Invitation to DIOR GALERIE – 30 Avenue Montaigne – “Reinventing the Dior Dream” by architect Peter Marino. Review by RUNWAY MAGAZINE.

Paris fashion week, despite of all odds, had couple of surprises. Flagship store of Dior on avenue Montaigne opened its doors 4 days ago.

The store became Dior Galerie, telling the story from its founder Christian Dior until today.

30 Avenue Montaigne, where the House’s collections have been born for 70 years, is now home to La Galerie Dior, a unique exhibition space that bears witness to the visionary audacity of Christian Dior, couturier and parfumier, and his six successors: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri. Through a captivating scenographic narrative designed by Nathalie Crinière, La Galerie Dior recounts and symbolizes the Parisian epic of haute couture, beauty and perfume.

Thirteen themes bring to light the memory of this historic address, from Christian Dior’s life to his passion for gardens, from artistic affinities to the magic of grand balls, from virtuoso ateliers to a “Room of Wonders”, conceived as a cabinet of curiosities, from the distinctly Dior style of silhouettes to the exquisite bottles of Miss Dior and J’Adore fragrances.

In order for your visit to take place in optimal conditions, online reservation of a time slot is required on the website galeriedior.com.

“It had to be 30 Avenue Montaigne. I would set myself up and nowhere else!”
“My desire [was] to create a house in my name. A house where everything would be new.”
CHRISTIAN DIOR

The house of Dior is pleased to announce the reopening – on March 6, 2022 – of 30 Montaigne, the iconic realm of dreams, reinvented after more than two years of renovation. “I am extremely pleased and proud to see this extraordinary dream, this outstanding project – which my
team and I have carried with all our passion – finally come true. More than a reopening, 30 Montaigne is a total reinvention and a living symbol of our DNA: the birth of a realm like no other in the world, where dreams are given free reign and a new, unprecedented page in the history of Dior, fashion – and Paris – can be written,” confides Pietro Beccari, Chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture.

The legendary hôtel particulier, which cast its spell on Christian Dior in 1946, has seen the House’s
collections come to life for seventy-five years, becoming the emblem of Parisian elegance and French haute couture. The historic cradle of the revolutionary New Look has undergone a metamorphosis and is now transformed into a unique place like no other in the world: the locus of all possibilities, now unfolding over more than 10,000 square meters. An extraordinary “refuge of the marvelous,” in the words of Monsieur Dior.

Through the prism of beauty and the unexpected, this reinvention offers a (re)discovery of the heritage and passionate inspirations of the House’s multiple facets, through all its universes – from ready-to-wear to fragrances, from leather goods to jewelry, and from art to couture.

The architectural tour-de-force orchestrated by the architect Peter Marino, at the crossroads of neoclassical style and contemporary purity, celebrates the multiplicity of savoir-faire, art de vivre, gastronomy and culture.

This modern, multifaceted showcase – a harmonious balance of audacity, excellence and virtuosity, right down to the shop windows – will provide an exceptional home to:

• A dazzling Boutique, redolent with Dior fundamentals – from toile de Jouy to cannage – and punctuated with artwork and other surprises, including several exclusive creations.
• An alcove entirely dedicated to beauty, fragrances and well-being.
• La Galerie Dior, a tribute to Christian Dior’s first vocation as a gallery owner. Magnified by a narrative scenography by Nathalie Crinière, it will unveil the House’s precious archives, from couture to fragrances.
• The haute couture ateliers**, and – for the first time at 30 Avenue Montaigne – the haute joaillerie ateliers, a reflection of Dior excellence.
• Le Restaurant Monsieur Dior and La Pâtisserie Dior, both infused with the creativity of French chef Jean Imbert.
• Three Gardens, created by landscape designer Peter Wirtz in collaboration with architect Peter Marino.
• And, finally, La Suite Dior, a quintessential experience of the art of hospitality à la française, offering the keys to the entirety of 30 Montaigne for the most memorable of nights.

Through the exhibition of sometimes new – but always singular – works from the likes of Guy Limone, Jennifer Steinkamp, Johan Creten, Paul Cocksedge, Isa Genzken, Azuma Makoto and Joël
Andrianomearisoa, each of these spaces will represent the inventiveness that has always permeated the House, but also the love of art that defined Christian Dior. A space imbued with the visionary spirit of Monsieur Dior, couturier and parfumeur, who, in just ten years – from 1947 to 1957 – redesigned femininity, building an empire of unwavering influence that is constantly in creative flux.

The enchanting new aura of this building steeped in history – from its majestic Grand Escalier to its iconic Cabine, subtly restored to its original state – promises a timeless experience, inviting visitors on a delightfully unexpected, unprecedented journey that can be experienced “nowhere else”.

*Architect Peter Marino created the design of the boutique, La Suite Dior, Salons haute couture, Le
Restaurant Monsieur Dior, La Pâtisserie Dior and the gardens (in collaboration with Peter Wirtz).
**Standing alongside the confidential Salons haute couture, faithfully restored guardians of the secrets of Dior’s savoir-faire.

See all images DIOR GALERIE – 30 Avenue Montaigne

Photo Courtesy: Christian Dior / Kristen Pelou