Ann Haworth, a lecturer at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, will deliver the Art Society in Malta’s Christian Dior lecture ‘In the Mood for Enchantment’ at Salini Resort Hotel, St Paul’s Bay, on Thursday from 6.30 to 8pm.

A Dior ballgown with matching shrug, silk velvet and silk satin. It was included in the last collection before Dior’s death in 1957.

On February 12, 1947, Christian Dior emerged from the long shadows cast by World War II to present his inaugural collection of haute couture in his new Maison Dior on Paris’s chic Avenue Montaigne.

Officially called the Corolle Collection, a name which evoked a circle of petals, it was immediately acclaimed as ‘The New Look’ and caused a sensation which re­sounded throughout Paris, London and New York. Dior’s creative brilliance had been developed and nurtured in Robert Piguet’s and Lucien Lelong’s venerable Parisian fashion houses; his designs were suffused by a love of art and flowers. The luxury evoked by Corolle epitomised a longed-for femininity with elegant shoulders, full skirts and narrow waists.

Dior was propelled into the spotlight of fashion and his subsequent collections and designs would go on to define a decade. Audiences were enchanted by his use of beautiful fabrics and silhouettes, immaculate tailoring and hand-stitched details.

After Dior passed away in 1957, a young Yves Saint Laurent succeeded his mentor as head designer at la Maison Dior, to be followed in turn by Marc Bohan. As the 1960s progressed, Bohan’s sleek sophisticated designs reflected the decade’s ardent spirit of modernity while retaining the originality and spell-binding beauty created by Dior himself.

Ann Haworth

A hugely popular exhibition entitled Christian Dior, Designer of dreams’ ran from February to September 2019. Haworth gave a number of talks and tours while it was on. Spanning 1947 to the present day, the exhibition traced the history and impact of one of the 20th century’s most influential couturiers, exploring the enduring influence of the fashion house, and Dior’s relationship with Britain.

Hawthorth’s lecture will be delivered at Salini Resort Hotel, St Paul’s Bay, on Thursday from 6.30 to 8pm. Admission is free for ASinMalta members and against a fee for non-members, payable at the door. For more information e-mail asinmalta@theartssociety.org or visit the websites below.

https://asinmalta.theartssociety.org

www.facebook.com/maltadecorativeandfineartsociety