When I went to Brooklyn to visit my partner’s family over Christmas break, I knew I had to make my way to the Brooklyn Museum just blocks from their place to see the NYT-reviewed Dior exhibit. And she did not disappoint.
To celebrate this beautiful exhibit that just closed, here are the best parts of the show.
Out of the best parts, of which there were many, these were my absolute favorite looks. I mean, wow!
This newspaper look could be worn today in complete style, and I would love to be the one to wear that. I had to be peeled away from this one by my partner so that others could come and observe the masterpiece. I left hoping this was in the gift shop and ready to spend all my savings on it if it was.
This floral dress also left me in shock. Thankfully, this was in a calmer part of the exhibit so I could gawk to my heart’s content. In fact, my partner walked far ahead of me and thought I’d follow after a bit and had to come back to find me still here. It’s hard to see in the photo, but this dress had intense and shiny embroidery, fluffy layers without feeling cupcake and beautiful baby pleats on the waist. Usually I am 100% a belt advocate, but this dress may have just converted me.
The pathway of the exhibit took you through Christian Dior’s first pieces, his general life’s history, and the history that lined up with his time as a designer. It talked about how The Great Depression affected his family and work, including selling his stock in an art gallery he had at the time.
The pieces were organized by time of release and it was easy to tell how much of an influence Dior had on how we see ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s fashion. Walking through the first few years, I was honestly underwhelmed, passing the designs off as “nothing special” and very expected of the eras they belonged. I realized that this thought just showed the impact that he had. My very idea of what these decades of fashion were in color, style, shape, and structure was built by Dior.
Then, the exhibit takes you through lots of fashion photography of Dior’s pieces over the years: celebrities, models, normal people, and many many couture designs.
From there, the exhibit goes into each of the creative directors that have worked for Dior. It started with, of course, Christian Dior himself, and made its way to Maria Grazia Chiuri, the current designer since 2016, and first female creative director for Dior, ever. Most notable is Yves Saint Laurent, as this name is now synonymous with luxury and monumental design.
My favorite creative director of the bunch, and a popular favorite is John Galliano. His designs were known for being artistic, edgy, unexpected and fresh. Unfortunately, he was fired from Dior in 2011 for anti-semitism and racism.
The history of all the designers ended with a larger display of Chiuri’s current pieces, including this black and white focussed segment. This one, just, wow! I think the best one here is the checkered print one on with the fluffy pieces.
It can be easy to think that things of the same colors always look alike in vibe, style or aesthetic, but these four pieces take that thought and chew it up, spit it out and stomp on it before shoving it in your face and saying, “was this yours?”
Then came where the floral dress I talked about at the beginning stood. It was surrounded with info about their perfume, Miss Dior, and their particularly regal clothing. The location of these pieces felt like a transitional part of the exhibit, while the clothing said anything but.
Then came the wall of rainbow coordinated clothing. It had everything from dresses, pins, shoes, broaches, earrings, purses, sketches and perfumes. It ends with white, and then the room expands and brightens to become a wall of entirely white clothing, accessories or patterns. This room was brightly lit and the ceiling was covered in mirrors, making the wall of clothes seem endless. It was completely mesmerizing.
After the walls of white came the heart of the exhibit. Lifting music played in the background, little sparkles were projected onto the art, and it was pure magic. Only the most coveted, most inspirational, most sought after designs were in here.
Dresses that looked like dragonflies, walls of cream-colored dresses emulating ghosts due to their lighting and height, dresses worn by royals, endless glitter, endless color and endless fun.
From here, there was a hallway of dresses recognized from red carpets, music videos, and even one worn by Princess Diana, a fashion and Dior icon known for her love affair with the “Chouchou,” or later named “Lady Dior” purse.
Then, the showcase ended with a single metal star, Christian Dior’s Lucky Star from 1946. It was a wonderful and emotional way to end the showcase, as this brand was his star and began in 1946. I like to imagine him looking over at the star while sketching new looks and browsing fabric samples, joyful for how far he has come.