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.
The new ground floor pop-up boutique is decked out in the label’s signature grey
Limited-edition products created especially for the project are displayed on Royal Mail boxes
A mannequin dons a dress from Raf Simons' S/S 2013 collection for Christian Dior
Even the foyer by the department store's famous escalators has received a Dior makeover
The façade of the famous Parisian headquarters, recreated in miniature
The restropective opens with this line-up of couture gowns by Christian Dior
Hints of the designer are infused into every part of the exhibition, such as these decals of his drawings illuminated on ceiling-mounted lightboxes
An interactive digital book tells the history of the house of Dior
Dior's seminal New Look collection revolutionised the fashion industry when it was first unveiled in 1947
Rare photographs of the couturier have been unearthed and are featured alongside his illustrations
Personal notes and memorabilia from the Dior archive
Iconic emblems of the two powerhouse brands are blended together in this installation, such as the Harrods bear and Dior's New Look silhouette
A dazzling mirrored room featured hundreds of perfume bottles and a spectacular evening gown in the next installation space
This sculpture by Jean-Michel Othoniel, 2012, in brown glass, bronze and gold leaf, is inspired by the bottle of the fragrance
A design by Christian Dior...
... and Raf Simons' contemporary interpretation of the same outfit
The link between the house's heritage and future is a recurring theme throughout. This particular concept space features iconic dresses by Christian Dior...
... opposite the contemporary creations worn by the red carpet stars of today
Sofia Coppola's short film for the Miss Dior fragrance is projected onto this larger-than-life chair
Simons designed this new couture gown, featuring a million flowers, based on an archival piece by Dior
Young British designers were invited to submit their rendition of the 'Lady Dior' bag. Sculptor Alice Anderson's piece is pictured here
'Paradigm', by Neil Ayling, 2013
Also on show was an archival piece from Dior's 2009 'As Seen By' exhibition by Liu Jianhua, who crafted the Lady Dior bag in gold-painted porcelain
A creative video installation shows the making of a 'Lady Dior' bag
The fourth floor installations cumulate with this theatrical display of miniature Stockman mannequins, donned in couture gowns
A close-up of the installation
A pop-up Dior café is serving up black truffle omelettes and other dishes borrowed from a cookbook published by the designer in the seventies
Dior has hoisted branded flags on the exterior of Harrods
The fashion house has also taken all of the department stores eponymous windows with British-inspired displays, such as these Royal Beefeaters teamed with mannequins sporting ready-to-wear designs by Simons
Famous London landmarks feature in some of the window installations and are reimagined with a Dior twist
The tour of miniature London landmarks continues with the Palace of Westminster
Hundreds of Dior perfume bottles raining down in one of the window displays in a tribute to British weather
Mannequins stand among Big Ben in this display
Dior handbags are suspended from Tower Bridge
ADDRESS
Harrods
87-135 Brompton Rd
London SW1X 7XL
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