To Prepare for Its Future, a Dior Flagship Looks to Its Past (EXCLUSIVE)
It's a new era for Dior. But before Jonathan Anderson's admirably clear vision for the house debuts early next year — celebrity kids notwithstanding — one of the lynchpin Dior flagship stores is undergoing its own transformation.
Open to the public from August 6, the House of Dior New York on Madison Avenue is born anew not in the vision of the future but the past. Well, maybe a bit of both.
The four-floor structure was reconceived by architect Peter Marino and marked by a handful of overt odes to Monsieur Dior himself.
"I commissioned artworks that were reminiscent of gardens and flowers," Marino tells Highsnobiety. "There are major commissions for this space by Karine Laval, Jennifer Steinkamp and Nir Hod, as well as unique artworks by Miriam Ellner, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Charles Jones, and Robert Polidori."
And indeed, plants sprout across the first floor, from the upcycled window displays created by Dior's in-house craftspeople to the fine jewelry cases, in homage to the gardens that Christian Dior tended in his spare time.
Squirrel, owl, and hound-shaped sculptures dot display cases and pose next to fine wares, another insinuation towards animal-loving Dior.
And a rainbow-hued Colorama display near a staircase condenses 75 years of Dior history into 485 miniature tchotchkes.
But modern Dior is concerned is equally well represented.
Fragrances, high jewelry, womenswear, menswear, timepieces — two bespoke suit styles and a rose gold Chiffre Rouge watch are exclusive to the House of Dior New York, in fact — and home goods are present in their entirety. Actually, the home goods are available at the Dior Maison store located next door, the first standalone storefront of its kind.
And in another first, at least as far as American Dior boutiques are concerned, the House of Dior New York hosts a spa.
Yes, the fourth floor of the new boutique is entirely dedicated to a Dior-themed spa kitted out with Dior bedding and cutting-edge wellness gizmos. Who says money can't buy happiness?
If Christian Dior is the maison's rock-solid past and Jonathan Anderson is its bright future, Dior on Madison is epitome of contemporary Dior: everything as a luxury, even and especially health.
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