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Relax and unwind at the Dior Institut at Hôtel Plaza Athénée.
Art and culture
Dior’s love of Hôtel Plaza Athénée
September 16, 2019
Dior and Hôtel Plaza Athénée have enjoyed a long and illustrious relationship stretching back over 70 years. In fact, it was Hôtel Plaza Athénée that originally inspired Christian Dior to open his first atelier on avenue Montaigne.
Where it all began
Back when Christian Dior aspired to be an established fashion designer, he is said to have walked along avenue Montaigne and stopped outside Hôtel Plaza Athénée. At that moment he made a promise to himself that if he launched his own couture house, it would be here. His dream came true a couple of years later when he acquired a property across from the hotel at 30 avenue Montaigne, and shortly after, in 1947, he launched his famous New Look collection.
The perfect partnership
Dior wanted an elegant, cosmopolitan clientele and realised that these were kind of people who chose to stay at Hôtel Plaza Athénée. What he didn’t know at the time was that guests would also start staying at the hotel to be close to Maison Dior!
The name has it
In homage to Christian Dior’s love for Hôtel Plaza Athénée, his first collection included creations called Plaza and Athénée. His models regularly frequented the hotel and appeared in fashion shoots here. A wonderful claim to fame is that Dior’s legendary Bar suit was named after our hotel’s chic bar and was considered the perfect outfit for enjoying cocktails.
Home from home
Dior loved Hôtel Plaza Athénée. In his view, it was one of the most beautiful hotels in Paris, with its red awnings, geranium-filled balconies, gold lettering and subtle luxury. As it was so near his fashion house, he often lunched at the hotel and it is said he thought of us as his second home.
‘Women, with their intuitive instinct, understood that I dreamed not only of making them more beautiful, but happier too.’ Christian Dior
Dior today
The Dior Institut au Plaza Athénée is a modern day example of the continued relationship between Dior and the hotel. It was always Dior’s desire to make women feel prettier, happier and in harmony with themselves and a spa is the perfect way to do this.
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