It&rsquo;s an awe-inspiring experience one shouldn&rsquo;t miss.

It all began in 2017, when Dior unveiled the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition at the Mus&eacute;e des Arts D&eacute;coratifs in Paris, marking the 70th anniversary of the House of Dior. The retrospective went on to become the most successful exhibition the museum has ever seen &mdash; drawing 700,000 visitors in just six months. Fast forward eight years and seven cities later (London, Shanghai, Chengdu, New York, Doha, Tokyo and Riyadh), it is now one of the most celebrated fashion retrospectives of the 21st century, enthralling audiences around the world with its immersive storytelling and display of haute couture artistry.

This year, the House brings its magic to the iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, but this isn&rsquo;t the Maison&rsquo;s first foray into the city. Dior&rsquo;s relationship with the city runs deep &mdash; a decade ago, the &ldquo;Esprit Dior&rdquo; exhibition made waves here, and more recently in 2022, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri presented the Fall 2022 show at Ewha Womans University. With this rich history, this chapter of the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams retrospective in the capital of South Korea arrives with added depth.

The "30 Avenue Montaigne" room

L&rsquo;Officiel Malaysia was invited for the launch event, and we were given a special preview by curator Florence M&uuml;ller. The tour began with a tribute to the beating heart of Dior &mdash; 30 Avenue Montaigne, the Parisian atelier where it all began. The facade and the iconic staircase &mdash; printed on fabric &mdash; adorn the entrance, accompanied by stories within that were carefully presented through archival photographs.&nbsp;

The New Look

The journey continued with the debut of the revolutionary New Look featuring the legendary Bar suit, presented in a circular structure that mimics the elegant curves of the skirt. Here, the one and only Stephen Jones &mdash; milliner to the House of Dior since 1966 &mdash; shared insights on the whimsical hats that adorned iconic looks through the years, including a velvet piece that was initially trimmed with birds-of-paradise feathers, now updated with peacock.

Miss Dior

Monsieur Dior&rsquo;s enduring love for flowers and gardens is highlighted in the chapel-like room &mdash; a delicate homage to the emblematic Miss Dior fragrance. First introduced in 1947, the perfume, a floral chypre with leather and galbanum notes, was a tribute to the designer&rsquo;s sister. Here, visitors can view early bottles crafted by Baccarat, including one designed for Grace Kelly.

The Dior Garden

Prepare to be wowed in the moon jar room, crafted entirely from Hanji &mdash; traditional Korean paper made from mulberry fibers &mdash; through the work of artist Kim HyunJoo. A continuation of Monsieur Dior&rsquo;s reverence for nature, the space is decorated with more than 30,000 leaves and thousands of flowers using different types of hanji, completed over two months. A curated selection of Dior dresses is arranged to represent the four seasons, enhanced with projections that deepen the immersive experience.
&ldquo;I want people to feel happy &mdash; to forget they&rsquo;re in Seoul and feel like they&rsquo;re in the world of Dior,&rdquo; said Kim HyunJoo during our one-on-one chat. &ldquo;The moon jar is a new universe. You're a fairy when you step into it. Listen to the sounds of nature in the background, imagine you're surrounded by it, be calm and relax.&rdquo;

Colorama

From the brightness of nature, we were then led into the moody Colorama room, where cabinets display an array of Dior items &mdash; fragrances and makeup by Peter Philips to accessories &mdash; organised by chromatic shade. Then comes the Dior Ateliers space, a hallmark of the exhibition, which features a new display for Seoul: haute couture silhouettes in toile form floating in the air, creating a dreamlike vibe.

The Dior Legacy: Maria Grazia Chiuri (2016-present)

The Dior Legacy: Raf Simons (2012-2015)

The Dior Legacy: John Galliano (1997-2001)

The Dior Legacy: Marc Bohan (1961-1989)

The Dior Legacy: Christian Dior (1946-1957)

The Dior Legacy room traces the evolution of the brand through the lenses of its successive creative directors. From Maria Grazia Chiuri&rsquo;s feminist sensibilities, Raf Simons&rsquo; conceptual clarity, John Galliano&rsquo;s theatrical grandeur, Gianfranco Ferr&eacute;&rsquo;s architectural silhouettes, Marc Bohan&rsquo;s streamlined sophistication, Yves Saint Laurent&rsquo;s youthful exuberance, to Monsieur Dior&rsquo;s classic elegance, each designer&rsquo;s era fluidly transitions into the next. Expect to find never-before-seen archive pieces as well as original sketches, with the journey culminating in a portrait of Christian Dior by Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa, rendered in her signature bojagi technique.

Lady Dior

The House&rsquo;s emblematic Lady Dior bag was celebrated in its dedicated room. In a tribute to local artistry, the space is decorated with awe-inspiring creations by 26 Korean artists. The reinterpretations range from abstract and geometric to whimsical and nature-inspired, reinforcing the bag&rsquo;s position as both a fashion icon and an artistic canvas.

J'Adore

Before entering the J&rsquo;adore room, Rihanna&rsquo;s "Love on the Brain" sets the mood &mdash; the same soundtrack from the fragrance&rsquo;s 2024 campaign. Inside, the Maison&rsquo;s other signature fragrance is showcased in a luminous installation, surrounded by radiant gold gowns worn by Rihanna and Charlize Theron.

On the note of celebrities, Dior has been a favourite amongst the stars since its inception in 1947, and over the years, just as his motto states, his dresses do make a princess out of every woman.&nbsp; From Grace Kelly and Lady Diana to brand ambassadors Blackpink&rsquo;s Jisoo, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jennifer Lawrence, the dazzling dresses are presented in full splendour.

The Dior Ball

The journey concludes with an homage to Christian Dior&rsquo;s love for balls and soir&eacute;es. Under a dreamy, starry sky, the space glows with the lineup of floor-sweeping gowns in white and blush &mdash; a symbolic colour for Korean culture. Artist Soo Sunny Park&rsquo;s installation adds an ethereal glow, culminating the experience with a sense of fantasy and wonder.
As we stood in that final room, we felt the kind of awe that lingers long after you&rsquo;ve stepped outside. A dream, indeed.

The Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition is now open and runs until July 13. Click here for more information.

Inside the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition in Seoul

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