Excerpt from the Guardian’s article “Welcome to the House of Dior: from the New Look to Miranda Kerr's wedding dress by Alexandra Spring

"Visitors enter through a slim avenue lined with tall mirrored window panels. At the far end is an enormous black and white photograph of Dior’s Paris headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Set in front of the house is a faceless mannequin dressed in a white satin jacket with a nipped-in waist over a voluminous black pleated skirt. This is the house’s defining look, debuted by the young designer in his first couture collection in Paris in 1947, and christened by fashion editor Carmel Snow as “the New Look”…

The next space is divided into the four codes of the house; the signature elements that each designer draws on to make a Dior outfit Dior. The line, flowers, the 18th century and of course, the New Look have all been reinterpreted countless times by each of the designers in their own way.

The cleverly designed space has been split with a mezzanine level. At the centre is a dramatic staircase, modelled after the same in Dior’s head office, where famous clients such as Marlene Dietrich would perch to watch the couture collections each season. At the exhibition it’s not just for dramatic effect; it allows visitors to reach the mezzanine level, and to see each of the 32 gowns from every angle.

From this room, visitors enter the atelier, a space dedicated to the craftsmanship of couture. On one side is a bright red belted coat flanked by mannequins wearing white toiles, the first cut of a couture pattern. On the other side, two Dior artisans sit at a bench, demonstrating the painstaking detailing that makes up each couture outfit. These are the highly skilled yet often unrecognised and mostly female seamstresses who, each day, don their white coats and bring the designer’s most fanciful couture creations to life…

After the profusion of gowns comes all those things that complete an outfit – and the Top to Toe room is dedicated to the shoes, the fragrances and the hats of Dior. UK milliner Stephen Jones, who was in attendance at the opening, has worked with the latest three Dior designers. He says each brought their distinct design approach to the hats for their couture collections..

The next room showcases the brand’s Australian connection – and it is a significant one. A year after his landmark 1947 showing, the designer sent his first collection abroad, to David Jones in Sydney. The fashion house repeated the exercise in 1957, this time sending a contingent of house models to showcase the collections.

The final room is the most spectacular. In the centre, three levels of gowns are set on a circular platform, revolving slowly to showcase the storied history. The centrepiece is an instantly recognisable crystal-encrusted midnight-blue gown. Around the room, the oldest gowns sit alongside those straight from the 2017 presentation. In one corner is a short black velvet gown with lace detail designed by Monsieur Dior in 1957, while directly opposite is Miranda Kerr’s white satin wedding dress, designed by Chiuri and worn only a few months ago.

On Saturday night, there was a fundraising gala at the gallery to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. The well-heeled, including Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel Griffiths, Tina Arena, Kate Cebrano and Kimbra, turned out in full force. Models, bloggers, fashion editors, designers and the fashion-intrigued mingled, admiring and critiquing their fellow partygoers’ outfits over the rims of their champagne glasses. There were short, tight frocks, frothy creations of tulle and lace, towering heels and occasionally treacherous satin trains, offset by men in black tie. A blogger in tiny sequinned shorts stood back to back with an older man in top hat and tails.

Yet for all the star power in the room, it was the gowns on display that commanded the most attention. Throughout the night, the guests drifted away from the party and wandered through the exhibition just one more time, standing to gaze at the real stars of the night as they silently held court."

—Alexandra Spring, Guardian 2018