The exhibition Dior: from Paris in the World examines 70 years of the House of Dior's enduring legacy and global influence. A selection of over 200 couture dresses, as well as accessories, costume jewellery, photographs, drawings, catwalk videos and other archival materials, will trace the history of the iconic couture house, its founder, Christian Dior, and the subsequent artistic directors who brought Dior's vision into the 21st century.
Christian Dior, the art gallery owner turned famous tailor, sparked a revolution in Paris and around the world after World War II.
Dior created haute couture expressing modern femininity, fully liberating the masculine silhouette that was created during the war. He conceived a sophisticated design featuring soft shoulders, accentuated busts, and skintight pants that marked the beginning of an epic movement in fashion history that would ultimately lead to Dior's successful becoming the premier couture house in the world.
The chronological presentation, which highlights key themes in the history of the House of Dior, will focus on how Christian Dior cemented his house's reputation over the space of a decade and will highlight how his successors, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri, have incorporated their own design aesthetics.
This exhibition is organized by the DAM and curated by Florence Müller, the curator of textile art and fashion at the DAM's Avenir Foundation. It features an exhibition project by internationally renowned architect Shohei Shigematsu, principal of OMA New York.
Image: Christian Dior with models, about 1955. Photo André Gandner. © Clémence Gandner
