Dior commemorates 70-year milestone in Melbourne retrospective

French couture house Christian Dior is looking back on seven decades worth of design in a retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

“The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture,” opening Aug. 27, will feature the work of all seven of Dior’s head designers over the years, from the eponymous founder’s New Look collection from 1947 to the first couture line from current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. This exhibit celebrates not only the milestone for the brand, but also the longstanding relationship between Dior and Australia.

House history
This exhibit, co-organized by Dior and the museum, will display 140 garments, showing the history of the house through the work of designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Raf Simons.

Through the exhibit, visitors will be given an understanding of the house’s atelier workrooms. Another theme of the retrospective is the role accessories have played in completing the Dior look.

Among the sponsors of the exhibit is David Jones, the retailer where Mr. Dior staged his spring 1948 fashion parade. This marked the brand’s first time displaying an entire collection outside of its hometown.

Behind the scenes of the house of Dior at NGV

On Aug. 26, Dior will be a focus of the NGV Gala, with guests being able to view the exhibit ahead of the general public.

The exhibit will run through Nov. 7, with a program throughout that includes screenings of “Dior and I” and “In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye.” There will also be workshops on patternmaking as well as talks.

Many of the special events are already sold out, pointing to the interest in the subject.

Dior is also celebrating its 70th anniversary with an exhibition at Paris' Museum of Decorative Arts where it will showcase the work of its namesake and the many prominent designers who have worked at the atelier.

The "Christian Dior, couturier du rêve" exhibition opened July 5, and will be on view until January of next year. More luxury marketers are beginning to treat their brands as historic institutions in and of themselves and cashing in on that reputation with museum-quality exhibits (see story).