With an upcoming Jeff Koons exhibit, and Virgil Abloh's work already on display at the Doha Fire Station, Qatar Museums can easily claim the coolest art institution in the Middle East prize. And they only got more stylish when earlier this month Christian Dior Designer of Dreams opened in M7 located in the heart of the Msheireb.
The comprehensive retrospective is curated by Olivier Gabet and designed by Nathalie Crinière especially for Qatar. While the same exhibition has travelled the world, it is only inside its calm oasis inside the M7 building that the viewer can really appreciate all the grandness and elegance of the Christian Dior legacy.
Christian Dior Designer of Dreams celebrates nearly 75 years of creative passion, punctuated by captivating haute couture dresses and works from the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
This writer went in looking for inspiration and left the exhibition with a renewed passion for Dior fashion. Spanning six decades and featuring designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, whose career started at Dior, John Galliano, Gianfranco Ferré, Raf Simons and the current artistic director of the Maison, Maria Grazia Chiuri, the show is so well curated and magnificently designed that we didn't want to leave.
The elevator alone, taking the visitor to the upper floor of this multi-level structure, is what going to heaven must feel like for a fashionista. Once on that upper floor, the room of patterns, executed in all-white muslin, is something so magical to behold that explaining it, or even photographing it would not do it justice. If one ever doubted that fashion is art, this exhibition proves the deciding factor.
A final thought goes into the sustainability of fashion. In fact, fast brands like the ones we often buy because we feel we can afford them, are ruining not only our style but the planet. It's much better to hold off, save our hard earned cash and purchase one, maximum two great items a year, along with a few t-shirts, and wear them with a basic pair of black trousers and a jacket or blazer. It's a look that goes a long way and creates less waste -- not to mention, those luxury items will always be conversation starters and they'll stay forever in our closet. While the fast fashion store buys will create more garbage.
Christian Dior Designer of Dreams is sponsored by Qatar Airways and Place Vendôme. The exhibition is part of the ongoing cultural legacy established as part of the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture, an initiative celebrating the longstanding ties between both nations.
For more information and tickets, check out the Qatar Museums website.
