Following last year’s debut of the Miss Dior chair, Dior and Philippe Starck have returned to Salone del Mobile to embark on a new collaboration of similar nature, continuing the evolution of the archival Monarch chair. Through April 23 at the Palazzo Citterio, the pair’s experiential exhibition—complete with sound and moving scenography—will cinematically introduce the Monsieur Dior armchair.
Installation view, “Dior by Starck,” photo by Adrien Dirand, courtesy of Dior.
Descending a staircase from the location’s outdoor courtyard, visitors will find themselves in a space where two environments have been populated with Starck’s seats. Featuring gorgeous scenography that encompasses a video and music installation by Soundwalk Collective, one area will showcase a cylindrical moving screen of imagery—of the maison’s signaturetoile de Juoy and other patterns and surfaces behind an ensemble of Miss Dior chairs, which have been suspended in the air.
Nearby, the Monsieur Dior chair makes its debut, elevated on platforms with dramatic overhead lighting, where its many iterations and colorways are situated in a semicircle, seen alongside a series of stools and tables—also conceived by Starck to complement the new seat.
Installation view, “Dior by Starck,” photo by Adrien Dirand, courtesy of Dior.
“With Christian Dior, there is this perfect balance, both firm and subtle, between masculinity and femininity, which seems to be the secret of the longevity and importance of his work,” said Starck. “That is how I see Monsieur Dior, and that is how I wanted to conceive this collection, which is ultra-technological and entirely graceful.”
Like the Miss Dior, the Monsieur Dior style features a regal rounded backrest and a squared seat, slightly wider than its effeminate counterpart and seen with the addition of slender metal armrests. The armchair comes with multiple color, material, and design options, including a thin seat or a thickly-padded cushion, a polished or lacquered aluminum body, and variations like bouclé fabric or toile de Juoy in pink, orange, black, and other colorways. The accompanying tables and stools feature a homogenous look with slender legs and flat, rounded surfaces.
Installation view, “Dior by Starck,” photo by Adrien Dirand, courtesy of Dior.
Installation view, “Dior by Starck,” photo by Adrien Dirand, courtesy of Dior.
