Visit The Musée Christian Dior In Dior's Normandy Childhood Home

One of the most famous couturiers of all time, Christian Dior, was born in 1905 in the seaside town of Granville, in Normandy, into a wealthy family. He was raised by his mother in Villa Les Rhumbs, a 19th century Belle Epoque clifftop villa that overlooks the sea. This idyllic and beautiful place is now the only "Musée de France" labelled French museum that is wholly dedicated to a couturier. Celebrating Dior's life and career, the museum also boasts stunning views and surroundings and a wonderful garden in the style of an English landscape park that was designed by his mother, Madeleine Dior, and is a rare example of one of the few remaining early 20th century artists' gardens.

A visit to the museum is quite the experience and the Haute Couture creations displayed across all three floors of the charming villa are stunning masterpieces that will ensure even those that are not particularly interested in fashion will have a good time. If you have found a vacation rental in Normandy, this really is a must-see spot.

Dior originally entered the institute of Political Sciences in Paris but an innate artistic spirit meant that he was always going to pursue more creative pursuits; music, drawing and painting, running an art gallery in Paris, and, eventually, designing clothing. First working under the great couturier Robert Piguet, then at the Lucien Lelong House of Couture, before he eventually founded his own label, which has gone on to become one of the biggest, most famous and most influential clothing brands in the world.

The villa was a beloved place for Dior, saying of it, "I have most tender and amazed memories... of my childhood home. I would even say that my life and my style owe almost everything to its site and architecture." Sadly, it was sold off when his father faced financial crisis, however, it was purchased by the town of Granville, who opened garden to the public from 1938 and then made it the Christian Dior Museum in 1997. Wonderfully, the place that Dior loved and credited for making him the designer he became, is now home to a collection of stunning pieces that tell the story of his life and career.

Whether you know anything about fashion or Dior, this truly beautiful place, stuffed with magnificent human creations makes for a magical day out for anyone visiting this part of France.