Among the big events during the Paris Fashion Week in March was the relaunch of the flagship Dior Boutique on the Ave. Montaigne, off the Champs Elysees. Shuttered for over two years, which is a lifetime in the rapid, always-changing fashion world, the CEO of Dior Couture, Pietro Beccari, took a big chance to envision the entire world of Dior under one roof.
The massive 108,000-square-foot space and the largest Dior boutique in the world, it now encompasses the full range of Dior products, including women’s and men’s fashion lines, jewelry, handbags and leather goods, luggage, shoes, fine china, crystal and glassware, cosmetics, perfume, and an haute couture salon. The store also added a formal restaurant Monsieur Dior, and a pastry bar, both under the direction of French chef Jean Imbert, which are housed in an airy atrium, enveloped by tall, tropical trees and flowerbeds. Other special services in the store include a mini-spa for beauty treatments and facials and the extravagant La Suite Dior, a private apartment, which can be rented out with staff of six to eight people on call 24 hours a day, catering to every whim from having a private chef to a personal shopper.
We had a chance to visit the store just after it reopened and unexpectedly encountered a line to get in. The wait wasn’t very long and once inside, we marveled at the fabulous design, including the grand sweeping staircase lined with mannequins bathed in white light, the dazzling presentation of the merchandise, and the sumptuously decorated rooms and salons, including some art installations, designed by New York-based architect Peter Marino. Another discovery was an outdoor garden atrium, a calming oasis from the over-stimulation and razzle-dazzle of the store with soaring glass panels, cushy lounges and sofas, and plants and trees.
To further expand the Dior universe and experience, a newly dedicated museum, La Galerie de Dior, has opened next door, building upon the blockbuster Christian Dior, Couturier du Reve exhibition in Paris in 2017 and later at the Brooklyn Museum. The company tapped interior architect Nathalie Crinière, who designed the Couturier du Reve show, to create the 21,000-square-foot gallery, covering three stories and they also brought in Olivier Flaviano, the former director of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, to curate. There are 13 themed galleries throughout the museum which feature the evolution of Dior in chronological order from the first collection designed by Christian Dior in 1947 to the five successive designers over the next 70 years, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri, the current designer. The galleries display 130 mannequins wearing the haute couture outfits, films and newsreels, artifacts, sketches and drawings, photos, and vitrines with Dior perfume bottles, shoes, and other accessories. The Dior Café is located on the second floor.
We visited the museum at the same time as the store and were impressed with the story and history of the brand, its impact on fashion, and most of all, the three-story display of 452 miniature dresses and over 1,400 3-D printed objects while descending the spiral staircase.
Dior
30 Ave. Montaigne, 75008
La Galerie de Dior
11 Rue François 1er, 75008
Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
https://www.galeriedior.com/
Note: Tickets can only be purchased online and reservations are strongly advised at least a few days in advance.
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