When Christian Dior opened his Paris showroom in the ‘40s, he was the first designer to create a beautiful place to showcase his collection.
He understood the importance of women being able to experience his collections in a luxurious space.
With this same intention, Kelly Golden, owner of Neapolitan in Winnetka, has designed her first “shop-in-shop” Christian Dior boutique. Neapolitan is the only specialty store in the Chicago area to offer Dior’s full collection—ready-to-wear women’s clothing, furs, shoes, jewelry, scarves and handbags.
“We started talking with Dior about a year ago about the possibility of adding their line to Neapolitan,” Golden says. “We’re thrilled to be part of such an exclusive group, and we’re excited for our customers to have access to some of the best clothes and accessories found anywhere.”
The Dior “shop-in-shop” boutique will have many of the touches that have become signatures of Dior stores, including the stainless steel signage, framed vintage scarves and exact replicas of the chairs used in Dior’s showroom when he founded the haute couture empire in 1946.
To celebrate, Neapolitan will host a VIP launch party Thursday, September 23, including a live trunk show, with models wearing Dior’s resort 2011 collection. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Dior from September 23-25 will be donated to the Costume Council at the Chicago History Museum. The Costume Council holds the largest collection of Christian Dior outside of the actual design house.
“We haven’t even officially opened yet and the merchandise seems to fly out of the store as quickly as it’s coming in,” Golden explains. “Dior has a heritage and a reputation for quality. It’s a lifestyle that people just fall in love with.”
Photo: Standing in the Dior dressing room at Neapolitan, Kelly Golden models a necklace from Camille Miceli’s debut jewelry collection for Christian Dior.
Photos by Jon Cancelino
