If you made it to the V&A museum in London at the beginning of last year and witnessed the fashion spectacle that was Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, you were one of the lucky ones. The exhibition, reconfigured from the 2017 Musée des Arts Décoratifs show in Paris, was a sell-out. After all, from the gown worn by Princess Margaret on her 21st birthday to the dress in which Jennifer Lawrence tumbled on her way to collect an Oscar, this wasn't just another fashion exhibition. It ways, in many ways, a concise and breathtakingly beautiful snapshot of fashion history.
Whether you made it there in person or not, Dior has just given us all the perfect lockdown relief. It has made the exhibition available online, via YouTube and Instagram, so that we can all glimpse behind-the-scenes and see how the show came to life.
In a statement, the fashion house said: 'In these trying times, when it is more essential than ever to be able to lose yourself in escapism and wonder, Dior is pleased to invite you to (re)live, from the comfort of home, the unique enchantment of the ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’ exhibition... Over seventy years of creation is revealed through iconic haute couture dresses, precious archival photographs, sketches by Christian Dior, objects, accessories, original paintings by great masters, a cabinet of curiosities conceived as a sweeping display of colour, and much more.'
Indeed, one is able to view the original designs of Christian Dior himself, as well as the creations of each creative director since, from Yves Saint Laurent to John Galliano and Maria Grazia Chiuri, who currently holds the reins. As Celine Dion says upon seeing the exhibition, 'It's very moving and it transports you,' which is exactly what we all need at the moment.
There are celebrity cameos, too, seen at the grand opening of the original Paris exhibition in 2017. Jennifer Lawrence, Bella Hadid, Natalie Portman and Robert Pattinson are all captured on film, gushing about the beauty of it all.
'Imbued with dreams and desires, a wealth of works and emblems enchant this extraordinary celebration of beauty and elegance in all their forms,' says the house of Dior. During these troubled and uncertain times, it seems we could all benefit from existing in a world of dreams and elegance – even if just for a short while.