Dior at Columbia Circle — Dior Fall/Winter 2019 Press Day (2019)

The historic clubhouse at Columbia Circle in Shanghai hosted a one-day press preview of four Dior Fall/Winter 2019 collections.

The venue

Columbia Circle is a mixed-use compound in Shanghai's Changning district, formed around the clubhouse of the former Columbia Country Club and a group of early twentieth-century institutional buildings. Its fabric mixes rendered colonnades, deep verandahs and open lawn with later insertions of small studio, restaurant and retail units. The buildings sit back from the street, giving the site a quiet, enclosed character.

How the space was used

For the one-day preview the clubhouse interior was divided into separate presentation areas, one for each of the four collections, so that guests moved from room to room rather than through a single open floor. In the ready-to-wear area, large checked fabrics were cut and reassembled across the walls, tying the display to the collection's Teddy Girl references.

Why it works here

Press previews need controlled circulation, rooms that can be dressed individually, and a setting removed from street traffic. A heritage compound of separate halls and a private lawn supplies exactly that: distinct rooms for distinct collections, and a courtyard where press and guests can gather between viewings.