opening the dior on fashion
Dior dress under construction in today's workshop
We pull the threads on the world of haute couture.
It's winter in France, 1947. The country is rebuilding itself after the war and fabric is rationed. However, in the salon of an unknown designer named Christian Dior, a haute couture collection defined by silk, embroidery, flowing skirts, fitted waists and narrow shoulders is revealed to stunned fashion editors, used to the mannish suits and gabardine outfits that marked wartime fashion.
This was Dior's New Look, a collection that re-established Paris as the world's fashion capital and brought extravagance and femininity back into women's wear.
Although Dior went on to redefine haute couture over the next ten years, the man himself was reserved and private. In his documentary Christian Dior: The Man Behind the Myth, Philippe Lanfranchi reveals a humble artist, never comfortable with his status as fashion icon. Lanfranchi's film features in our boutique season Dior on Film, a tribute to the legendary designer presented as part of the 2009 L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Also screening is Breaking the Rules: Fashion Rebel Look, a celebration of designers who, like Dior, caused a stir amongst fashion circles with their maverick styles, The Secret World of Haute Couture documenting the decadent decline of a 'secret' society of fashionistas (you'll fall off your chair when you learn how much they'll pay for a single dress), and René Clair's 1947 classic Le Silence est d'Or featuring exquisite Dior costumes.
And, for a local touch, Jasmin Tarasin's Flight of the Obüs Bird - Winter 2009 is a stunning experimental short film that represents the ethos behind the latest collection from Melbourne's own fabulous fashion house Obüs. So put your stilletos on and strut in! For screening details click here
Published Thursday, 12 March 2009
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