Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss | OMA - Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Exterior
An original, oversized floral graphic print, in the style of ukiyo-e, Japanese traditional woodblock printing, is applied to existing planter edges with newly planted floral arrangements highlighting the flowers in the Miss Dior scent. The entrance to the front plaza is noted with an pink Miss Dior metal raised logo, and a large graphic poster is applied to the front façade of the museum.
- From this exterior view, visitors will already be able to see into one of the first spaces of the exhibition, through pink tinted glass, which features an oversized 3d printed Miss Dior perfume bottle rotating to show all sides of the geometric form and classic Miss Dior bow
- Even before entering the museum, visitors will be introduced to the colors and scents of the Miss Dior Parfum, which has historically varied in shades of pinks and oranges, and with various floral scents of the planted landscape featuring jasmine and rose which are key floral notes of the perfume.

1 Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss
A preview of Miss Dior artifacts, reproductions, and objects organized along a curved white to pink gradient wall, with each object encased in its own custom-shaped vitrine.
- Visitors enter the museum through a printed curtain with the recently reintroduced original 1967 ‘Miss Dior’ logo, directly into a showcase of key artifacts, reproductions, and objects
- Like an ‘Avant Goût’, or sampler, of the rest of the exhibition to come, this space provides a preview of the most relevant objects, from the Christian Dior star, to the emblematic Miss Dior bottles including the Amphora and current square, geometric shape, to a recent advertisement with the current Miss Dior spokesperson, Natalie Portman
- Artifacts and objects are mounted in cases unique to their individual forms, highlighting their geometries, and allowing small artifacts which have previously not been exhibited to project their distinctive shapes beyond their physical sizes
- The curved wall is covered with a white to pink gradient textile wallpaper, ending in a backlit pink plexi threshold
that notes the entrance to the next room and rest of the exhibition
- The interior of each of the cases is faced with metallic paper, providing subtle reflections of individual objects
- The oversized, rotating 3d printed Miss Dior perfume bottle that is visible from the exterior is also visible from this room, engaging the exterior and interior together
- 34 total artifacts, objects, and reproductions

2 Miss Dior by Eva Jospin
Embroidered tapestries and printed fabrics created by the French artist and longtime friend of the House of Dior, Eva Jospin, cover the walls and ceiling of this circular, domed room
- Drawing inspiration from classical architectural forms like that of the Villa Giulia in Rome, Italy, the circular, domed room highlights the artwork tapestries of artist Eva Jospin that intertwine nature- and couture-inspired motifs creating an immersive, textural experience
- The embroidered tapestries and printed fabrics were created in both Paris and India
- A vitrine at the center of the room highlights ‘The Exceptional Trunk’ by Eva Jospin, a special edition of the Miss Dior Parfum designed by the artist
- 1 artwork and 1 perfume bottle Artworks: Original Eva Jospin embroidered tapestries and printed fabrics
1 Eva Jospin designed edition of the Miss Dior Parfum

3 Fields of Flowers
An introduction to the five floral scents that comprise the newest edition of the Miss Dior Parfum within an undulating
fabric and curved form, abstractly recreating the experience of being inside a multilayered, petaled, flower or carefully constructed couture skirt onto which abstracted floral imagery is projected.
- The multilayered form of the room also echoes the physical act of harvesting select flower petals for the perfume, bringing together the making of the scent with the key notes of the scent itself
- Specific niches for each of the five scents that comprise the newest edition Miss Dior Parfum, Jasmine, Tubereuse, Sambac Jasmine, Rose, and Orange Blossom, are carved into the overall spherical shape of the room
- Within each niche, a human scale atomizer in the shape of an abstracted flower bud is crafted out of electroplated pink metal, allows the visitor to smell each of the scents individually, and defines a relationship between the romantic floral shapes of the overall fabric form, and the more contemporary, abstract shape and materiality of the atomizers

- Abstract paper flowers representing each of the five flowers that contribute to the scents hide the mechanics of the atomizers within the “buds”
- Projections of the fields and flower harvests at Grasse, the French region from which the scents of the Miss Dior Parfum originate are displayed onto the layered fabric, creating a multilayered, multisensorial experience

4 Stories of a Miss
A continuous pink metal ribbon inspired by the ribbon and bow, a visual signature of Miss Dior, frames a circulation path surrounded by double-sided vitrines that house artifacts, reproductions, and objects organized into themes related to the history and definition of Miss Dior.
- The pink metal ribbon narrows towards the middle of the ribbon, while widening towards the two ends, echoing in plan and section the hourglass shape of the classic Miss Dior amphora bottle
- Continuous LED strip lighting runs along the metal ribbon in a range of pinks, creating a dynamic light gradient across the length of the room, and emphasizing the linear continuity of the ribbon
- Yukimasa Ida portrait of Christian Dior is featured at the start of the room
- 8 full-height vitrines are organized into 11 themes related to the history and establishment of Miss Dior and the House of Dior including: Christian Dior Muses; The Love of Flowers; Catherine Dior; The Fragrance of the New Look; Houndstooth; 30 Avenue Montaigne; The Art of High Perfumery; The Scent of Love; Bobby; An Iconic Perfume; and The Finishing Touch
- Several artifacts are displayed for the first time including the Hermès Baby typewriter belonging to Catherine Dior and a selection of bow mock-ups in various fabrics for the latest release of the Miss Dior parfum
- Mirrored walls at either end of the room create an infinity of ribbon extending beyond the extents of the physical space
- Double-sided vitrines allow the visitor to see objects from both front and back, and highlight the relationships between different objects across themes
- 4.3 meter tall vitrines range in depth from 0.2 meters to 1 meter
- 1 painting, 39 artifacts, 70 graphic reproductions, 6 videos, several Miss Dior bow mock-ups
Artworks: Yukimasa Ida, “M. Dior - Black and white might be sufficient. But why deprive yourself of colour?”, 2022

