Under grey, rainy skies, we were sure we’d picked a great day to beat the crowds and spend it inside the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Imagine our surprise to find a queue of people already in line at 8:20 a.m. (1.5 hours before the doors open) to get in to see the latest exhibit, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams.

If there’s one takeaway from this, it’s that if you want to check out this exhibit before it closes May 28, go early! Prepare to arrive at least two hours before the museum opens (more if it’s a weekend or holiday) so your tickets are secured.

My friend and I stood in line for two hours outside under an awning as the incessant rain beat down above us and another 45 minutes inside the building at the ticket counter. There were hundreds more in line with us, and by the time the doors opened the museum had already put out a twitter message about selling out.

The museum offers limited advanced tickets on a special website, but only releases them every few days, so nabbing a ticket ahead is not an easy task. This is clearly the hottest ticket in Tokyo right now, so if you’re not one of the lucky ones to grab an advance ticket, then you’ll have to wait in line. So, this is one more warning to arrive early if you want to get in.

Once we’d secured our timed-entry tickets, we had another two hours to kill before we’d be allowed into the Dior exhibit. To say I was cranky and hangry because I’d been awake since 6 a.m. to get ready and hop on a train to be at the museum by 8 a.m. and now had to wait until 1 p.m. to enter, is an understatement.

My mood improved slightly after we had lunch at a Thai restaurant a 20-minute taxi ride away. There are very few food options near the museum, so plan accordingly.

I’d like to say that my mood was completely recovered and back on track the second I entered the museum, but there are certain situations that shiny, pretty and expensive couture cannot remedy.

The Dior exhibit was beautifully arranged and the attention to detail in each of the rooms spanning the designer’s 75 years was immaculate. However, I felt like a zombie with only four hours of sleep, and I didn’t have the ooh’s and ah’s in me.

It’s a shame I felt groggy, because the stunning displays contained treats for the eye in every corner from floor to ceiling. Every room was contrasting the black and white, pastels and golds within the fashion house’s illustrious color palette spanning eras in fashion and time.

The Dior exhibit first opened in Paris in 2017 to mark the 70th anniversary of the fashion house, then spent time in New York before coming to Tokyo in December 2022. “Designer of Dreams” spans not only the fashion designer’s life and career, but also the fashion house label’s longevity after Dior’s death in 1957.

Throughout the sprawling two-floor exhibit are examples of the tremendous inspiration Japanese culture and design were for the late Christian Dior. One room recreates the feel of a Japanese garden with a wooden bridge platform patrons walk on as they peruse the Dior designs inspired by Japanese textiles, fabrics and kimono. It was at the exhibit that I also learned Dior was the first Western fashion label to bring its designs to Japan in 1953.

(Left) Elements of Japanese gardens were incorporated into the exhibit. (Right) The inspiration Christian Dior drew from Japanese textiles and fashion are on display throughout the exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

The Japan connection is reinforced by the Dior designs created for the wedding of the Empress Emerita Michiko in 1959. Visitors get a close look at the designs through photographs and a video of the empress in her gowns.

(Left) Christian Dior designs also draw inspiration from the designer's love of gardening. These Dior designs incorporate garden elements and inspiration from Japan via cherry blossom embellishments. (Right) The Suzurka-san coat by John Galliano for Dior integrates "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," a famous Japanese ukiyo-e painting, with fashion couture.

Dior’s classic color palette spread through every inch of this sprawling exhibit, and every turn had more to fawn over thanks to the work of Japanese architect Shohei Shigematsu, the designer of the scenographic narrative following the Dior’s love of gardens and “fascination with the creative richness of Japan,” according to the museum brochure.

Whether a room filled with flowers and dresses covered in intricate floral embroidery, or an all-white palatial room with floor-to-ceiling displays of the master patterns used for Dior’s elaborate creations. Visitors can even get close to Hollywood royalty in another room illuminated by a starry sky featuring a dozen or so iconic Dior dresses worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlize Theron, Rita Hayworth and more.

Fabric swatches, sketches, videos and photographs were displayed throughout. According to NUVO Magazine, the exhibit features 350 dresses, and other archival documents and items, some never seen by the public.

We spent a solid two hours perusing the displays. It was a lot to take in and the visuals were beautifully composed. The fact that I didn’t get a good night’s sleep is on me, not the museum or Dior’s fault. Still, I wish there was a better way to secure tickets and that the museum be a little more considerate to the people paying good money and standing in long lines to get in.

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams runs through May 28 in Tokyo. If you’re into art, fashion and waiting in long lines, this is an exhibit for you!

Catch the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams Exhibit Address: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Dates: Through Sun., May 28. closed Mondays Times: 10 a.m.－ 6 p.m.; Late openings May 13 -14, 20- 21, and 27-28 (check museum website for details.) Admission: Adults – 2,000 yen / University & college Students, Over 65 – 1,300 yen / High school students & younger – Free. *Ticket includes admission to MOT Collection exhibition. *Reserved tickets in advance: here Website