REPORT
With his unerring eye and boundless energy, Dior would restructure the fashion world in France, then transport his world view to the United States. Americans embraced the Dior sensibility as much then as now. And Ms Müller, curator supreme and Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion, Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, and the Brooklyn Museum have created a visual and audio feast that represents all that is eternally Dior. The Americanisation of Dior presented the Dior ethos with elements relating to Christian Dior-New York, the brand’s powerhouse translation that brought the Avenue Montaigne giant to Seventh Avenue. Documentation of this miraculous wave of the Dior wand includes gorgeous photographs,
garments made on American shores and objects from the collection of the Brooklyn Museum. The context of the Colorama, a wall of miniatures in waves of colour, maintains the exquisite detail from the Paris installation at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs with tiny hats, doll-sized gowns, handbags and shoes, including references to selected items with that inimitable soupçon of American flavour.
Having been indeed lucky to see the Paris exposition at the invitation of Stephen Jones, it must be said that there are differences. None of them matter, however, because the instant you enter the rarified atmosphere of the converted Beaux-Arts Court, or walk through the gallery papered with
toiles de Jouy, the work of the installation designer, Nathalie Crinière, can be felt throughout. She designed each adaptation of the exhibition (London, Denver, Dallas, Shanghai and now Brooklyn) with thought to the particular museum space at hand. Balanced by works of art from the Brooklyn Museum’s
own collection, each room and each portion of the exhibit brings with it the celebration of Dior, his inspirations, and many, many collections.
Stephen Jones designed sculptural headpieces, moulded and shaped for many of the Paris mannequins and he has brought his genius touch to New York with those and more. He created diaphanous masks seemingly with a whisper and fairy dust that float on the heads of the mannequins. There are more than 25 headpieces and hats in this exhibit, each one a mystery of construction. Always gracious, Mr Jones explained the careful expertise and precise crafting that went into the making of one of his masks (reference: Poesie de l’Eventail). Birdsong surrounds you in the centre court with an immersion of light play and video projections, placing the viewer in a celestial garden. The faerie quality of each gown celebrates nuance, design and art. The headpieces lift and celebrate that mood.
The Dior legacy emphasises those designers who took on the crown to further develop the language of Dior after his untimely death. Here are represented some of the works of Yves Saint Laurent (the young master), Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano and Raf Simons. Their vision illuminates the stance and progressive nature always invoked by the House of Dior. Each designer stands in a mist of time set on an individual stage, each piece coiffed by Stephen Jones. We asked Stephen Jones how difficult it was to address the various styles of each designer while still capturing the feeling of Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams. He told us that he
The Bar Suit at the Dior exhibition
The entrance to the exhibition in New York
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