V&A Museum to showcase the best of Christian Dior

The retrospective will include accessories, illustrations, perfumes and haute couture

Vintage Dior dresses at Les Annees 50, La mode en France exhibition in Paris, 2014. Reuters 

When it opened at the Decorative Arts Museum last year, the Christian Dior: Couturier du Rêve exhibition welcomed more than 70,000 visitors in six months. Now, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London has announced that it will reprise the retrospective, but give it a distinctly British slant.

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams will run from February 2 to July 14, 2019, and will be, according to a statement released by the V&A, the "largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever staged in the UK on the House of Dior". The exhibition will trace the French luxury label's output from 1947 to the present day, including the history and impact of couturier Christian Dior and the six fashion directors who have helmed the house after him. These include Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan (who designed 12 dresses for Elizabeth Taylor in the 1960s), Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and current artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri.

In addition to the 500 objects - covering accessories, perfumes and clothes - on display, the London edit will also feature a section that explores the brand's connections with Britain. Dior hosted its first UK fashion show at the Savoy Hotel in 1947, a mere one year after it was founded, while the first store opened in 1952. Its eponymous designer, who had a weakness for Savile Row suits, showcased a number of collections in Britain's stately mansions, including Blenheim Palace. He once said: "There is no other country in the world, besides my own, whose way of life I like so much."

Famous clients from the country include author Nancy Mitford, ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn and Princess Margaret, who's 21st birthday dress will be one of the 200 pieces of haute couture on display alongside a Bar Suit gifted to the V&A in 1960.

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