The Galerie Dior is a showcase to the history and collections of the House of Dior. It can be found in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
Explore The Galerie Dior
France This Way review: The Galerie Dior houses not only a wonderful collection of Dior clothes but the collection is presented in a wonderfully original and stylish fashion. A galerie not to be missed by any lovers of fashion.
Your visit to the Galerie Dior starts with its magnificent staircase which has a full height show case from the ground floor to the top floor.
Inside is the most beautiful collection of colour-themed mini dresses with shoes, handbags, hats and bottles of perfume all in themed colours.
This is called a 'Colorama' and a version of it is featured in all of the Dior exhibitions throughout the world. The Colorama reflects Dior's view that the accessories are an important part of an outfit.
The Colorama wall in the Galerie Dior, known as the Diorama, has become something of an Instagram sensation and patience is needed to get a picture without the other visitors to the gallery!
The Diorama contains 450 minidresses in 70 designs and changing colours as the exhibit progresses up the staircase.
The next room contains dresses and outfits from 1905 to 1957 and in particular showcases Dior's 'New Look' with a tight waist and a full skirt celebrating the end of post-war austerity.
You can see the iconic Bar suit created in 1947 by Pierre Cardin with its cinched white jacket and pleated full black skirt. Such an elegant outfit which has been reinterpreted many times over the years by Dior designers.
Next in the gallery is the Enchanted garden collection featuring dresses inspired by Dior's love of flowers.
Dresses here are either created in a flower-like shape such as the bell-shape of Dior's favourite flower, the lily of the valley. Or the dresses are decorated with printed or embroidered flowers.
The dresses are housed in glossy black caves hung with artificial vegetation and spot-lit to allow the gorgeous colours and shapes to shine out.
Also to see in the gallery are some of Dior's ready-to-wear collections called Miss Dior and introducing a new phase to the House of Dior.
Before entering the world of fashion Dior had a keen interest in art and new many of the artists, writers and musicians of the time.
In 1947 he was persuaded to design the costumes for the ballet '13 danses' and in 2018 Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's only female director, had a dance created to showcase her collection inspired by dance. Some of these beautiful dresses are on display along with photographs of the dances.
Perhaps the highlight of the collection is the "Dior Ball" where three tiers of mannequins in fabulous ballgowns stand poised against a changing back drop whose lighting reflects the changes from a sunny morning through dusk and onto a star-spangled night.
Other rooms feature dresses for films such as 'Gentlemen marry brunettes' and Alfred Hitchcock's 'Stage Fright' whose star Marlene Dietrich famously said "No Dior, no Dietrich' and only accepted her role if Dior was chosen to create her wardrobe for the film.
There is a collection of dresses created for film stars such as Demi Moore and Charlize Theron and royalty such as Princess Diana.
Also to see are Dior's office, a workshop, Dior perfumes and also a collection of covers of magazines featuring Dior.
The gallery can be found at 11 rue Francois I in the 8th arrondissement. The original Dior couture house began at 30 Avenue Montaigne but soon expanded into the neighbouring building on Avenue Montaigne and the connected buildings round the corner on rue Francois I where the gallery is housed.
The Galerie Dior is open daily from 11am to 7pm (5.30pm on Tuesdays) and closed some bank holidays.
Booking is recommended as there is often a queue at the door.
There is a cafe, the Café Dior and a small shop at the Galerie.
If this has whet your appetite for more information and collections then you can visit the Musée Christian Dior in Granville in Normandy. This museum has been set up in the villa Les Rhumbs where Christian Dior grew up.
Attractions nearby
Paris is a wonderful city full of great museums and galleries and with magnificent architecture all around. It is a great city for a city break or an extended visit.
You can find more travel ideas in the Paris region guide.
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