REFLECTIVE ESSAY: CHRISTIAN DIOR, COUTURIER DE RÊVE
Undoubtedly, Dior is one of the most recognised luxury brands worldwide. According to Forbes ranking list on Top Multinational Performers, Dior occupies the 142th position out of 250, of both, public and private brands regarding their sales, profits, assets and market value (2017 (1)). Besides its economic prosperity, what makes this firm so successful and prestigious? Dior actually, makes a difference. A great example that proves this is the way in which they have decided to celebrate the House of Dior 70th anniversary (Les Arts Décoratifs, 2017).
Displaying an astonishing art exposition in Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs has exceeded everyone’s expectations –at least mine’s and many of my colleagues- about the brand and its potential. Much like an artist drawing on a blank canvas, in this short essay I will try to present my experience and the knowledge acquired at the Dior exhibition, or “strokes”, that make up my visualisation of the outstanding artwork called Christian Dior, Couturier de Rêve.
Undoubtedly, Dior is one of the most recognised luxury brands worldwide. According to Forbes ranking list on Top Multinational Performers, Dior occupies the 142th position out of 250, of both, public and private brands regarding their sales, profits, assets and market value (2017 (1)). Besides its economic prosperity, what makes this firm so successful and prestigious? Dior actually, makes a difference. A great example that proves this is the way in which they have decided to celebrate the House of Dior 70th anniversary (Les Arts Décoratifs, 2017).
Displaying an astonishing art exposition in Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs has exceeded everyone’s expectations –at least mine’s and many of my colleagues- about the brand and its potential. Much like an artist drawing on a blank canvas, in this short essay I will try to present my experience and the knowledge acquired at the Dior exhibition, or “strokes”, that make up my visualisation of the outstanding artwork called Christian Dior, Couturier de Rêve.
Is it then a coincidence that Haute Couture was born in France? At first instance, designers started as simple dress makers, however with time, they ended up becoming extreme professional haute couturiers. Haute Couture was first used by the affluent aristocracy. For instance, Rose Bertin, Maria Antoinette’s fashion designer, was one of the pioneers designing Haute Couture pieces, these were later copied all around the continent (Burke, 2017 (2)). Throughout time, fashion has been greatly influenced by sociological factors.
Regarding Dior’s ethics and aesthetics, I personally believe that the brand has succeeded very well by preserving both in time, especially the former. However, it is true that even though Dior is Haute Couture, designs have obviously undergone slight modifications to adapt to the ever-changing world of fashion (See in Annex, FIG. 1).
Without doubt, the birth of the New Look in 1950s (Burke, 2017 (3)) meant a pivotal moment not just for the brand but for the whole History of Fashion. Christian Dior, launched a silhouette in its first haute Couture collection, characterised by very thin waists and very wide skirts. These are reckoned by names such as wasp waist or flower-woman. The New Look appeared once the pragmatism and the economic crisis caused by the Second World War were over and offered women the opportunity to re-new their wardrobes and re-fill them with glamorous clothing. The New Look persisted after many decades, as it was a sense of inspiration for many younger creative directors such as John Galliano, Gianfranco Ferré or Raf Simons (Bas, 2014).
Since then, Dior has maintained its respected and enviable position throughout History by having its values clear and knowing how to perform in every moment. During the Op Art Era (1964) Dior employed many important designers, such as Marc Bohan, (Burke, 2017 (4)), that developed interesting and sharp geometric patterns combined with miniskirts and gogo boats (Burke, 2017 (5)). The designers’ interpretations of this Era, influenced other illustrious designers in the future, as Maria Grazia Chiuri, who in the past month of September based her Spring-Summer 2018 Collection in this Era (Perezminguez, 2017).
As mentioned throughout the essay, cultural aspects carried an “authoritarian” role when designers had to forecast how to develop their Haute Couture masterpieces. However, it is true that when Dior was first established the History of Fashion had already gone through the most noticeable physical changes. A clear example of wearing a piece of clothing in a distinct way was the female emancipation along the 19th Century. There were obvious modifications concerning clothing: short skirts, sleeveless tops, naked shoulders and many other keys of seduction were introduced (Burke, 2017 (6)).
Personally, Christian Dior, Couturier de Rêve exposition is one of the best expositions, if not the best, that I have ever seen. Every detail was considered, not just the tremendous variety of masterpieces of Haute Couture, but also cosmetics or fragrances; each room’s atmosphere, lighting, decoration and artificial effects made the perfect composition for Dior’s description. Moreover, the exposition acted as a source of inspiration for me, as I very much enjoy drawing and by watching it, I gained many new ideas that will be useful to create interesting sketches for the next part of Moschino’s project.
All in all, Dior’s perception of Haute Couture is transformed into an original an authentic composition, whose diversity -due to the different decades it has been existing and their correspondent creative directors- but as well classic essence yearned for all around the world.
APPENDIX
FIG. 1 - Christian Dior Ethics and Aesthetics (own elaboration, pictures taken from ‘Christian Dior: Couturier du Rêve’ Paris Exhibition)
FIG. 2 - Drawing inspired in a sketch found ‘Christian Dior: Couturier du Rêve’ Paris Exhibition
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bas, B. (2014). VOGUE ESPAÑA: FASHION. “New Look” [online]. Retrieved on November 6th 2017 from http://www.vogue.es/moda/modapedia/hitos/new-look/344
Borrelli-Persson, L. (1947). FASHION: “Meet the Celebrated Swedish Illustrator Who’s Reviving a Lost Art at Dior” [online]. Retrieved on November 5th 2017 from https://www.vogue.com/article/christian-dior-mats-gustafson-raf-simons-art-fashion-illustration-books (front cover)
Burke, E. (2017). Notes taken from Lecture 2. Unit 1 LUXURY FUNDAMENTALS. (1)
Burke, E. (2017). Notes taken from Lecture 3. LUXURY IS A CULTURE: “The Ever Expanding Fashion Week”. (2)
Burke, E. (2017). Notes taken from Lecture 4. HISTORY OF FASHION 1: 1700s-1900s. (3)
Burke, E. (2017). Notes taken from Lecture 4. HISTORY OF FASHION 2: 1700s-1900s. (4,5,6)
Forbes. (2017). TOP MULTINATIONAL PERFORMERS: Dior [online]. Retrieved on November 3rd 2017 from https://www.forbes.com/companies/christian-dior/ (1)
Forbes. (2017). TOP MULTINATIONAL PERFORMERS: Dior [online]. Retrieved on November 3rd 2017 from https://www.forbes.com/companies/christian-dior/ (2)
Forbes. (2017). TOP MULTINATIONAL PERFORMERS: Dior [online]. Retrieved on November 3rd 2017 from https://www.forbes.com/companies/christian-dior/ (3)
Les Arts Décoratifs. (2017). CURRENT EVENTS: Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve [online]. Retrieved on November 3rd 2017 from http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/en/exhibitions/current-events-1322/musee-des-arts-decoratifs/christian-dior-couturier-du-reve/#article6348
Perezminguez, A. (2017). TOTUMREVOLOTUM: Arte de vivir, Belleza, Estilo mujer: “maria Grazia Chiuri rinde homenaje a Marc Bohan y al Op Art en una colección SS18 muy Años 60” [online]. Retrieved on November 3rd 2017 from http://www.totumrevolutum.es/maria-grazia-chiuri-rinde-homenaje-a-marc-bohan-y-al-op-art-en-una-coleccion-ss18-muy-anos-60/
