On view now at the de Young museum in San Francisco
Named for Roman goddesses, Christian Dior’s “Junon” and “Venus” from his 1949 Fall/Winter collection are two of his most loved and recognizable gowns. Versions of the dresses have gone viral in recent years, notably Natalie Portman’s custom Dior gown inspired by “Junon” at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and Anya Taylor-Joy’s “Venus” look at the 2024 Oscars. The original dresses are on view now at the de Young museum in the exhibition “Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style,” along with other iconic examples of 20th- and 21st-century high fashion and haute couture.
Dior’s debut collection in 1947, with its fitted waists, big skirts, and pure glamour, gave birth to “The New Look” — also currently an Apple TV+ show about the rivalry between Dior and Coco Chanel. “Junon” and “Venus” carry this look forward with their structured bodices and sparkling, voluminous skirts. One of only a few pairs of the dresses made, they were donated to the de Young museum in November 1949 by famed San Francisco department store I. Magnin & Company. Founded in 1876, the store was among the first to import European high fashion to the city. The Dior gowns were not for sale but instead for in-store presentations, introducing American women to French fashions. Here’s how the San Francisco Examiner described the dresses at the time:
“‘Venus rising out of the sea’ was the inspiration for this gown of pink tulle foam with feather shaped paillettes, sequins and beads, forming each shell on skirt and bodice, out of which she seems to rise like a mermaid — or — a Venus… Junon, wife of Zeus, queen of gods, given name of dress with petal after petal of green to royal sequins on pale blue tulle, looking like an enfolded peacock’s tail.”
—The San Francisco Examiner, September 9, 1949
Indeed, the skirt in “Junon” was modeled after the feathers of a peacock — the goddess of marriage and fertility’s favorite bird. It features layers of silk tulle and glittering sequin embroidery on curved petals. The skirt in “Venus” also features silk tulle, but rather than having its sparkling, seashell-esque petals wrap all the way around, they instead encircle the waist before cascading down the back.
To see these gowns for yourself, book your tickets to “Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style,” on view now at the de Young museum through August 11. Read more stories about these dresses and other artworks at famsf.org.
