Ball gowns galore: London's V&A Museum stages new Dior show

LONDON (AP) — After the smashing success of its Alexander McQueen show, London's V&A Museum is looking to draw big crowds with another major fashion exhibition — this time focusing on Christian Dior.

Billed as the largest and most comprehensive museum display ever staged in Britain on the revered French fashion house, the V&A exhibit opening Saturday traces the influence of Dior over seven decades and showcases dozens of spectacular couture gowns.

First to greet visitors is a 1947 suit highlighting the designer's "New Look" — an exaggerated hourglass silhouette that immediately made its mark in fashion.

The exhibition is based on a 2017 Dior show in Paris, but it's expanded with a section on Dior in Britain.