you may know that I recently paid a visit to Shanghai for a little #interfriendtion trip.
Before the trip, I have heard so many amazing compliments about this exhibition from my Shanghai friends, so I could not wait to discover the secret of Miss Dior myself.
And now, I am offering you a closer look at the exhibition;
plus, a few random thoughts of my own after the visit.
It was a gloomy day, seemingly the rain was going to pour down at any second. In spite of this dreary weather, enthusiasm from the spectators still crowded the whole gallery.
(Left) the invitation of the exhibition,
with the scent of Miss Dior perfume lingers on it.
(Right) a huge photograph of Christian Dior at the front of the gallery.
Part I: The Coutures
Forgive me for bluntly cutting this exhibition in half, because it can be better explained by it. When I first stepped into the gallery, there were several impressive vintage haute couture pieces that drawn my attention right on them.
So the first segment was "The coutures"
This was the first time I've ever seen The "Bar" suit (New Look) in person. More excitingly, the authentic sketch of this look, which was drawn by Mr. Christina Dior himself in 1947, was displayed right besides it. I was deep-seatedly daunted by the majesty of the real piece, so legendary and timeless.
Expect the oldies, there were also some new couture pieces designed by Raf Simons, for instance three dresses from his 2012's SS couture collections was shown. Admittedly, I prefer John Galliano's crazy imaginations over Raf Simons' rather dull and plain work. Raf is too uptight as a fashion designer.
Part II: The inspirations and the inspired
The stairs replicated the real stairs at 30th Avenue Montaigne
(Mr. Dior's house)
Evolution
Cute little stages for Dior fragrances
An overview of the exhibit
Contemporary works at the first floor
Every little light bulb was an empty bottle of J'adore!!
Artwork inspired by the bow on the neck of Miss Dior
Oil painting inspired by the rich floral scent of Miss Dior
Texture inspired by the Houndstooth patterns.
THE Miss Dior - Natalie Portman
The second segment includes stuffs which inspired Christian Dior to create this fragrance, and the arts that was inspired by Miss Dior.
On the second floor (forgive my lack of pictures, because photographs were not allowed to be taken) was a bunch of paintings, sculptures, sketches, and even music sheets that were the inspirations to Miss Dior. Those relics were actually possessed by Mr. Dior, and was displayed in his office during the 40s and 50s.
Back on the first floor were art pieces from all over the world that took inspirations from Miss Dior. They incorporated the essence of this perfume, such as the bow, the fan, the floral scent, and the Houndstooth patterns into their own art.
Moreover, there were another group of people that was inspired by Miss Dior -- Celebrities. Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, and Charlize Theron, their stories with Dior was also a part of the displays on the wall.
After the visit, I couldn't help but wonder, what was the point of putting out a show like this? The mighty scale, the expenses of inviting celebrities, and the costly showpieces would charge a unreasonable amount of fortune. But still, designer houses like Chanel and Dior are quite fond of exhibiting their accomplishments. Dior's Petite theater at Chengdu; Chanel's No.5 exposition at Palais De Tokyo of Paris; Ferragamo's The amazing shoemaker exhibit at Florence, etc. the amount of those exhibitions are unimaginatively countless.
Are these shows merely just showing-off?
For me, I do partially agree to this statement. You know the saying "if you've got it, flaunt it". One of the drives for exhibiting is to flaunt the legacy of the brand to the world and their competitors. Nonetheless, it's also a kind of promotion. Like a woman and her pheromone, the allure of profound history can always attract more potential costumers. If they are interested in the brand's culture, they must be interested in buying them too.
I am the perfect example.
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