Style d' elle: Dior at Harrods

On 12th February 1947, Christian Dior presented his first collection and dreamed of reviving the joy, femininity and elegance that women had been deprived of during wartime. The Dior style created a shock, an outright revolution. Instantly dubbed the 'New Look', it sparked unprecedented excitement, unique in the history of fashion.

A tribute to the exceptional savoir-fair that still characterises the House of Dior today, the 'So Dior' exhibition opens with a journey to the heart of excellence in the Haute Couture ateliers, followed by a tour of the exceptional craftsmanship that makes up every part of the Dior world.

It goes on to reveal the historical links between the House of Dior and the UK. Christian Dior loved the English and had great admiration for England and its treasures, with a particular fondness for the department store Harrods.

The outside view!

The so-chic lifts in Harrods!

Hello Dior!

'So Dior' also focuses on Dior the couturier-perfumer, starting with Miss Dior, his very first fragrance created in 1947, with Natalie Portman as the modern-day face of its fresh beauty; then J'adore, whose famous amphora-shaped bottle evokes the femininity of the silhouettes the couturier adored. The predominance of gold recalls the refinement of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, the unforgettable setting around Charlize Theron, the icon of this precious perfume.

The Lady Dior bag! What could be more Dior than Lady Dior, the iconic handbag whose name pays homage to the Princess of Wales, its most exceptional ambassador. With its ever-renewed links to the contemporary art scene it serves as a fundamental bridge for a House whose founder was a visionary gallery owner before becoming a couturier.

The Fashion Theatre is a scaled down evocation of the one set up by Harrods in 1953, which served as the stage for presentations of Dior outfits. Close to 40 of Dior Haute Couture's most emblematic silhouettes, reproduced here in miniature form, tell the history of the Couture House on Avenue Montaigne. From the legendary Bar ensemble to today's designs by Raf Simons, it traces the evolution of the Dior line and its timeless modernity.

"Dior is this agile genius of our times whose magical name contains Dieu (=God) and or (=gold)." - Jean Cocteau

Stars today and stars of yesterday come together to protray the glittering Dior galaxy. From Margot Fonteyn to Marion Cotillard, the most beautiful, talented women have accompanied the House of Dior from 1947 to the present, trusting in Dior to magnify their beauty.

This short dress was worn by Audrey Hepburn for Harper's Bazaar in 1959. Evening dress in white tulle embroidered with silver sequins. Haute Couture A/W 1959/60 by Collection Christian Dior.

Midnight blue satin and lace dress, worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the House of Dior in December 1996.