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Colifichets boutique

The year after launching his couture House, in 1947, Christian Dior opened a tiny boutique on the ground floor, at the foot of the grand staircase, which was directed by his friend Carmen Colle.

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Carmen Colle in the Colifichets counter, 1949.

“At first it only offered a choice of trinkets, such as jewels, flowers, and scarves, but it was not long before more ambitious projects were undertaken."
Christian Dior

Christian Bérard's toile de Jouy

The painter Christian Bérard (1902-1949), who he had met in the 1920s, devised a fabulous portico lined with Toile de Jouy, housing shelves and sales counters. The boutique was called “Colifichets,” a term meaning “ornaments” reflecting the “small fantasy objects”, “frivolities,” and ladies’ accessories that it purveyed.

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Christian Bérard outside Maison Dior at 30, avenue Montaigne, circa 1948.

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The toile de Jouy's ornament chosen by Christian Bérard to decorate the Christian Dior's Colifichets boutique.
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Arrangement of the Colifichets boutique on the occasion of the Haute Couture Fall-Winter 1950 collection.

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Presentation of the looks of the Haute Couture Fall-Winter 1950 collection in the Colifichets boutique.

"In the summer of 1948, Carmen suggested that the boutique should also sell dresses, which, while they adhered to the general line of the collection, would be simpler and less elaborate in execution."
Christian Dior, Dior by Dior, 1958
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Carmen Colle in the Colifichets boutique, circa 1949.

The huge success of the “Colifichets” boutique led Christian Dior to design a “Boutique” collection, the production of which was supervised by Andrée Linzeler. Its space grew rapidly, acquiring a small salon on the same floor, as well as a studio and three workshops to respond to the demand from customers.

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Nightgown designed for the Colifichets collection, circa 1957.

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Label of a nightgown designed for the Colifichets collection, circa 1957.

A large choice

The boutique offered, in a most modern manner, a constant flow of new products including gloves, perfumes, but also items for men. Each Haute Couture collection became an excuse to redecorate the boutique entirely, unveiling the new look at its own private view.

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Catalogue of the Colifichets boutique, 1951. Collection Dior Héritage, Paris. © Dior
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The month of presents, 1953.

The growth of the couture House, just a few years after its opening, led to the closure of the little “Colifichets” boutique that had so entranced Christian Dior. Starting June 1955, a huge boutique truer to the scale of the Maison’s ambitions opened at 15, rue François Ier.

30 Avenue Montaigne

Enter the heart of 30 Avenue Montaigne, this “packed little beehive” where the Christian Dior legend was born 75 years ago!