quotes In the world today, haute couture is one of the last repositories of the marvellous Christian Dior
1957

When I first read about the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition at the V&A in London, I knew I had to take an Inspiration Day to experience it.

Inspiration Days at Creative Sponge allow us to feed and fuel our imaginations, taking us away from our desks and giving us an opportunity to be inspired by creativity, either within our sector or beyond. I believe we can learn so much just by listening, looking, and absorbing what’s around us. The more we do this, the richer our visual vocabulary becomes.

Glamour, curves and beauty.

Waiting in the queue, I felt slightly underdressed when I saw two glamorous women dressed head to toe in 1950’s Dior-inspired clothing. However, I soon forgot about myself when I entered the exhibition – wandering, lost in a dream of glamour, curves and beauty.
The dresses were all simply beautiful and I wanted to go home with every single one, but the real wow for me was the curation. Each section took me to a different part of Dior’s imagination and took my breath away. I was transported through sleek Parisian streets where the ‘New Look’ celebrated the female figure, through to Dior’s garden where the room was dressed floor to ceiling with paper flowers. (I think I stayed in this room for about half an hour and took about 100 photos!)
Growing up with a Mum who worked with material all her life, chalk in hand and pins on the floor, I had her in mind when I stepped into a white room stacked in maquettes made from white toile. I stood appreciating the detail in the pleat work, admiring the craft in its raw form, and recognising the seamstresses of the ateliers as the silent heroes of the fashion house.

An artist’s purpose.

The final room was exquisite. Here were the most glamorous dresses, in a ballroom decorated with digital projections changing from trompe l’oeil windows overlooking gardens through to starlit night skies and explosions of glitter. I didn’t want to leave. Luckily, the curators obviously realised this may be the case and I was able to sit down on a bench placed carefully at the edge of the room.

As soon as I left, I wanted to go back – and I will be in a few weeks. I want to relive the journey that I went on, spot the parts I may not have seen. I feel like I glimpsed inside the minds of the many talents of the Artistic Directors at the House of Dior and took away the thought artists can be inspired by many different things, but always have a core thought, a purpose. In the case of Dior, it was to celebrate the female form. Stunning.

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