calendario eventi  :: 

X

11/5/2012

Stars in Dior

Christian Dior museum and garden - Villa Les Rhumbs, Granville

Exhibition at the Christian Dior Museum in Granville from the 12th of May to the 23rd of September, 2012
The Christian Dior Museum will pay homage to the silver screen in 2012. For one summer only, the salons of Villa “Les Rhumbs” will exhibit the Dior fashions worn by movie stars on the screen and in the streets.

Before 1947: Christian Dior, costume designer
Even before 1947 and the creation of the couture house bearing his name, Christian Dior put his talent to work as costume designer for the cinema, collaborating with renowned filmmakers such as Claude Autant-Lara and René Clair. He designed the costumes of famous actresses like Odette Joyeux, who appeared in several films dressed in Dior, such as Le Lit à colonnes (The Four-poster, Roland Tual, 1942) adapted from the eponymous novel by Louise de Vilmorin. The original designs from this film, drawn by the couturier himself, will be on display in the upcoming exhibition.

“No Dior, no Dietrich!”
Christian Dior’s 1947 success brought other filmmakers to call on his talent, and he often gave in to their demands in spite of his bustling activity within the House of Dior. He couldn’t refuse such filmmakers as Jean-Pierre Melville, Vittorio de Sica, Marcel Carné or even Henri Verneuil, to name but a few. However, we owe it to Marlene Dietrich that the name of Christian Dior came to be associated with one of the greatest filmmakers of the twentieth century, Alfred Hitchcock. Chosen by the filmmaker for the film Stage Fright, the actress had also been a regular customer of the House of Dior since the beginning — she was even present for his first fashion show on the 12th of February 1947! She refused to star in the film if Christian Dior wouldn’t be hired as costume designer. Her adage, “No Dior, no Dietrich!” has become legendary in the House of Dior. For the exhibition, the Berlin Film Archive has exceptionally loaned an exhibit dedicated to the actress, who wore Dior on the screen and in the streets.

Portraits of stars in Dior
Admiring his talent as a designer, other actresses made Christian Dior their chosen couturier, and they often made appearances dressed in Dior. After the death of the designer in 1957, their loyalty to the House of Dior remained still strong, and a great number of stars continued to be regular customers. The House’s collaborations with the cinema also continued and, from 1958 to the present, more than fifty French and foreign films have featured stars dressed in Dior: Charlie Chaplin’s 1957 A Countess from Hong Kong starring Sophia Loren; Joseph Losey’s 1968 Secret Ceremony with Elisabeth Taylor; Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s 1981 Tout feu tout flamme with Isabelle Adjani and Lauren Hutton; and more recently, in 2007, Pedro Almodovar’s Broken Embraces starring Penelope Cruz. A generous loan from the Cinémathèque Française includes some of the costumes from these films. They will be exhibited alongside preparatory sketches, posters, scripts, archive documents, photographs and excerpts that bring back the atmosphere of these screen gems and demonstrate the essential part that costumes play in the success of a film.

The House of Dior in the spotlight
While the House of Dior contributes to the value of a film through the quality of its costumes, talented filmmakers contribute in turn to the success of the brand name. To promote Dior fragrances, the House regularly calls upon the biggest names in cinema, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud and Wong Kar Waï. Their work will be presented alongside storyboards showing the work involved in Dior commercials. Indeed, these little sequences are films in themselves, requiring a great amount of talent to get their message across and reach their audience within a few moments. You’ll see some of the sumptuous gowns designed for the actresses whose faces have become synonymous with the brand, bringing you up close to the magical, dreamlike universe which is the cinematic trademark of the House of Dior.
General Curatorship: Florence Müller, assisted by Barbara Jeauffroy-Mairet, Associate Curator.
Scenography: Frédéric Beauclair.
Catalogue and exhibition booklet published under the direction of Florence Müller.

Press contact: Catherine Dufayet Agency.

Christian Dior museum and garden
Villa “Les Rhumbs”
Route d’Estouteville. 50400 Granville
The exhibition is open every day from 10am to 6.30pm
Admission rates: 7€ (full rate), 4€ (reduced rate), 4€ (groups)

stampa

permanent link