The House of Dior New York, a refined flagship rich in culture and timeless echoes, opens Wednesday on the northwest corner of 57th Street and Madison Avenue, just steps from where Christian Dior established his U.S. presence in 1948 with a Fifth Avenue store.
“New York has always been central to Dior’s story,” said Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture. “The House of Dior New York is a nod to that history, and a statement about how we see this space — not just as a boutique, but as a destination for inspiration, art and creativity.”
Designed by Peter Marino, the four-floor flagship contains the universe of the Dior brand — all the men’s and women’s categories as well as limited-edition items just for the store, the first Dior Spa in the U.S., and the first Dior Maison boutique.
Floor-to-ceiling glass windows over 20 feet in height allow natural light to brighten the space, and enable shoppers peering into the store to see what’s not expected — a garden conceived by Belgian landscaper Peter Wirtz. The eco-friendly window display of birds, butterflies, flowers and trees — of which Christian Dior himself was fond — has been crafted from fabrics, buttons and other materials being repurposed. Spotted are bees buzzing and squirrels bobbing their tails, as wildlife depicted comes alive through animatronics. Throughout the flagship, merchandise is set against verdant backdrops, in effect bringing the outdoors indoors. Rather than having large open spaces, the flagship is gracefully segmented into a series of elegantly furnished rooms for different categories, creating a sense of intimacy and discovery.
In a wink to Dior’s years as an art gallerist before he became a couturier, there’s artwork through the flagship, including paintings by Nir Hod, Tony Scherman, Jean-Michel Othoniel, River Blossom and Miriam Ellner; photographic works by Charles Jones, Adam Fuss and Robert Mapplethorpe, and furniture by Michele Oka Doner and Roland Mellan. The “Colorama” wall along the staircase creates a visual journey through 75 years of the House of Dior, with miniature icons of bags, perfumes, makeup and millinery. A central column covered by greenery by Jennifer Steinkamp, with an embedded irrigation system, “brings movement and life to the space in a way that’s very much in tune with New York,” Arnault observed.
“Monsieur Dior was a passionate gardener and Jennifer Steinkamp’s tree feels like a dreamscape tribute. Her work plays with time, space and memory. That’s the kind of experience we wanted to bring to the House of Dior New York. We wanted to create something that felt personal, emotional and immersive — more like stepping into a gallery or a home than a traditional store.”
Every detail, from Marino’s architecture to exclusive pieces designed just for New York, reflects Dior’s commitment to timeless elegance and modern innovation, said Arnault.
While the flagship wraps around the corner of 57th Street and Madison, the entrances are on 57th Street. One entrance leads to women’s leather goods and accessories, fine jewelry, and the La Collection Privée Christian Dior fragrance in an adjoining enclave. Another leads to men’s leather goods, ready-to-wear and shoes, and there is a third entrance for the Dior Maison boutique. Warm and soothing neutral tones permeate the interiors, permitting the products to project.
The second floor houses a spacious, curated assortment of women’s rtw and shoes, and a bespoke made-to-measure service for Dior men’s rtw pieces and novelties. Clients can customize the shape, sleeves and fabrics of garments, and further personalize using buttons, lining and other finishing touches.
On the third floor, there’s fine jewelry and uber-luxury handbags, as well as two VIP salons and a fine jewelry room, for private meetings. On the fourth floor, there’s the Dior Spa New York for facial and body treatments from wellness experts with three single spa rooms and one double spa.
In tandem with the flagship opening, new rtw silhouettes, a special “Bar” jacket, a pink satin Lady D-Joy handbag embroidered with beads and pearls, and Tribales heeled sandals to style with it, are being introduced. Also offered: Dior’s classic accessories — the Lady Dior handbag, book tote, silk scarf and various items in Dior’s New York newspaper print. Also available, a pair of J’adior slingbacks with a special “New York House of Dior” stamp.
In the men’s collection, Dior’s signature B27 sneakers are reimagined in red and gray with distinctive House of Dior New York branding on the heels. Reflecting Christian Dior’s inaugural Paris show and his first New York City visit in 1947, only 47 pairs of these sneakers will be available. Adding to the exclusive men’s offer is a T-shirt from the fall 2025 collection displaying the slogan, “Departure Is Your Dior.” And two made-to-measure suits with modern twists are being prelaunched at the flagship.
Transformed in pink and blue sapphires, bracelets and rings from Victoire de Castellane’s Bois de Rose fine jewelry line have been created for the flagship, and the Chiffre Rouge timepiece has been reimagined for the flagship with a rose gold bezel and bumper.
In addition, the House of Dior New York flagship is one of the first locations to offer a new upcycled line for Dior Maison dubbed Bee Dior. “Clients can find one-of-a-kind pieces — mirrors, trays, baskets and cushions — created with elements that have been reemployed from noble fabrics and leather pieces from our archives,” Arnault said.
For the project, Arnault asked Marino to reflect New York’s energy while honoring Dior’s roots. The result is an architectural language that Arnault believes feels both grand and deeply human. The 57th Street flagship replaces Dior’s temporary location on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.
