Dior: Designer of Dreams
If you have missed the Dior exhibition in Paris in 2017-18, then here’s a chance for you to explore the newest (but a lot smaller) exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum; Dior: Designer of Dreams. The exhibition encapsulates the history of the brand and explores the impact it had as one of the most significant couturiers in the 20th century to the present day. It is no coincidence that it’s held in London, as the exhibition also captures the relationship Dior had with Britain.
The floor plan is set out to guide you through the journey of Christian Dior, both the designer and the brand. The initial rooms capture the work of Monsieur Dior but the following rooms are not set to segregate the former creative directors, but to intertwine their work that has been inspired by Christian Dior and capture reoccurring themes; the garden, flowers, travel and the ball. Despite seven decades with seven different visionaries, the dresses carry the essence of the brand’s DNA and the preliminary vision of the founder. Though arguably three of the former creative directors have a stronger manifestation of their own distinctive creativity than the rest. Yves Saint Laurent who introduced a new silhouette to the brand, John Galliano who brought avant-garde and his own theatrical vision and lastly Raf Simons who carved a way to modernity and minimalism into the brands DNA.
In one of the many rooms, each creative director has been given their own space within the exhibition to showcase highlights of the dresses they have created and the vision they have presented to the House of Dior. We might be biased, but we’re always in wonderment to what Raf Simons has introduced to Dior, thinking of the modern women in the form of function, practicality, minimalism and elegance. His work modernised the House of Dior without diluting the house codes, but admittedly it must have been a challenge to follow the creative footsteps of John Galliano. The man who enchanted its audience with melodramatic couture pieces and shows. Maria Grazia Chiuri on the other side brought a contemporary feminine touch to a brand that has always been in the hands of men.
The exhibition design is well structured with a layout that is easy to follow. The toile room emulates an eerie of heavenly light; presenting toile dresses that are finished to the core in details. Each piece in itself brings the structure and form of a design to life with the simplest use of the cotton fabric. A celebration of the seamstresses works for being able to translate a designer’s vision before the finished product. This room is quite state-of-the-art in the form of exhibition design and undoubtedly innovative. The flower room is transformative, romantic and So Dior. The final room makes the audience starry-eyed, entrancing them into a star-showered ball room. The title of the exhibition is truly translated into each space and emits the house codes of Dior.
We highly recommend you visit it if you have the opportunity to do so, open until July 14th 2019, Dior never fails to captivate its audience. Please note that the images are intentionally mixed, for us not to give away the room orders.
(All Photography by Zinah Nur Sharif)