MILAN — After almost two years, the Dior boutique on Milan’s Via Montenapoleone will reopen on Sept. 18 with a brand-new look.
Designed by American architect Peter Marino, the three-level store will stand as a House of Dior, and will include a Monsieur Dior restaurant by Enrico Bartolini, Italy’s most Michelin-starred chef.
The boutique first opened in the current stately building in 2001 and was renovated in 2012, almost doubling its size.
The tone of the store will be set starting from the windows, where fun animated vignettes crafted from fabric offcuts sourced from Dior’s ateliers will form a landscape inspired by the gardens of Milan, completed by a menagerie of an owl, a flamingo and squirrels, reflecting the sources of inspiration of couturier Christian Dior. Vertical gardens, terraces and inner courtyards were designed by landscape architect Peter Wirtz.
Inside, the women’s and men’s collections by creative director Jonathan Anderson will be displayed around a central glass roof.
Accessories, shoes, leather goods and men’s ready-to-wear will be available on the ground floor.
Two grand staircases will lead to the first floor, home to the women’s collections and men’s made-to-measure, tailoring and formalwear.
The boutique will also carry high jewelry creations by Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of Dior Joaillerie. Fragrances from La Collection Privée, together with a selection of decorative objects for the home, will complete the offering.
On the second floor, moldings inspired by Parisian apartments will frame private salons and a beauty room, creating a more intimate atmosphere.
As in other Dior stores, artworks will punctuate the space, including a portrait of the late founder by painter and sculptor Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera, and a painting by Italian contemporary artist Francesco Clemente in the restaurant.
This will be the latest House of Dior to be unveiled globally. In May, a House of Dior opened in Osaka, Japan, with a draped facade by Sou Fujimoto, interiors by Marino and a restaurant by Anne-Sophie Pic.
The French brand opened two Houses of Dior in the U.S. last year, in New York City and Beverly Hills. It also opened two eateries by Pic over the past year: a Monsieur Dior restaurant at the House of Beijing and a Café Dior at the Bamboo Pavilion, a concept store in Tokyo.