5 Miss Dior: The Birth of Ready-to-Wear
A pixelated, graphically printed plexiglas domed, circular form provides the orthogonal complement to the rounded, soft undulating circular form of Hall A (Fields of Flowers) echoing the op-art, geometric forms and art of the 1960s when the first House of Dior ready-to-wear line was introduced.
- Features garments and scarves from the first Miss Dior ready-to-wear collection, introduced in 1967 by Phlippe
Guibourgé, assistant to Marc Bohan, who was the Artistic Director of the House of Dior at the time
- The Miss Dior line was designed to be easy to wear, infused with freshness, youth and creativity in a variety of vibrant colors
- The backlit pixelated plexiglas form references both the geometric op art of the 1960s but also the growth of plastic and vinyl as a new innovative material in design at the time
- The original 1967 Miss Dior logo is repeated in a variety of sizes as a graphic print across the floors and pixelated walls and ceiling in vibrant orange and pink, signature colors of the Miss Dior line
- The pixelated curved room echoes the soft curves and circular forms found throughout the exhibition in more strictly orthogonal, geometric form
- The wall and ceiling pixels are based on a 1 meter module, sized to the square scarves that are displayed in the room, while the floor platform is based on a .8 meter module
- 13 garments, 8 scarves

6 Dior Illustrated
Lifesize prints from two of the House of Dior’s most celebrated illustrators, René Gruau and Mats Gustafson, are paired together in a sinuous curved form made of cotton flocked shaped fiberglass that references the soft undulations of curtains and drapery seen in both Gruau’s and Christian Dior’s design studios and presentations.
- The large 1.0 m x 1.6 m prints recreate the delicate handwork of both illustrators into life-size experiential artworks
- A close friend of Christian Dior, René Gruau’s work is inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, and he created the first brand image for the Miss Dior parfum, that of the pearl-necklaced swan which is featured as one of the prints in this room
- The relationship between the historic illustrator of the House of Dior, Gruau, and the current illustrator, Gustafson can be seen in the juxtaposition of the prints together
- This is the first time that Gustafson prints have been printed at this large scale, allowing the delicate drawings to be experience in a new and unique way
- 20 prints, 10 each from René Gruau, and 10 from Mats Gustafson
Artworks: 10 René Gruau prints; 10 Mats Gustafson prints

7 The Miss Dior Dream
Key “Miss Dior” couture garments are featured in an undulating landscape of washi-paper mounds, paired with commissioned artworks from important House of Dior artist collaborators and specially designed Miss Dior perfume bottles, showcasing the inspiration of nature and art behind Miss Dior. The mounds elevate the couture garments to create unique eye-level vantage points onto the one-of-a-kind pieces. The walls and floor are covered in a metallic dibond, juxtaposing contemporary materials against the more organic, romantic shapes, and creating subtle reflections of the various items on display. The ceiling is covered with a series of circular washi-paper covered discs, abstract “clouds” floating above the landscape.
- The elevated landscape, starting at .5m above floor level, and pathway carved into it, is inspired by French and Japanese gardens, and defines a unique, eye-level vantage point onto couture garments, perfume bottles, and artworks
- The organic mounds also reference the historical way in which flowers were sorted for the Miss Dior perfume, where specific petals were handpicked for selection
- The horizontal surface of the platforms and ceiling discs are constructed from layers of fabric and Japanese washi paper, stretched onto metal structural forms
- Abstract images of various flowers that are related to the notes of the Miss Dior Parfum are projected onto each of the mounds, creating a dream-like landscape of flowers, fields, and nature, juxtaposed against the metallic background
- 6 couture garments, 6 one-of-a-kind Miss Dior perfume bottles, and 7 artworks
Artworks: Brigitte Neidermair, “Miss Dior”, 2021
Sabine Marcelis, “Ribbon”, 2021
Liang Yuanwei, “In to the Dust”, 2012
Haruka Kojin, “Reflectwo”, 2021
Etsu Egami, “Rainbow”, 2024
The exhibition ends in two small rooms – one of which features a loop of all of the Natalie Portman Miss Dior ad campaigns, and one which displays an oversized transparent Bobby bottle backlit in pink.

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Project Credits
OMA New York
Partner-in-Charge: Shohei Shigematsu
Associate: Christy Cheng
Project Architect: Jan Casimir
Team: Baiyang Kong, Timothy Ho, Francesca Parmiggiani, Christine Dopple
Production
NPU CORPORATION
Mounting
Alighieri, Jaulin, JCH LEBLAN
Construction
Branco Inc., JIN CRAFT Corporation, STUDIO 97
A/V
TAKENAKA Co., Ltd.
Graphic Design
Anamorphée
Sound Design
Reno Isaac
Translation
mot.tiff inside
Transport
Chenue, LP Art, Yamato Transport Co. Ltd
Featured Artists
Eva Jospin, Yukimasa Ida, René Gruau, Mats Gustafson, Brigitte Neidermair, Sabine Marcelis, Liang Yuanwei,
Haruka Kojin, Etsu Egami, Yuriko Takagi