Cream Dior dress of Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret originally met Dior during her first trip to Europe. Following his first fashion show in London, Dior put together a special presentation at the Embassy of France for members of the royal family, including Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark. Dior admired the princess's style and described her as "very charming". In terms of dressing, her sister was expected to remain loyal to British brands, whereas Margaret could afford to take bolder risks with fashion. She subsequently became one of his first high-profile English clients. In 1951, Princess Margaret ordered her 21st birthday gown from the Dior's 'Oblique' line, an adaption of the 'Matinee Poetique' design that had been presented in the Spring/Summer collection. ==Design and debut==

The dress is an embroidered, off-the-shoulder cream couture gown with chiffon sleeves, made of silk organza over satin, and featuring beads, mother-of-pearls, sequins and raffia detailing. The outfit is a two-piece, with the top consisting of boned bodice as well as a dropped shoulder sash. The seven-layer voluminous skirt, which is gathered into a 55 cm waist, has an inner layer of silk, three layers of netting, and two outer layers of organza. This was Dior's intention, as he aimed to "mark a departure" from the simplistic fashions of wartime years. She was photographed in the gown by Cecil Beaton for her official birthday portrait; she was captured reclining on a plush red sofa with an ornate tapestry backdrop, wearing a five-strand pearl necklace. The princess rewore the dress two months later on 21 November 1951, where she was the guest of honour at a charity gala organised by the Cercle de l'Union interalliée in benefit of the Hertford British Hospital. ==Legacy and exhibition==

Princess Margaret, considered a fashion icon, remained a customer of Dior throughout her life, through the tenure of Yves Saint Laurent, transitioning from couture to ready-to-wear. Beatrice Behlen, curator of the Museum of London, compared the dress's "sweeping lines" to Cinderella's ballgown. In 2019, the dress was loaned from the London Museum to the V&A Museum, as part of 'Dior in Britain' exhibition, covering the impact of his 'New Look'. A gala was held in January to mark the exhibit, attended by Princess Margaret's children, Lady Sarah Chatto and David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon. The gown was the centrepiece of the exhibit, and had to be restored by curators upon its arrival, with conservator Emily Austin speculating that the wear-and-tear indicated that the gown was "well-loved". ''Harper's Bazaar called the dress "one of the standout dresses of the show". Upon viewing the exhibition, Another Magazine'' stated that "the gown wears beautifully the fragile passing of time – it has enjoyed itself, as it should – yet its intricate couture embroidery remains, bulletproof: you get what you pay for". ==See also==