Between February 2nd and September 1st 2019 the Victoria & Albert Museum hosted the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition. Presenting fashion archives from 1947 to the present day of 2019, including more than 200 rare haute couture garments. Truly beautiful pieces. The museum saw just under 595,000 people from all around the world in the 7 months of the exhibition being open. This exhibition broke the V&A attendance record, which was previously held by the Alexander McQueen 'Savage Beauty' exhibition in 2015 - seeing 480,000 visitors.
If I had to sum up this exhibition in one word, that word would be magical. Cliché, maybe? But the experience of walking into each room, seeing such gorgeous, beautiful and elegant garments, alongside the magnificent architecture surrounding them, was indeed truly magical. The dresses looked as if they were pulled straight out of fairytales. Paired with the most irresistible bags, shoes and accessories, it was just enchanting. Some pieces looking like true works of art.
The exhibition was broken up into sections, each room focusing on a new theme - travel, history, culture, 'The garden', and my personal favourite, 'The Ball' - just to mention a few. The exhibition also focused greatly on Dior's love for London, and how important his British clients were when establishing his business.
"There is no other country in the world, besides my own, whose way of life I like so much. I love English traditions, English politeness, English architecture. I even love English cooking." - Christian Dior
One of the most iconic clients of his was Princess Margaret. The couture gown she wore on her 21st birthday was also on display at the V&A, and it was honestly breathtakingly beautiful. To see such a gown in person was monumental. For a vast majority of us, to see such gowns like that would be most commonly through Instagram, or films, however this exhibition gave Dior and fashion lovers alike the chance to experience it in person.
Princess Margaret's 21st birthday couture gown
Alchemy of fairytale dresses, technical mastery, cultural legacy and A-list glitz that is sure to draw crowds. - The Times
Christian Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri (b. 1964), Éventail de vos hasards, Dress, Haute Couture, Spring/Summer 2018. Dior Héritage collection, Paris.
The Dior exhibition at the V&A was a re-imagined version of the one at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2017. This year, it travelled to Shanghai, and was presented at the Long Museum from July 28th to October 4th. The exhibition was again reimagined for the Shanghai audience, also including works and installations by renowned Chinese artists: Gao Weigang, Liang Yuanwei, Lin Tianmiao, Liu Jianhua, Wang Guangle, Xu Bing, Yan Pei-Ming, Zheng Guogu.
Despite the exhibition having come to a close, you are still able to visit - online, of course. The Designer of Dreams exhibition can be relived virtually with a guided tour via Dior's YouTube channel.
This is incredible! It really makes me want to go see it. Those gowns look so beautiful, I want one 😭