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Most people know that I am a HUGE Dior fan. From the timeless designs of Christian Dior to the over-the-top theatricality of current Dior designer John Galliano, I adore Dior. One of my favorite Dior designs, and indeed one of my favorite pieces of clothing of all time, is the Junon dress.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Junon dress was part of Dior's fall/winter 1949-1950 collection. Junon is French for Juno, Juno being the Ancient Roman goddess who was wife to Jupiter and patron goddess of Rome. Her Ancient Greek equivalent is Hera. Also associated with birth, the Romans called her "the one who makes the child see the light of day". On a side note, the Junon dress was featured in the same collection as the Venus dress, another Dior masterpiece named for a mythological figure (Venus being the Roman goddess of love, her Greek equivalent is Aphrodite).

Although it doesn't have the trademark fabric drapery of the ancient world, the Junon dress nonetheless carries references to it's ancient namesake. The peacock is often associated with Juno/Hera, and the petals of the skirt are reminiscent of eyeless peacock feathers. The foundation of the dress is made of a pale silk net, a light fabric which invokes a sense of otherworldly weightlessness. One could easily imagine a goddess descending from the heavens dressed in such a fabric. When the iridescent sequins catch the light, the lady would look like an otherworldly, shimmering goddess.


From the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The beauty and magic of the Junon dress has naturally inspired other incarnations. In the musical Wicked, the character of Glinda wears a blue version of the dress, the lightness and sparkles easily translating to the character of the lovely witch.





At the 2009 Oscars, Miley Cyrus wore a Zuhair Murhad gown clearly inspired by the Junon dress. I love how this gown takes the ombré sequins and applies them to the bodice.



Most recently, the Junon dress has seen a reworking from the house of Dior itself. In the spectacular 2010 spring couture collection, designed by the always fabulous John Galliano, the Junon dress returns. This time with an even lighter feel, as the sequins are a very similar color to the floaty fabric. I can only imagine how this dress moves, but I would guess that the skirt floats down the runway, making the model appear to be lightly gliding on a soft breeze. This contrasts nicely with the heavy satin, crystal encrusted bodice and bow. According to the reporter at style.com, when the dress came down the runway "you could hear gasps of girly delight from the front-row clients. The fight for who will wear what at the Costume Institute Gala is officially on".



Anyone wanna lend me a few hundred thousand dollars so I can get this dress for myself?