Lifestyle Calendar / Fashion & Jewelry 15 March 2022 - by C. Mauer

La Galerie Dior, 30 Montaigne,

opens its doors and displays the creations of fashion designer Christian Dior and his six successors.

An empire of style and elegance is not created overnight

Christian Dior believed in the power of the stars

Room 10 - Dior Galerie and Dior Ball -©Kristen Pelou

©Dior

30 Montaigne has reopened after 2 years of renovation and now also houses La Galerie Dior, an exhibition space showcasing the visions of Christian Dior and his six successors: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

The scenographic narrative of the 10,000-square-foot exhibition was designed by Nathalie Crinière. Thirteen themes reflect Christian Dior's life to his passion for gardens, from artistic affinities to the magic of grand balls, from studios where petite mains worked diligently to a "hall of wonders".

Theme 0 - Dior Galerie DIORAMA - ©Kristen Pelou

©Dior

This costume would revolutionize style worldwide as the New Look.

Theme 1 Dior Galerie - Christian Dior 1905 - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

La Galerie Dior

The Hôtel particulier, the building that captivated Christian Dior in 1946, has housed the house's collections for seventy-five years. The house was built in 1865 by Count Walewski, the son of Napoleon I with Countess Marie Walewska. Christian Dior moved in on December 15, 1946 - just a few weeks before he would unveil his first collection. The clothes would revolutionize style worldwide as the New Look. Since then, the house has been a symbol of Parisian elegance and French haute couture. Soon the house was frequented by the icons of its time such as Grace Kelly, Marlenen Dietrich and Rita Hayworth. 

Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Theme 3 Dior Galerie - Dior Allure - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

At the heart of the creation Christian Dior worked with his loyal collaborators, Mizza Bricard, his muse, Marguerite Carré, director of the ateliers, Suzanne Luling, sales director and Raymonde Zehnacker, director of the studio. 

Early on, Christian Dior was an admirer of fine art and cultivated his relationships with painters, musicians, poets, filmmakers and choreographers. In 1928, he even opened a gallery with Jaques Bonjean, followed by a second gallery in 1931. In this environment, he and his business partner discovered promising talents such as Alberto Giacometti, Leonor Fini, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Man Ray. Christian Dior formed a loyal friendship with Salvador Dali, with the poet Jean Cocteau, the illustrator René Gruau and the painter Christian Bérard.

Historic - on the left is the dress Princess Diana wore to the Met Ball in 1996 when she auctioned off her dresses

Theme 8 Dior Galerie - Stars In Dior - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

In the atelier, his petites mains prepared the collections "The Atelier seems to be able to decipher an unbreakable code" . They were divided into "flou" and "tailleur" and brought his design sketches to life within a few weeks. The wise toile are the genesis of a haute couture model - once confirmed the material is selected from hundreds of rolls of fabric. "Couture is the marriage of design and material". Christian Dior

Paris was an endless source of inspiration for the couturier but the greatest was "Les Parisiennes". But not only French women but the whole world flocked to his ateliers. "No Dior, no Dietrich," declared Marlene Dietrich to Alfred Hitchcock, demanding to be outfitted in Dior for his film Stage Fright. Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergmann, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale. Later, Dior's designer Gianfranco Ferré created iconic pieces for Princess Diana, the Lady Dior bag, based on the Carnage pattern, one of the handbag icons of our time. Even the blue silk dress that the princess wore to the Met Gala in 1996 can be seen. Today, loyal friends and muses of the house, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna, Anya Taylor-Joy.

Theme 6 Dior Galerie - The Ateliers Of Dreams  - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

A great passion of Christian Dior were masquerades and the great balls of the 20th century. Chief designer Maria Grazia Chiuri celebrated her first haute couture collection with a masquerade ball in the gardens of the Rodin Museum.

The theme of gold is also celebrated at the Galerie Dior. It was honored in the perfume j'adore, launched in 1999. The bottle was designed by Hervé Van der Straeten, and takes the form of a gold-trimmed amphora, as it were with the curves of the En8 line, designed by Christian Dior in 1947.

The visitor will not only get to know the Dior Dior basics - from the passion for roses, the cannage pattern, the cutting excellence, the New Look but also contemporary works by artists such as Guy Limone, Jennifer Steinkamp, Johan Creten, Paul Cocksedge, Isa Genzken, Azuma Makoto and Joël Andrianomearisoa.

Theme 10 Dior Galerie - The Dior Ball - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

Theme 13 Dior Galerie - The Power Of Gold - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

Theme 12 Dior Galerie - Miss Dior - © Kristen Pelou

©Dior

Your visit:

For Dior connoisseurs, La Galerie Dior is like a dream come true.

On the other hand, those who have only known Dior from expensive boutiques, handbag models or cosmetics will be surprised. They enter a universe of visions, history and the mirror of society. Suddenly everything becomes clear - an empire of style and elegance is not created overnight - conceived on the values, symbols and dreams of Monsieur Dior, the Dior brand has been consistently adapted over decades and interpreted in a contemporary way only by the best creatives in the world. All of this can be found at 30 Montaigne.

Actress and Dior muse Anya Taylor-Joy visits La Galerie Dior at 30 Montaigne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPt9ADGFTdA

Where:

La Galerie Dior

Dior Gallery

11 rue François Premier

75008 Paris

galeriedior.com

By C. Mauer