Image courtesy of Christian Dior Museum

Women in Dior – Sublime Elegance of a Portrait

As part of the Normandy Impressionist festival, the Christian Dior Museum’s exhibition invites visitors to discover this great designer’s work and inspiration through the women who have chosen and worn the creations of his fashion house. After the designer’s sketches, the workshop realization and the presentation on the catwalk, customers give new life to the creations, adapting them to their personalities and the world in which they live. Worn by the customer, the dress takes on her identity, her unique personality and her history. The exhibition evokes these moments in the lives of women, made resplendent by the designer creations.

Image courtesy of Christian Dior Museum

They show how the Dior fashion house helps to “make women more beautiful”, in the words of Christian Dior himself, and to construct their social identity. The Femmes en Dior exhibition reveals the allure of the stars who wear Dior. These figures of elegance, from both France and other countries, include women from the worlds of the aristocracy, entertainment, theatre and cinema. These portraits in Dior show icons of refinement and distinction such as the Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace of Monaco, Lady Diana, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Soraya, or stars like Maria Callas, Elizabeth Taylor, Olivia de Havilland, Josephine Baker and Marilyn Monroe.

Image courtesy of Christian Dior Museum

The exhibits portray Dior’s major customers and close friends: Geneviève Page, Suzanne Luling or Mitzah Bricard, for example, alongside stars of today such as Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron and Rihanna. A selection of models evoking both famous and anonymous women wearing Dior illustrates the fashion house’s style and its many faces. A stunning collection of ninety haute couture dresses, as well as photographs, drawings and paintings, showcasing the elegance of women in Dior, as well as the harmonious way in which a Dior design and the wearer’s individual image and personality enhance one another. Magazines show them at events or social gatherings. Memories, anecdotes, family portraits, and press images all highlight the uniqueness of each woman in Dior.

Christian Dior Museum, Granville
From May 5 to September 25, 2016

more. musee-dior-granville.com