You may have seen Dior pop-up in your newsfeed more than a few times recently, and there's good reason. Seventy years since the French fashion house was founded, Paris is set to pay tribute to the man and his maison in the city’s first dedicated exhibition since 1987.
Hosted by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, ‘Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve’ will open during haute couture week and feature over 300 designs from the house’s illustrious history.
Raf Simons for Christian Dior, haute couture fall-winter 2012 / Photo: © Photo Les Arts Décoratifs / Nicholas Alan Cope
Pieces from Monsieur Dior’s debut collection in 1947 to the work of current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri will be on display, showcased in chronological order so as to capture the evolution of the house’s aesthetic, which over the years has embodied flamboyance (Gianfranco Ferré), minimalism (Raf Simons) and a certain punk spirit courtesy of John Galliano.
The exhibition will also feature several hundred documents, including photographs, illustrations, letters and manuscripts, set alongside a collection of paintings and sculptures in order to explore the links Christian Dior forged across all forms of art.
Maria Grazia Chiuri for Christian Dior, haute couture spring-summer 2017 / Photo: Photo: © Photo Les Arts Décoratifs / Nicholas Alan Cope
Culminating in an ode to evening wear, a ballroom setting will house a selection of sumptuous Dior gowns, including those worn by the likes of Princess Grace of Monaco and Lady Diana to Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence, many gathered together in Paris for the first time.
Coincidentally, the House of Dior has also made the business pages of the press this week. Plans have been set in motion for the company’s couture arm to be folded into LVMH, the luxury brands conglomerate headed by Bernard Arnault, whose Groupe Arnault is also the majority shareholder in Christian Dior. LVMH already counts Christian Dior’s perfume and beauty businesses within its stable, and the move, worth some $13billion, is designed to consolidate the brand and simplify what has been a historically complicated ownership structure.
‘Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve’ runs for six months from 5th July 2017.