Natalie Portman is going to climb the stairs of the Palais des Festivals in a Dior Junon dress. (Cannes, May 20, 2023) PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP
The American actress celebrated the fifth day of the festival by reviving the legendary ball gown of the House of Dior.
It’s raining on the steps of the Palais des Festivals this May 20 at 10 p.m. or Ignoring the vagaries of the weather, Natalie Portman walks the red carpet with the film crew May-December Signed by Todd Haynes, stylistically, this edition’s stair-climbing is certainly the most spectacular. The 41-year-old actress steps forward in a strapless ball gown, with a petal-stitched skirt commanding all the attention. And for good reason, aside from being gorgeous, this Grand Soir piece with white tulle is historic. It was designed by Christian Dior himself for the fall-winter 1949 haute couture collection and has since been considered one of the masterpieces of French couture.
Natalie Portman in a Dior ball gown surrounded by the film’s director May-December Todd Haynes and actor Charles Melton. Pascal Le Segrete
In the video, Natalie Portman, godmother of the Chopard Trophy, captivates the crowd at Carlton Beach.
A legendary dress
Two years after his first collection in 1947, through which he became famous for his New Look, Christian Dior is a famous couturier. To meet the sartorial needs of his high-society clientele, he envisioned a series of flamboyant Milieu du siècle ball gowns that were presented as a climax to his Fall-Winter 1949 show. An episode that was then documented by director Henri Lavort. The dress was named Juno, after the most important of the Roman goddesses. Christian Dior pays homage to her by constructing her skirt with large embroidered scales that resemble peacock feathers, one of the attributes of the deity. A creation in the purest haute couture tradition, embroidered in various shades of blue by René Beguet, a distinguished master recognized by the great houses of the time.
From the museum to the red carpet
Adorned by the customers and received press coverage, the dress went down in history. Reimagined by artistic director John Galliano and then Maria Grazia Chiuri, it naturally found its place in the 2017 “Christian Dior, couturier du rêve” exhibition, before settling in the brand’s 2022 Dior gallery. In 2023, the museum piece is invited to the Cannes Film Festival, thanks to a huge reproduction of Dior’s couture workshops. According to the brand, with 4,500 hours of embroidery, 1,600 stitches, 200 meters of tulle and around twenty people mobilized to make it, Natalie Portman’s Junon dress turned heads. It’s enough to guarantee a divine view under the canopies of the Palais de la Croisette.
Source: Le Figaro
