There’s something about old-fashioned animation that makes Xmas feel a little more magical. Perhaps it’s the expressive characters or the feeling that every frame has been drawn with care. Whatever it is, Christian Dior’s latest holiday film, Night in Color, directed by Sylvain Chomet, brings back a sense of nostalgia, transporting us to a snow-covered Paris in 1949, where even the most unlikely wishes can come true.
Directed by the French filmmaker behind The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist, and under the creative direction of Jonathan Anderson, Christian Dior’s Night in Color unfolds like a vintage animated fairytale. The story begins on a winter’s night at 30 Avenue Montaigne. Monsieur Dior is asleep when an unexpected request from Hollywood changes everything: Marlene Dietrich needs a new dress, and she needs it immediately.
Chomet’s Paris is a world of icy blues, snowy whites and muted tones. The streets feel almost frozen in time, creating the kind of winter landscape that makes you want to stay indoors, wrapped in a blanket by the fireplace, rather than venture out into the cold. There’s a stillness to the city, an almost melancholic atmosphere that makes the arrival of a little Hollywood magic all the more enchanting. Across the Atlantic, Los Angeles offers a contrasting backdrop, bringing a different kind of light and warmth to the story.
And what would a Xmas fairytale be without its unlikely helpers? Instead of mice, fairies or enchanted creatures, Dior has his very own team of three little bees: Yvonne, Paulette and Madame Marguerite. Inspired by the affectionate nickname the couturier gave to his seamstresses, they flutter around the atelier in their tiny couture uniforms, helping him bring his creation to life. Meanwhile, another character steals the spotlight: a talking, walking chair that behaves almost like a loyal pet, following Dior through his adventures. The voice cast brings these characters to life, with Robert Pattinson as the narrator, Louis Garrel as Christian Dior, Josh O’Connor as the chair, Greta Lee, Nine d’Urso and Nadia Tereszkiewicz as the bees, Camille Cottin as Marlene Dietrich, LaKeith Stanfield as the film director, and Rihanna as the Lucky Star.
Voiced by Rihanna, the Lucky Star has a role beyond a festive cameo. As the Xmas tree lights begin to glow, its star comes to life, offering Dior the inspiration he needs to overcome his creative dilemma. Suddenly, the answer is written in the stars. Behind the film’s playful spirit lies a dedication to craftsmanship. Chomet’s entirely hand-drawn animation unfolds over months, using techniques that date back to the 1940s. Characters are drawn and animated separately, cut out and eventually assembled against painted backdrops. The process echoes the patience and precision of haute couture itself: hundreds of hours of skilled work coming together to create something that appears almost effortless.
At the heart of the story is a dress. When Dietrich’s film director decides to shoot in colour rather than black and white, the actress urgently needs something spectacular to wear. Dior answers the call with a gown inspired by Junon, from his autumn/winter 1949–1950 haute couture collection, Milieu du Siècle. Its overlapping, petal-shaped embellishments transform the silhouette into something almost celestial, as if a constellation had fallen onto fabric. A couture design becomes the centrepiece of a story about the magic of colour.
The historical references are just as interesting. Although the real Marlene Dietrich never wore the original Junon dress, the film draws inspiration from her famous ultimatum to Warner Bros. while negotiating her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Stage Fright: “No Dior, no Dietrich!” A declaration that captures the actress’s relationship with fashion and her understanding of the power of a look.
For Anderson, the collaboration also extends his dialogue between fashion and cinema, following the Hollywood-inspired Dior Cruise 2027 collection presented in Los Angeles in May. The film follows Dior’s collaboration with French studio Remembers on a short film celebrating the Miss Dior fragrance.
Beyond the screen, the story extends into a holiday gifting collection of ready-to-wear, accessories and homeware, while its characters and scenes will also appear in Dior’s window displays around the world. Who knew all it took to save a couture emergency was a little help from three bees, a talking chair and Rihanna herself? In this Parisian Xmas tale, inspiration comes from the most unexpected places, and even the stars seem to have a soft spot for haute couture.