Presented by the Powerhouse Museum in association with Christian Dior, Paris and the Union Francaise des Arts du Costume, Paris PUBLICATION Design: MaD House Design Editing: Meryl Potter Translations: Joanna Savill (Genty, Ferre, exhibition catalogue listing) and Diana Mitchell (Kamitsis) Photography: Sue Stafford* Production coordination: Julie Donaldson* Copyright: Dallas Cox* Word processing: Anne Slam* Printing: Bloxham & Chambers Published in conjunction with the exhibition Christian Dior: the magic of fashion at the Powerhouse Museum 27 July-23 October 1994. EXHIBITION Project director: Jane de Teliga* Curators: Louise Mitchell*; Marika Genty CIP (Christian Dior); Lydia Kamitsis (UFAC); Dior, Christian Glynis Jones* Christian Dior: the magic of fashion. Design: Susan Freeman* Coordination: Susan McMunn* Bibliography. Graphic design: Colin Rowan* ISBN 1 86317 048 0 Conservation: Suzanne Chee* Audiovisual: Kathleen Phillips* 1. Dior, Christian — Exhibitions. 2. Fashion designers — France Editing: Karin Vesk* — History — 20th century — Exhibitions. 3. Fashion — France — Paris — History — 20th century — Exhibitions. 4. Fashion — * Powerhouse Museum staff Australia — History — 20th century — Exhibitions. 5. Costume design — France — History — 20th century — Exhibitions. I. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Powerhouse Museum II. Title. The Powerhouse Museum gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the 746.92092 following: Judy Barraclough; Mrs Marjorie Birch; Nicole Bunbury; June Dally- © 1994 Trustees Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Watkins; Patricia Harewood; Beril Jents; Sandra King; Paule Paulus; Sheila Scotter; This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the Wolfgang Sievers; Rosemary Spittle; Mrs purpose of study, research, criticism or review, or as otherwise Sam Wood. Thanks also to: Edwina permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by Baillieu; Sam Griffin; Michael Shmith; any process without written permission from the Powerhouse Georgina Weir; Joan Wreford. Museum. Colleagues and institutions in Australia: First published 1994 Australian Film and Sound Archive, Annie by Powerhouse Publishing Vass; Australian National Gallery, Michael PO Box K346, Desmond, Roger Leong and Gael Newton; Haymarket Coles Myer Ltd archives, Stella Barber and 2000 NSW Australia Angela Henrickson; David Jones Ltd archives, Barbara Horton; National Gallery Every effort has been made to contact the copyright owners of and of Victoria, Isobel Crombie, Robyn Healy provide correct acknowledgment for the photographs reproduced in and Susan van Wyck; University of this publication. All inquiries should be made to Powerhouse Queensland, Margaret Maynard. Publishing. Forewords 4 by Terence Measham, director Powerhouse Museum 4 Bernard Arnault, president Christian Dior 5 Pierre Berge, president UFAC 6 The House of Dior today by Gianfranco Ferre 8 Christian Dior: the magic of fashion introduction by Louise Mitchell Couture and elegance: the House of Christian Dior 13 by Marika Genty Christian Dior: a new era in haute couture 26 by Lydia Kamitsis 38 Christian Dior and postwar Australia by Louise Mitchell 54 Chronology: the Dior years 1946 — 1994 compiled by Marika Genty 58 Catalogue of the exhibition 64 Further reading 64 Photo credits exhibition: Louise Mitchell, from the Powerhouse Museum, who worked on the exhibition in association with Marika Genty he Powerhouse Museum is delighted to from Christian Dior and Lydia Kamitsis be presenting the exhibition Christian Dior: from UFAC; and Jane de Teliga who the magic of fashion in association with initiated and directed the project for the Christian Dior, Paris and the Union Powerhouse Museum. Francaise des Arts du Costume (UFAC). Our grateful thanks go to all those who Christian Dior is undoubtedly the most have generously supported the Christian famous name in twentieth century fashion. Dior exhibition, particularly the following The Powerhouse Museum, which holds one sponsors: of Australia's foremost collections of Air France • Union des Assurances de Paris costume, is proud to stage this major retro • Parfums Christian Dior • Nine Network spective of Dior. This is the first time such Australia • David Jones Australia • Hotel a significant collection of Dior gowns has Inter- Continental. been displayed outside Paris. Drawn from the collections of Christian Terence Measham Dior and UFAC, the exhibition traces the Director, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney remarkable decade of design by Christian Dior from 1947 to 1957 and brings it to the present with a selection of gowns by the House of Dior's later designers, Yves Saint hristian Dior — the magical name that Laurent, Marc Bohan and Gianfranco for forty-seven years now has been Ferre. A special section developed by the synonymous the world over