Christian Dior's grand opening in Taipei's 101

Luxury brand Christian Dior has opened its flagship store in Taipei's 101 mall in Taiwan. With rejuvenated 18th-century décor, works of art and house codes, the new Taipei store is a voyage of discovery through the world of Dior. Reaching 508 meters, the Taipei 101 was, for four years, the world's tallest building.

One of the most recognizable, too, thanks to its structure that recalls a pagoda roof. Inside: the boutique. In the windows, the most recent haute couture collection captures the limelight, set before large colored panels carved to mimic the models they back.

In the store itself, neutral tones let the collections take the starring role: the leather goods and their fearless colors, the refined timepieces settings. Subtle touches of gold leaf add a warmly modern touch to the precision black and white Dior Homme spaces.

Shoes, ready-to-wear, eveningwear, VIP dressing rooms: the salons are as much intimate spaces as they are public ones, playing on tones of gray in turns deep and light. What's offered turns out to be a veritable journey, a voyage of awakening that becomes even more so as one discovers the art along the way, specially created for the store: a Chinese woodblock covered in gold leaves by Claude Lalanne here, a Véronique Rivemale mirror there, a video installation by Oyoram on the stairway, an Elisabeth Garouste table somewhere else.

The monumental staircase is an experience in itself. A wall of images recalls the rotunda of the Avenue Montaigne store in Paris, projected images of Mr. Dior and of Paris emerging as constants in the vaporous passing of time.