It’s officially the most wonderful time of the year in NYC, which kicked off last week with the return of spectators at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and continues tomorrow with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting. While there’s nothing quite like the hustle and bustle of Rockefeller Square, we are big believers there is a lot of holiday cheer to experience in the city beyond the crowds of midtown Manhattan. At the top of our must-see list this year is the Brooklyn Museum’s “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams”, an 80-year retrospective of the famed House archives and its renowned artistic directors.
The exhibit opens with a particular focus on Christian Dior’s relationship with America and the opening of his first flagship outside of Paris (in New York of course), telling the story of his experience traveling the country for six weeks following his massively successful debut of the “New Look” in Paris.
“When I am in New York,” Dior noted at the time, “I wish to work in the American way… I feel that I am a genuine American couturier in New York, just as I feel I am a French couturier in Paris.”
Special highlights of the exhibit include the original black satin and lace dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Dior retrospective in 1996 (John Galliano’s first for the house), Nicole Kidman’s 1997 Academy Awards dress, and Raf Simons’s shell pink ballgown that Jennifer Lawrence famously fell in while accepting her 2013 Best Actress Oscar.
The entire exhibit artfully tells the stories of 8 decades of Dior, intertwining the acclaimed House’s original creations with its sources of inspiration including garlands of flowers and captivating artworks.
Just around the corner, you’ll find the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, always a can’t-miss springtime destination, but now featuring an enchanting holiday lightscape through January 9. Exhibits designed by local artists, you will be dazzled by one million lights across the garden’s 52 acres, enhanced by site-specific, specially curated sounds to carry you through the winter wonderland.
We recommend grabbing an early dinner before the show at Park Slope favorite al di la Trattoria and have an extra plate of tagliatelle for us!
Happy Holidays!
J’adore