“What’s special about Peter is that he doesn’t repeat formula,” Arnault said. “He responds to the city, to the building, and to the soul of the brand in each location. He knows our house inside out, and like no other knows how to enhance, re-enchant and revisit our codes, our history and our unique heritage with an incomparable creative vision that is constantly being reinvented.”
Marino has been working with Dior since 1994.
While products are king, the Dior flagship maintains a degree of “un-commercialization,” Marino suggested.
“It turns out that the corner of 57th and Madison Avenue receives what for New York City is an inordinate amount of sunlight,” said Marino, who happens to live on 57th Street, a block and a half from the flagship. “So I suggested to the team, why don’t we plant a garden in the store on the corner of 57th and Madison? Nobody does that.”
With the stores he designs, Marino wants light to enter in. “Remember, the only true two luxuries that you could possibly have in a city like New York are light and space, and we’ve tried to blow out the Dior building to the extent possible to give customers both light and a feeling of space, because otherwise it doesn’t say luxury,” Marino said.
At the Dior flagship in Paris on Avenue Montaigne, which Marino redesigned three years ago, “You enter into a double volume space. I wanted that same spatial release in New York,” he said. “To get that, I had to remove a full concrete slab of the office building above, which left us with a giant structural column, 22 feet tall, that looked a bit odd. But this has been surrounded by greenery and vines,” as designed by Steinkamp. “Going all the way up, it will be forever green.”
Also visible through the window is a water wall system from Austria, and the Claude Lalanne bench of gingko leaves, surrounded by large bouquets of Dior-esque flowers. The al fresco motif, Marino said, “relaxes people, makes them smile, makes them feel like they’re not in a dry, conservative, commercial atmosphere…remember, it’s Dior. He was a passionate gardener, and in his country houses, both in the north of France and in the south, in Grasse, where the perfumes come from, he had rather beautiful gardens that he tended himself,” Marino said. “He was passionate about roses.”
Entering the Lily of the Valley Tea Salon, which is in the home shop, “you will literally be sitting against the huge backlit mural of a garden by Karine Laval, the French photographer,” Marino said. “Many of Dior’s incredible silk gowns had hand-painted flowers. All that kind of romance we’re trying to bring back while cutting a little bit of the commercialism that many modern stores have. We like the ‘un-commercialization’ of our flagships because we think they should be something people want to visit, whether or not they’re mad to buy yet another dress or handbag.”
With the main view through the flagship’s windows being the garden, “It’s a very generous gesture towards the city and a very welcoming gesture toward the public. That’s kind of what sets the tone,” Marino said.
The famed architect and store designer described the flagship’s facade as “very orthogonal and modern to fit with the street grid of the city, and the city’s sleek skyscrapers.…It’s perfect for New York, and it contrasts with the Dior flagship you’ll see in Los Angeles, which is quite romantic and curved and folded like a silk skirt.”
That’s another of the 41 projects in 23 countries that Marino and his team are working on. With each Dior project in a different city, the facade “responds to what I call the zeitgeist of the city,” Marino said. “We don’t have a fixed facade that we do everywhere. We don’t do McDonald’s. I’m very proud of the New York facade, which is a sleek beige French limestone. It’s very New York.”
Overall, Marino said the flagship is “a very New York version of Paris, but the one thing that New York has that Paris doesn’t is the luxurious Dior spa on the fourth floor.” Marino designed the Dior Spa Cheval Blanc in Paris, which he said has been “extremely successful, not just because of the treatments, but I like to think it’s also because the decor is something that makes people say, ‘ooh-la-la.’”
Adding to the sophisticated aura is the classic Versailles parquet oak floors, the hand-painted silk backdrops for accessories, cerused oak paneling, artwork carefully placed as if in someone’s home, and the staircase that is tucked off to the left, as it would be in the New York town house.
“We haven’t stuck it in the middle, like a big department store. This is not like a department store. It’s not like a full city block,” Marino said. “Remember, we’re striving very much for that same residential feeling that Dior always has, and of course, it’s bigger than the old store was,” on Fifth and 59th Street. “But House of Dior New York is not one of these monstrosities that some brands are opening.”
Marino declined to indicate the cost of the project. He does have a reputation for spending big on luxury store projects, but he said he respects the budget he’s given. “They worry if something is over budget, and they ask that whatever it, remove it. And I’ve never gotten a phone call saying your carpets are under budget. That’s great, but I have gotten the other kind of phone call,” he said, half-jokingly.
Months from now, the spring 2026 collection, the first designs by Dior’s new creative director Jonathan Anderson, will arrive. Anderson made his Dior debut with a menswear show on June 27 in Paris.
“His creativity and point of view are going to open up fresh conversations about what the house can be,” Arnault said. “We see immense opportunity to grow Dior’s presence under his leadership. What excites me most is how he’ll honor Dior’s DNA while bringing his own language of innovation and modernity to it.” Similarly, the New York flagship “brings together Dior’s heritage with the spirit of reinvention,” Arnault said. “That’s always been at the core of the brand, from the New Look in 1947 to the collections today.”
