Dior at Harrods

Recently I visited the Dior exhibition at Harrods. The exhibition opened with a beautiful Dior dolls house with miniature rooms and silhouettes in the windows.

The exhibition was an insight into the fashion houses history, showing Dior's early pieces, some worn by Hollywoods biggest icons to Raf Simons modern gowns worn on the red carpet today.

The exhibition was a great day out, giving you a view of Dior without the price tag, as the exhibition was free! The exhibition featured garments worn by icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana and The Duchess of  Windsor.

Elizabeth Taylor's Oscar dress

Princess Diana's met ball dress

Dior shoes worn by The Duchess of Windsor.

Does French fashion have to originate in France?

 French fashion is recognised as classic and chic. A reason people buy from french brands is to buy into this authentic timeless style. But does French fashion have to originate in France?

Phoebe Philo who agreed to take on the job of creative director at Celine in 2008, provided that London would be the base for herself and the design team instead of Paris, brought the studio to England to stay close to her family,and commutes to french headquarters in Paris regularly. Philo believes there's something rich about the combination of London and Paris and insists one wouldn't work without the other. 

Creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane renamed the fashion house and relocated headquarters to Los Angelos, but will this change the French feel of the brand? I think it will, you only have to look at the A/W 2013 Saint Laurent collection  that it overtly california-grunge inspired. It has been said Hedi will be Hedi and Saint Laurent will be inspired by his love affair with California and it's rock n' roll subculture. So maybe French fashion does have to originate in France as I think your surroundings will influence your designs and the look of the brand.