Supported by
Celebrating 70 Years of Christian Dior
PARIS — On Monday night, on one of those spectacular Paris summer evenings when the light shimmers off every surface and the sun doesn’t set until around 10, hundreds of fashionably dressed people gathered in the garden of the Musée des Art Décoratifs, enjoying Champagne and hors d’oeuvres as a newly shorn and platinum blond Cara Delevingne looked on from above, standing in the open French doors of a second-floor reception room.
Although the guests (who included the actor Robert Pattinson and the model Bella Hadid) mingled among topiary versions of now-classic fashion designs, few people seemed to actually make it inside to the exhibition itself: “Christian Dior: Couturier du Rêve,” a retrospective of 70 years of the house of Dior.
And that’s too bad, because the show is a stunner.
Billed as the largest fashion exhibition ever staged by the museum, the show, which officially opens on Wednesday and runs through Jan. 7, features more than 300 haute couture gowns from the seven designers who led this fashion house, from Christian Dior himself to Maria Grazia Chiuri, who presented her second couture collection earlier on Monday.
Jennifer Lawrence, Bella Hadid and Robert Pattinson Have Champagne With Dior
10 Photos
View Slide Show ›
Each of the designers who followed Dior and who preceded Ms. Chiuri have their own exhibition rooms: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Raf Simons. And each grouping offers a bit of revelation, from the awe-inspiring Trapeze collection by Saint Laurent, done when he was just 21 years old, to the way that Mr. Simon both honored and modernized the classic Dior look when he showed his first collection in 2012.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is the reverence given to the Galliano years. The House of Dior has had a understandably complicated relationship with the Galliano era ever since the designer was fired in 2011 after making drunken anti-Semitic comments in a Paris bistro. But here the genius of his work — there is no other word for it — is given its due, and one is again reminded how the Galliano Dior shows were typically the most anticipated of couture week.
But it all comes back to Dior himself. And his designs, placed strategically throughout the show, are a reminder of what a revolutionary figure he was in the fashion world and how the Bar Jacket — which holds a place of pride at the exhibition’s entrance — remains both an inspiration and a challenge to all who have come after him.
Continue following our fashion and lifestyle coverage on Facebook (Styles and Modern Love), Twitter (Styles, Fashion and Weddings) and Instagram.
Explore Our Style Coverage
The latest in fashion, trends, love and more.
Phoebe Philo Breaks Her Silence: In an exclusive interview, the designer talks about doing things as she wants them done, the weight of expectations and what happens next.
Naked Dressing: Kristen Stewart’s looks during her press tour for “Love Lies Bleeding” have stood out, taking the film’s carnality and covert politics and forcing anybody watching to confront their own preconceptions about women’s bodies and sexuality.
The Most Famous Cowboy Hat: Beyoncé, Shania Twain, Kevin Costner and many reality TV regulars are loyal customers of Kemo Sabe hats. The shop in Aspen can’t believe its luck.
Zendaya Dresses the Part: The actress is known for thematic dressing to promote her movies. After her “Dune” desert epic, comes a tennis love triangle, “Challengers.”
A Shapeshifting Voice: Loren Kramar wowed a fashion set with a recent performance. Now he’s taking his act mainstream.
Fashion Bros in Mourning: Dries Van Noten’s retirement announcement brought in an outpouring of reminiscences, particularly from fashion pros like men’s wear experts.
Advertisement