Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition in V&A has been reimagined to uncover Dior’s personal love of England and is also filled with haute couture garments, fashion photography and the designer’s personal possessions. There is everything from Princess Margaret’s 21st birthday gown to Rihanna’s iconic white Cannes Film Festival look.
Christian was born into a wealthy family in Northern France in 1905, he was inspired by the English garden his mother created in their home when he was a child which he went on to create a source of inspirational fashion. His love for Britain grew even bigger when he visited London for the first time when he was aged 21. In 1947, Dior’s ground-breaking first collection (New Look) provided the luxury that British women had been wanting. He changed the face of fashion in the post-war period. The ‘New Look’ collection was such a hit that it attracted attention from the British Royal Family with the designer’s salon was the first place Princess Margaret visited during her European tour in 1949. Princess Margaret got Dior to designer her ball gown for her 21st birthday celebrations.
The exhibition has framed pencil sketches of the feminine silhouettes by Christian Dior from 1947.
Oriole Cullen, the V&A’s fashion and textiles curator said: The influence of Christian Dior’s design was all-pervasive and helped to define an era”
“In their own individual ways, each of the house’s successive artistic directors have referenced and reinterpreted Dior’s own designs and continued the legacy of the founder, ensuring that the House of Christian Dior is at the forefront of fashion today.”
Christian Dior explained his love for Britain with the words: “There is no other country in the world, besides my own, whose way of life I like so much,”
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams runs from February 2 – July 14, with tickets from £20. All concessions cost £15.
Here is a few of the displays at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London:
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