with the Powerhouse Museum focuses on Dior in enchantment of French fashion, elegance postwar Australia, in particular the Dior and style. parades held at David Jones in Sydney in Regardless of the intrinsically 1948 and 1957. fleeting nature of this creative sphere The Powerhouse Museum is grateful for and the endless cycle of seasonal collec the cooperation of Christian Dior, Paris and tions, the House of Christian Dior has the assistance of Michel-Henri Carriol, somehow withstood the cruelty of delegate for Christian Dior in Australia, in time: season after season, Dior has, enabling this important exhibition to come almost paradoxically, built its own to Australia. timelessness, eschewing the ephemeral I would also like to acknowledge the and placing itself squarely in the realm collaboration of the curators of the of tradition. 4 Despite the untimely death of its Harper's Bazaar on 30 August 1955 in the founder, the House of Dior has grown and now famous composition 'Dovima and the branched out beyond its original field, that elephants'. It was therefore quite natural, of haute couture, to acquire the far more when Dior died in 1957, that Yves Saint global dimension it enjoys today. Laurent should succeed him. I am always moved when I re-read the The Union Francaise des Arts du visionary words taken from Monsieur Costume (UFAC), which came into being in Dior's personal correspondence: 'In 1948, a year after the Dior adventure began, troubled times like ours, we must uphold set itself the task of perpetuating French our tradition of luxury, the jewel of our creativity. culture.' UFAC has been able to preserve thousands of pieces of clothing, providing Bernard Arnault us today with a broad view of creative President, Christian Dior fashion history. Our collections of clothes and documentary resources make up one of the world's biggest reference centres, which designers continue to add to, season hristian Dior did not invent haute after season. As its custodian, UFAC has couture, but it was incontestably he who made this heritage available for nearly fifty fixed its rules and set its bounds. Thanks to years by taking part in international events him, fashion became an art form in France like Christian Dior: the magic of fashion at the and is now part of our national heritage. He Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. invented licensing, and his name, famous I trust that this exhibition in Australia throughout the world, has become will give a broad public the opportunity to synonymous with elegance and creativity. admire some of the most original and inter His reign was to last only ten years esting works of art of our times, and to (1947—1957), but he made his mark in such appreciate the emergence, two years alter a way that even today it has lost nothing of the end of the Second World War, of a its magic. designer whose name would resound like In 1955 Dior discovered the talent of a thunder down the decades. young man as yet unheard of, Yves Saint Laurent. He took him on, made him his Pierre Berge closest assistant and then his avowed President, Yves Saint Laurent successor. At the beginning of their collab President, the Union Francaise des Arts du oration, Yves Saint Laurent created a dress, Costume, Paris photographed by Richard Avedon for 5 The artists I admire are those who try to unleash a certain interplay in their work, creating within the parameters of tradition and innovation. When I came to Dior my initial concern was to bring into contemporary focus what was generally considered to be a magical universe. By using trousers, for example, a fairly masculine garment, I was able to revive the classic Dior suit. Combined with a waisted jacket, highlighted by a blouse in organza or lace, they create the sort of shape I really like: something that is both romantic and contemporary, but remains extremely feminine. Everything Christian Dior produced works on this basic polarity between strength and softness, tradition and innovation. He could put together a collection featuring a gown with the purest of lines alongside one sprinkled with mock daisies, in a trompe l'oeil effect. In the same vein, he would blend artificial forms with traditional materials and inject an air of modernity into every one of his designs. That's my point of departure too. When designing my own collections I am constantly reworking the theme of contrasts. There are many links between my work and that of Christian Dior. As a former architect I am accustomed to developing my designs in two steps, starting from research and experi mentation and making free, flowing sketches. I concur with Christian Dior's words when he said: 'Sketches are the first form of an idea.'1 They are the expression of a look, a line, a stance. They are a guide to volume and proportion. I create moving shapes and lines. The next phase is pure technique, the