Dior Does Japan

Christian Dior adored flowers, and naturally, he was drawn to the classic creation of Japanese gardens. Hence, the Jardin Japonais dress that was conceived in 1953.

More than 60 years later, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri revisited the dress as a base for an haute couture collection she presented a few days ago in Tokyo. The collection is made up of pre-existing creations from the spring/summer 2017 haute couture collection, presented earlier in January at the gardens of Musée Rodin, Paris, as well as new creations targeted at the Japanese market.

The reinterpretation of Jardin Japonais dress is adorned with cherry blossom motif, a reference to Japan’s iconic spring festival. Fluid dresses that hint at the curves beneath, jackets, a coat, and a long hooded cape are decorated with delicate embroidered flowers, paired with bird motifs, expressing the meeting of the haute couture savoir-faire of the ateliers at 30 Avenue Montaigne with the culture of Japan.

The new Dior store is located at Ginza Six, a luxury retail facility that is also home to Celine, Saint Laurent and Valentino boutiques. Architect Yoshio Taniguchi, famed for his reinvention of the MoMA in New York, design a unique façade evoking a light-filled dégradé of white sails, structured by horizontal lines and punctuated by four large street-level windows. For the interior, Peter Marino, star architect of Dior boutiques around the world, has created a contemporary atmosphere dominated by whites. On the third floor, the Café Dior by Pierre Hermé offers desserts created exclusively by the celebrated eponymous French pâtissier-chocolatier.