from different media and countries, with a strong presence of acts from the Far East, and finally developing into a world music festival.
“A few years ago I attended a music festival in France, which featured Oriental performances. I was so impressed that I invited the artistic director to come and visit Évora and to see how we could establish a relationship with this festival. He loved the city and ever since the Évora Clássica festival has grown steadily in dimension, developing a character that I believe unique in Portugal,” the Duchess of Cadaval (Dona Claudine) explains. Her passion and involvement in this event is clear to behold. The festival is organised by a non-profit organisation of which she is the chairwoman. From its very beginnings the event’s aim has been “to develop something unique for Évora, and I think we have succeeded in our aims as each year we are sold out”. The local population is very active in supporting the festival, responding well to promotion made by local bodies and happy to see something different grace their city. Her great desire to attract more people and not just Évora’s local population is obvious. “My wish is for the Festival Évora Clássica to become enormous, giving Évora a name as cultural centre, which it deserves given its role in Portugal’s history and its importance as a World Heritage Site,” the arts patron tells us, with a sparkle in her eye and passion in her voice. She’s treading the right path and lets slip that she has a few ideas that will be realised within the near future. “Major themes in this edition include a strong feminine presence, sacred music, and Islamism,” the Duchess reveals.
Born in Normandy, as the 2nd World War came to a close she quickly moved to Paris where she spent her adolescence and met the great love of her life: D. Jaime Álvares Pereira de Melo, Duke of Cadaval. They married when she was 20 and never left each others’ side up until the Duke passed away. She recalls an intense social life during those times in Europe and the United States and remarks quite naturally that fashion was a part of this experience. She often visited Portugal, home at this point to several royals in exile, such as King Humberto of Italy, the Count of Barcelona and future King of Spain, the Queen of Bulgaria, and the Queen of Romania, amongst others.
Very popular with major designers, Claudine de Cadaval was dressed in Haute Couture from the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Valentino. “I opened the first Valentino shop in Paris and then, in 1978, the first Armani store in the USA.” Her connection with Giorgio Armani lasted six years. She then opened a Lanvin store, also in New York, which she kept for three years, and finally one of the first multi-brand stores, with labels such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, amongst others. At the time these brands were only available in New York’s large, luxury department stores, but not in smaller shops. She recalls that one day, as Valentino was passing by her shop - called Avenue Montaigne and located on the corner of Madison and 64th - and spotting its decoration, he exclaimed: “This can only be Claudine’s shop!” On the other side of the street she opened another shop, Avenue Montaigne II, dedicated exclusively to cocktail wear, meeting the enormous demand for such clothing that existed then within New York society. She severed her business ties with the US in 1991, when she moved permanently to Portugal.
With her elegant looks and distinctive style the Duchess was frequently featured in several fashion magazines, always keen to fill their pages with images of figures in European aristocracy. She regularly visits Givenchy’s home, having what she terms “a great friendship, as if we were brother and sister. I see him as my mentor, a man with the greatest of abilities, with a taste for fashion, decoration and art unlike anyone else I have met, and someone with whom I identify completely. Luckily for him, with fashion having changed so much, he has now retired.” The Duchess’ favoured designer of the moment is Oscar de la Renta.
Her ties with the fashion world came with her to Portugal when she swapped the dazzle of Paris and New York for the Portuguese capital and the calm of Évora fifteen years ago. She opened Portugal’s first Yves Saint Laurent store in the Hotel da Lapa, and another multi-brand store - called Doníssima - with collections from leading designers, including Valentino. Prior to this she also owned a little shop in Cascais, decorated by Graça Viterbo, dealing in perfumes and scents for the home, once again leading the way in that particular segment, and representing major brands such as Canova´s or Kenneth Turner. Despite being a very absorbing experience, she admits she wouldn’t want to repeat it.
Nowadays her projects may have changed but they remain well and truly on Portuguese soil. Such a fate could have been guessed at, when years ago she spoke to her husband of her desire for her daughters to feel Portuguese and not emigrants, being pushed from pillar to post and feeling as if they belong neither here nor there. She told him she would like to move to Portugal, to which he replied she wouldn’t last five minutes. Well, fifteen years down the line she reveals that she feels at home in Portugal and that she has managed to cultivate a feeling of belonging for her children, establishing roots for them. Despite their international background (Diana was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the Duke used to spend long periods, and Alexandra was born in New York, and is currently studying music industry management in a London university), today the family feels 100% Portuguese, with its roots in Estoril and the Ducal Palace in Évora.
Fed by her heart, her head bubbles with projects. Besides the current museum within the Ducal Palace in Évora, a member of the International Federation of Museums, her most ambitious project is the creation of a foundation - the Fundação de Cadaval - which should be up and running sometime next year. This institution will devote its efforts to compiling every historical archive corresponding to the family, making them available for historical research and offering grants for works on the history of the House of Cadaval, as well as promoting contemporary art exhibitions and backing cultural activities, namely those that promote Évora’s heritage. “It is a great honour for me to be able to continue the legacy of a family such as the Cadaval one.”
In fact, the House of Cadaval is one of Portugal’s noblest, with the same male line as the House of Bragança, descending from D. Álvaro, forth son of D. Fernando, second Duke of Bragança, and from his wife, Duchess D. Joana de Castro, daughter of D. João de Castro, Lord of Cadaval. The latest holder, since deceased, of the titles 10th Duke of Cadaval, 12th Marques of Ferreira, and 13th Count of Tentúgal, was D. Jaime Álavares Pereira de Melo, of whom D. Claudine, the current Duchess of Cadaval is the widow.
Their marriage has produced two children, D. Diana Álvares Pereira de Melo, Marquess of Ferreira and D. Alexandra Álvares Pereira de Melo Cadaval.
Loyalty to D. Miguel, during the liberal wars, meant that the Cadaval family had to leave Portugal in 1836, not returning before 120 years had passed, now in D. Jaime’s generation. But what are D. Claudine’s impressions of Portugal? With passion forever colouring her voice, she praises the friendliness of the Portuguese and the beauty of a country that she regrets remains so unknown abroad. “Portugal is a paradise and hardly publicised abroad. I’m sure we’ll witness a boom in tourism in the coming years. Our future, as with the rest Europe, relies on tourism.”
With her thoughts pointed towards the future the Duchess reveals news of an important real estate project concerning a family property, the Herdade da Mata do Duque, in the Ribatejo. We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what this restless spirit has in store for us. And then what? In a relaxed and good humoured voice she reveals she would like to write two books, “One on the history of the ducal part of the Cadaval family, and another on Givenchy and my life.”
Text Carla Marreiros
Photos Paulo Barata