architectural plan as it were, where the fabric of the design takes on volume and form. The expertise of the Dior workrooms, heirs to the full tradition of couture, means the professional skills and techniques of the past can be applied to the present. Thanks to their skills, I can conjugate and decline lines, shapes and collections adapted to today's woman. Together we develop clothing combinations that allow a woman to feel elegant, confident and highly individual. To perpetuate the spirit of Dior is to create pure, precisely drawn lines, with defined, perfectly balanced volume, and then underline them with amazing cutting techniques. Playing with the masculine-feminine also follows the Dior image — the use, for example, of harsher fabrics, like Prince of Wales and hound's-tooth checks. I go beyond the historic 6 'Alcove' an evening ensemble designed by Gianfranco Ferre for the House of Dior, Autumn-Winter collection 1993-94. The rich colours and motifs of the East inspired this dramatic outfit, made in an unusual combination of mohair and organza. trademarks of the House of Dior, but by doing so I also reinforce them, using the counterplay of colours like the notes of an organ, an exchange between the contrasts of black and white or the subtler shades of beige and grey. This return to the source allows me to re-centre, purify or elaborate on my designs as my instinct dictates, and then to re-create a 'truly Dior universe' in conjunction with the staff of this prestigious establishment. 'I have been seduced by this marvellous instrument — Dior's workrooms, design teams and his image. It's as if I had been given a Stradivarius to play on entirely as I wished.'2 * Gianfranco Ferre is Creator of the Haute Couture, Haute Fourrure (Haute Couture Furs), Women's Pret-a- Porter and Pret-a-Porter Furs at Christian Dior. 1. Elie Rabourdin and Alice Chavanne, eds. Je suis couturier (I am a couturier), by Christian Dior, Editions du Conquistador, Paris, 1951, p62. 2. Gianfranco Ferre, cited by Francois Baudot, 'Gianfranco Ferre', L'Officiel de la Couture, April 1989, p1 82. 7 Throughout the history of French decorative arts and design, there has been a complex relationship between the continuity of French tradition and the spirit of innovation and change. In both form and function, a dialogue has been maintained between innovation and tradition that has given French decorative arts their distinctive appearance and unique history. The success story of Christian Dior and his couture house is representative of this theme in French design. Before the French Revolution the court was the focal point of the creation and dissemi nation of style in matters of dress. Traditional values inherited from the ancient regime — fine crafting, respect for luxury materials, and refinement of detail and finish — were integrated into the expanding luxury industries that flourished in nineteenth-century France. After the role of the couturier emerged during the Second Empire (1852—1870), haute couture became stamped on the international consciousness as typically French. The standards of creativity and skill set by designers such as the Callot Soeurs, Poiret, Chanel, Vionnet and Balenciaga in the first half of the twentieth century reinforced Paris's role as the undisputed centre of fashion. By the time of the Second World War, haute couture had proved its monetary and cultural value for France. Recognition of haute couture's worth as a symbol for France helped set the scene for Christian Dior's extraordinary success when he launched his house in the years immediately after the war. With a disregard for postwar rationing and a conscious effort to revive the spirit of the luxurious fashions of the Second Empire and the belle epoque, Dior brought excitement back to fashion and revived haute couture. In doing so, he demonstrated not only an outstanding flair for dress design, but also a shrewd understanding of French tradition in the decorative arts and its significance to markets abroad. The exhibition Christian Dior: the magic of fashion is primarily a retrospective of Dior's decade of achievement as the most authoritative figure in the world of fashion. It begins with the 'Bar' suit of 1947, an outfit that encapsulates the New Look, which was to make Dior a household name. It continues with over sixty garments that represent his seasonal collections up to the time of his death in 1957. The exhibition concludes with designs by Dior's successors at the House of Dior: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan and the present designer, the Italian Gianfranco Ferre. Extending the exhibition up to the present shows the continuity of the Dior tradition and house style. A publication like this is an opportunity to expand on exhibition themes. The exhibition's storyline was developed by the major lenders, Christian Dior archives and the Union 8