DIOR EXHIBITION V&A

DIOR - DESIGNER OF DREAMS 

I visited the Dior exhibition at the Victoria and Alnbert museum in London in July this year after months and months of trying and failing to buy tickets, it's a very popular exhibition (I immediately saw why when I got there). This exhibition ran from  February - September 2019. It featured more than 200 haute couture garments and over 500 objects as well as extensive accessories, perfume and makeup, all designed or affiliated with the wonderful Christian Dior. 

Room after room was filled with dress after dress, in every possible style and colour I could imagine, alongside beautiful and carefully thought out decor which complimented each dress accordingly (such as the flower motif that ran through the dresses pictured above, positioned in a room full of flowers across the walls and covering the ceiling). 

Dior is such a inspiration to me, having come from just a small town in France to being one of the worlds most recognisable and undeniably talented fashion designers in the world, and of course producing breathtaking pieces and pivotal trends within womens fashion. For example, the famous 'New Look' which took place during post-war times and celebrated the lifting of rationing fabric during the harsh times, and highlighted feminine curves with lots of fabric in his dresses. Such as the Bar Suit, which I was lucky enough to see in person, and have now based my Brief 1 project on. 

The Bar Suit for Diors New Look

The exhibition also featured the works of the other six artistic directors who took over the house of Dior after Christian died and kept his legacy going (still to this day). For example Yves Saint Laurent (who was the first designer), John Galliano and Raf Simons, who I would argue are all equally as talented (but I prefer John Galliano's work for Dior the most).

'Designer of dreams' also showcased the work of Dior which was inspired by various cultures and countries which he visited, such as China and India. Although, I thought, if they were to be created now this would probably cause some backlash in the media surrounding 'cultural appropriation' issues (but of course the garments were breathtaking, pictured below). 

Overall, I thought the exhibition was breathtaking, truly inspiring and made me love Christian Diors work even more than I already did!