It was postponed twice due to the consecutive covid lockdowns but now it has finally arrived. Dior – A New Look exhibition, curated by Madelief Hohé, opened last week in the Kunstmuseum in The Hague and can be enjoyed until 26th January 2025. https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/en/exhibitions/dior-new-look
The subtitle (A New Look) refers of course to the famous 1947 Dior’s collection but on another level, it indicates a new approach towards the heritage of the grand couturier. His designs are set in conversation with the creations of his successors, Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano but most of all, with Maria Grazia Chiuri who took over in 2016 as a head designer at the House of Dior, the first woman ever to fill this position.
To understand why it is important some historical context is needed. After the end of WWII, the economies of all European countries were ruined and desperate for an impulse to start growing. In France high fashion and luxurious garment production was a vital sector on national economy. That is why Chambre Syndical de la Haute Couture (the governing body for the French fashion industry) quickly realized the need to present a spectacular fashion collection. Something unforgettable, elegant and beautiful, something that would break up with the austerity of the war years by using an extravagant amount of opulent fabrics, something sparkly and undisputably luxurious. But also, very different from what women wore before the war. 1947 New Look collection was exactly that. Paris kept its reputation as the world’s capital of fashion, rich clients, including Queen Elizabeth II, her sister princes Margaret, Wallis Simpson or Evita Peron kept placing orders. Everybody seemed to adore the new style.
Well, almost everybody. Coco Chanel was raising her eyebrows in disbelief how could the progress in liberating women within fashion be completely ignored and an hourglass silhouette reintroduced. It is true, Dior’s designs are aesthetically conservative, rooted in court fashion of 18th and 19th century by the preference of tight waist, low neckline and pleated skirts with petticoats underneath that looked like crinolines. Another words, it was male preferred perspective on female body without taking the wearers’ comfort and freedom of movement into account. That’s the controversial bit regarding Dior and that is why having the first ever woman as a chief designer in the House of Dior is a breakthrough and this message resonates quite clearly in the Kunstmuseum. I think it was a very clever choice to structure the exhibit.
Bottom row: draped gown by Christian Dior 1949 (left) and by Maria Grazia Chiuri 2020 (right)
The display in The Hague includes many beautiful pieces. From the famous 1947 Bar Suit and its later reinterpretations, through Dior’s floral inspirations, stunning cocktail and evening gowns, various silhouette types he experimented with, bags, fashion sketches to beautifully presented collection of fake jewelry. There are also gowns made by the House of Dior for famous clients such as Lady Diana’s 1996 negligee silk evening dress, in dark blue with buttons on the side, trimmed with lace, a rebellious piece with no bra to be worn which scandalized media at the time. Or less shocking 1961 silk dress and jacket worn by the Princess Lillian of Belgium.
Lady Diana’s gown by John Galliano for Dior (1996), center and left; Princess Lillian’s gown by Marc Bohan for Dior (1961), right
All information as well as the catalogue accompanying the exhibition is provided in both Dutch and English. Two interesting communication touches, one – along the general information on Dior’s creative journey and impact on world fashion, a local, Dutch context is provided, with notes on how the new, luxury brand was received in the Netherlands. We learn for example that One of the first Dior designs in the Netherlands was worn by the wife of the French ambassador on the investiture of Queen Juliana in the Nieuwe Kerk church in Amsterdam in 1948. (…)
For visitors who prefer just to look rather than read more in-depth text the curators provided a brief version. Each information board provides a Long Story Short option which reduces the information to just two or three sentences. Brilliant idea, although I quite enjoyed the longer version.
The career of Christian Dior as a couturiere was quite brief. After the huge success of the New Look collection, he unexpectedly died of heart attack in 1957. However his legacy continues to shape fashion ideas, his classic designs are still regarded as a canon of class, quality and elegance.
An unwavering interest in Christian Dior is confirmed by the fact that his life and work has recently been featured in 2022 production Mrs Harris goes to Paris and in 2024 Apple TV series The New Look. The exhibition in the Kunstmuseum joins this trend because there is a lot we can learn from Monsieur Dior regarding taste and fashion.
A wedding dress and an evening dress by Dior c.1950 (left); Jacket by Gianfranco Ferre for Dior 1996 (right)
Evening dress by John Galliano for Dior, 2010 (left); and by Maria Grazia Chiuri 2018 (right)