Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams Exhibition

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I had the privilege of going to the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. Having a passion for art and fashion, I have been lucky enough to go to many exhibitions in my life so far, but this one I think is my favourite. The exhibition explores many rooms full of Christian Dior's legendary garments and also other designers' work from the House of Dior such as John Galliano and Raf Simons. Christian Dior really was a rare talent, starting his empire from 1947 and in 1957 he sadly passed away, so in those ten years he made such an impact on fashion,with designers through the decades carrying on his legacy with accents reflected in today's clothing.

       

             


My favourite garment

After the harrowing period of the Second World War, Christian's designs were seen as a fresh, new look and he knew how to capture the beauty and structure of a female, accentuating the hips, waist and bodice. As well as the garments, his sketches really capture this and it's so clever how he portrayed it on paper with just a few lines. Top tip for any artist, always bring a sketchbook and pencil to an exhibition. I managed to do a few sketches myself.

Dior's sketch
Dior's sketch




















My own sketch
My own sketch
My own sketch
My own sketch
My own sketch
My own sketch
My own sketch
My own sketch
            
Dior captured the hearts of the Royal Family, especially Princess Margaret, as she remained a devoted client since she was 18 when receiving a white gown with a bow at the back and describing the white ballgown he created for her 21st Birthday as her "favourite dress of all". The gown was displayed at the exhibition and you could see that it had aged with the fabric going a light brown/grey colour, highlighted against the beautiful embellishments.

Princess Margaret 21st Birthday ballgown
                                           

My favourite part of the exhibition was 'The Garden', where the exhibitors displayed hundreds of paper roses and garlands hanging from the ceiling. It really was breathtaking contrasted against Dior's bright colourful, floral creations. You can buy a paper rose from the shop to make at home, which is what I did and it creates such a decorative piece on your wall. The company who created them are called 'Wanda Barcelona' and you can buy a paper rose kit from the V&A website: https://www.vam.ac.uk/shop/princess-margaret-rose-paper-kit-by-wanda-barcelona.html and the instructions on how to make one is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmWGapdHEws .

             





A combination of Dior's mother's flowing gowns and well-structured corsets and love of gardening was his inspiration to start designing clothes. He sketched a lot in his garden expressing that he was at his "happiest amongst plants and flower-beds", which is why his love of flowers is featured significantly in many garments and perfumes.

                                           

                                           



                                         


Walking through you'll find Christian's designs altered with a modern twist made by the designers at the Dior House. They still show a strong feminine side but with a slightly edgier look, some having the compliments of more solid geometric patterns.

                                          

                 



Towards the end of the exhibition there was a selection called 'The Ateliers', meaning workshops. This displayed layers and layers of mock-ups that the designers created before making the final garments. It was very interesting to see this process and really shows the time, effort and compassion that goes into creating these masterpieces.



     


As well as the glamorous garments, there were also Dior's signature perfumes such as 'Miss Dior' and J'adore, with elegant accessories displaying alongside them.

                           
                      


Overall, it was a truly wonderful exhibition and I did take tons of photos, but these are some of my favourites. Unfortunately the Dior exhibition is sold out, but if you ever spot another one near you, I highly recommend going. If your into your 60's fashion, there is the Mary Quant Exhibition at the V&A Museum, which hasn't sold out yet. Tickets cost £12. I managed to go and I highly recommend it. I will be uploading a separate blog post for this soon, so keep your eyes peeled. 
                                     



                                     







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