Dior takes over Harrods

The legacy of Christian Dior continues to resonate as loud and bold as the day the designer debuted his seminal New Look collection. This spring, Harrods has joined forces with the fashion house to create a couture wonderland and the ultimate homage to the designer. The collaboration has transformed the exterior of the luxury department store and taken over its entire fourth floor with a series of concept spaces and a pop-up café. The venture marks a 60-year relationship between the two powerhouse brands, which began when the designer inaugrated the Harrods Fashion Theatre in 1954.

Dior has commandeered the store’s window displays in a fitting nod to the couturier’s affinity for Britain – Royal Beefeaters stand guard next to ready-to-wear designs by creative director Raf Simons and telephone boxes evoke the New Look silhouette. A new ground floor pop-up boutique decked out in the label’s signature grey features Royal Mail postboxes that act as plinths for limited-edition products.

Upstairs visitors are greeted by the façade of 30 avenue Montaigne, Dior’s Parisian headquarters, recreated in miniature. The space beyond has the feel of a major retrospective, with installations that include a gargantuan digital book of fairytales. On display is a series of ‘Lady Dior’ bags reimagined by up-and-coming artists and mini-Stockman mannequins wearing seminal couture designs. The Dior team has also uncovered rare photographs and sketches of the designer, which are displayed alongside personal memorabilia.

The space culminates with the new Café Dior, serving up cupcakes iced with Dior fashion illustrations, black truffle omelettes and other recipes borrowed from a cookbook published by the designer (and self-professed gourmand) in 1972. Harrods will host a series of events throughout the month to celebrate the project: have your portrait sketched by a Dior artist, personalise a perfume bottle or select from a range of beauty products created specially for the collaboration by Tyen, Dior Make-up’s creative director.

ADDRESS

Harrods
87-135 Brompton Rd
London SW1X 7XL

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