Welcome to La Galerie Dior!
The application allows you to enrich your visit and discover exclusive content.
Welcome to La Galerie Dior!
The application allows you to enrich your visit and discover exclusive content.
07
La Parisienne
Paris – the birthplace of Haute Couture in the second half of the 19th century – was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Monsieur Dior.
“One breathes in fashion with the very air of Paris.”
The French capital’s monuments and streets lent their names and architectural lines to his designs, but his main muse was Parisian women, who symbolised the soul of France and breathed grace into Dior’s silhouettes. “The queens of the day! Our glories, our muses, those we cling to, envy, love, admire, the elegant women, ‘les Parisiennes’…” enthused the couturier, who considered “the famous little black dress dear to Parisians” to be a timeless style manifesto.
The archival photographs capturing this essence of couture reflect Dior’s passion for his beloved city. Willy Maywald took an iconic photo on the banks of the Seine in 1955, revealing the Bar suit – a combination of complexity and purity. And of course, Paris is embodied in each of the places where Christian Dior lived, from Quai Malaquais and Rue Royale to 30 Avenue Montaigne, where he founded his House in 1946, won over by the sober elegance of the building. That fascination is also expressed in his choice of models to whom he was sincerely attached, such as the sublime France: “She looked particularly wonderful in seductive dresses. […] I loved to give her numbers to wear called France and Paris, which were always applauded sensationally […]”.
Renée wearing the Bar suit, Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1947 collection. Photography by Willy Maywald, 1955.
© Association Willy Maywald/ADAGP, Paris 2022
Next Room
08
Dior's Gold
07
La Parisienne
Paris – the birthplace of Haute Couture in the second half of the 19th century – was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Monsieur Dior.
“One breathes in fashion with the very air of Paris.”
The French capital’s monuments and streets lent their names and architectural lines to his designs, but his main muse was Parisian women, who symbolised the soul of France and breathed grace into Dior’s silhouettes. “The queens of the day! Our glories, our muses, those we cling to, envy, love, admire, the elegant women, ‘les Parisiennes’…” enthused the couturier, who considered “the famous little black dress dear to Parisians” to be a timeless style manifesto.
The archival photographs capturing this essence of couture reflect Dior’s passion for his beloved city. Willy Maywald took an iconic photo on the banks of the Seine in 1955, revealing the Bar suit – a combination of complexity and purity. And of course, Paris is embodied in each of the places where Christian Dior lived, from Quai Malaquais and Rue Royale to 30 Avenue Montaigne, where he founded his House in 1946, won over by the sober elegance of the building. That fascination is also expressed in his choice of models to whom he was sincerely attached, such as the sublime France: “She looked particularly wonderful in seductive dresses. […] I loved to give her numbers to wear called France and Paris, which were always applauded sensationally […]”.
Renée wearing the Bar suit, Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1947 collection. Photography by Willy Maywald, 1955.
© Association Willy Maywald/ADAGP, Paris 2022