Dior in the NGV Collection

Christian Dior was a designer, entrepreneur and visionary whose influence on fashion and culture has endured since the mid twentieth century.

A new display at NGV International brings together forty-eight works from the House of Dior spanning the last seven decades to showcase the rich history of one of the most significant French couture houses. Many of these are new acquisitions generously supported by Krystyna Cambpell-Pretty AM and Family.

Founding his couture house in December 1946 at the age of forty-one, Dior presented his debut collection in February 1947. This collection revitalised an ailing postwar French fashion industry. Dubbed the ‘New Look’ by fashion journalist Carmel Snow, Dior’s silhouette – characterised by rounded shoulders, exaggerated padded hips and full skirts – transformed how women dressed, reasserting femininity, restored a sense of luxury and remains one of the most recognisable styles in fashion history.

The display considers Christian Dior’s early influences and the design codes that became synonymous with the fashion house, alongside the notable contributions of five of its seven successors: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri.