Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams
The Brooklyn Museum Presents a Retrospective of the House of Dior. Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams traces the groundbreaking history and legacy of the House of Dior and features unique pieces drawn primarily from the Dior archives.
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams explores the more than seventy-year history of the House of Dior with over two hundred haute couture garments as well as photographs, archival videos, sketches, vintage perfume elements, accessories, and works from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection.
With objects drawn primarily from the Dior archives, the exhibition includes a vast array of haute couture garments that exemplify many of the French couturier’s fabled silhouettes, including the “New Look,” which debuted in 1947, just months before Dior would travel to the United States and open the Christian Dior New York branch. With his designs widely photographed and featured in leading publications, Dior became one of the world’s most recognized names in fashion. The exhibition also brings to life Dior's many sources of inspiration—from the splendor of flowers and other natural forms to classical and contemporary art—that would influence the designers at the House of Dior for decades.
The presentation also explores the evolution of the House of Dior through the vision of its subsequent artistic directors, from Yves Saint Laurent to Marc Bohan. Other artistic directors’ creations include Gianfranco Ferré’s architectural designs of the 1990s; John Galliano’s reinventions of the Dior silhouettes; Raf Simons’s own minimalist take on Dior’s original designs; and pieces by the current and first female creative director of Dior women’s collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has brought a new vision to the historic fashion house.
Florence Müller, Curator of Textile Art and Fashion, says, “As early as 1947, with his celebrated ‘New Look’ collection, Christian Dior transformed his sudden name recognition into the international expansion of his House, becoming a precursor of contemporary globalized fashion. The opening of the first New York branch, in 1948, was a prelude to this worldwide fame. The exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum pays tribute to this unique historic fashion adventure initiated between Paris and New York.”
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams can be visited until February 20, 2022.
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