The V&A Museum has launched an exhibition dedicated to fashion designer Christian Dior inspired by a 2017 exhibition organised by Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
The exhibition, called Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, will highlight Dior’s love of England. He once said: “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”
The exhibition will feature haute couture garments, fashion photography and the designer’s personal possessions.
Speaking to the BBC, Oriole Cullen, Fashion and Textiles curator at the V&A, said: “He associated that time with great freedom and just had a really romantic notion of Britain,
“He loved the idea of British women in tweed and their ball gowns and he loved this idea of aristocracy and royalty.
“He really changed the face of fashion in the post-war period, being a very austere time.
“He brought a very wonderful sort of femininity into his designs and at the time it was really something people were longing for.
“They wanted change and his clothes were a sort of hopeful approach to the future.”
One of the exhibition highlights is a white ball gown designed for Princess Margaret for her 21st birthday celebrations.
The 11 sections of the exhibition will showcase the skill and craftmanship, and the six key artistic directors since Dior’s death in 1957, from Yves Saint Laurent to Maria Grazia Chiuri.
V&A: new investments
In September, V&A Dundee, Scotland’s first design museum, opened to the public after three and a half years of development. The Scottish Design Galleries feature 300 exhibits drawn from the V&A’s rich collections of Scottish design.
And in November, the V&A unveiled plans to create the V&A East with two interconnected sites in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47055893
