Christian Dior stands backstage with a ballet dancer. (Photo by Popperfoto)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1947
Christian Dior seated next to what appears to be a banister, wearing a dark double-breasted coat, tie and hat pushed back on the head. (Photo by Clifford Coffin)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1949
Christian Dior with two models wearing his creations. (Photo by Keystone)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1949
Paris, France
Christian Dior demonstrates with a tape measure and a model of how he revolutionized fashion by lowering hemlines, Paris, France. (Photo by Hulton Archive)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1950
Christian Dior (Photo by Keystone)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1950
Strand, London WC2R 0EZ, United Kingdom
Christian Dior with six of his models after a fashion parade at the Savoy Hotel, London. (Photo by Fred Ramage)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1951
Paris, France
Christian Dior shows Princess Margaret (1930-2002) round his Paris showroom. (Photo by Mike Lawn)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1954
Jane Russell meets French fashion designer Christian Dior in Paris for a fitting of one of Dior's much-vaunted 'H' line creations. (Photo by Keystone)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1954
Woodstock OX20 1PP, United Kingdom
French fashion designer Christian Dior arrives from Paris at Victoria, London, to attend his fashion parade, which is being held at Blenheim Palace in aid of the British Red Cross. (Photo by Edward Miller)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1954
The Duchess of Marlborough is pictured with French fashion designer Christian Dior at Blenheim Palace (Photo by Popperfoto)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1954
Woodstock OX20 1PP, United Kingdom
Princess Margaret (left), with the Duchess of Marlborough behind, presents Christian Dior with a scroll entitling him to Honorary Life Membership of the British Red Cross after the presentation of his Winter Collection at Blenheim Palace on 3rd November 1954. (Photo by Popperfoto)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1955
Scotland, UK
Christian Dior during a visit to Scotland (Photo by Thurston Hopkins)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1955
Christian Dior sits in an armchair at his home during an appearance on the tv show 'Person to Person,' November 7, 1955. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1955
Christian Dior sits on a sofa for a broadcast of the CBS celebrity interview program 'Person to Person,' November 7, 1955. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1957
Paris, France
Christian Dior (C) standing in the dressing room at his Paris Salon before a showing of his collection. (Photo by Loomis Dean)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1957
Paris, France
Christian Dior working on a new collection in his studio, Paris, France, in 1957. (Photo by Loomis Dean)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1957
Paris, France
Christian Dior working on a new collection in his studio, Paris, France, in 1957. (Photo by Loomis Dean)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1957
Paris, France
Christian Dior (standing center with pointer) working on a new collection with staff prior to a showing, Paris, France, 1957. (Photo by Loomis Dean)
Gallery of Christian Dior
1957
Christian Dior (R) w. staff at rehearsal for new collection showing. (Photo by Loomis Dean)
Gallery of Christian Dior
Christian Dior in France in the 1950s - Dior and his "new look" models. (Photo by Kammerman)
Gallery of Christian Dior
Christian Dior in France in the 1950s (Photo by Kammerman)
Gallery of Christian Dior
Dior in France in the 1950s (Photo by Kammerman)
Gallery of Christian Dior
Christian Dior sitting at the desk of his atelier. Paris, the 1940s (Photo by Mondadori)
Gallery of Christian Dior
Christian Dior amid some dummies in his atelier. Paris, the 1940s (Photo by Mondadori)
Gallery of Christian Dior
Christian Dior petting his favorite dog (Photo by Keystone-France)
Christian Dior seated next to what appears to be a banister, wearing a dark double-breasted coat, tie and hat pushed back on the head. (Photo by Clifford Coffin)
Christian Dior demonstrates with a tape measure and a model of how he revolutionized fashion by lowering hemlines, Paris, France. (Photo by Hulton Archive)
French fashion designer Christian Dior arrives from Paris at Victoria, London, to attend his fashion parade, which is being held at Blenheim Palace in aid of the British Red Cross. (Photo by Edward Miller)
Princess Margaret (left), with the Duchess of Marlborough behind, presents Christian Dior with a scroll entitling him to Honorary Life Membership of the British Red Cross after the presentation of his Winter Collection at Blenheim Palace on 3rd November 1954. (Photo by Popperfoto)
Christian Dior sits on a sofa for a broadcast of the CBS celebrity interview program 'Person to Person,' November 7, 1955. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive)
(Christian Dior’s fascinating autobiography offers a rare ...)
Christian Dior’s fascinating autobiography offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of haute couture. Christian Dior (1905-1957) rocketed to fame with his first collection in 1947 when the "New Look" took the world by storm.
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer and businessman. Dior came up with his iconic fashion house at a time when the world was still reeling under the challenges of World War II. Dior's creations were wildly popular, and his legacy continues to influence the fashion industry. His designs have been worn by film stars and royalty alike, and his company continues to operate at the forefront of the fashion industry.
Background
Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905, in Granville, Manche, France, into a wealthy family of a fertilizer manufacturer Maurice and his wife Isabelle Cardamone Dior. He was the second of the five children born to the couple. When he was a boy, Dior's family moved to Paris, where he would spend his youth.
Education
Although young Dior aimed to pursue a career as an architect, he succumbed to the pressure of his parents who envisioned Dior as a diplomat. In 1925, Christian enrolled at the École des Sciences Politiques, also known as The Paris Institute of Political Studies, commonly referred to as Sciences Po Paris or just Sciences Po, to begin his studies in political science, with the understanding that he would eventually find work as a diplomat.
In Paris, Christian spent all his time on the fringes of the bohemian creative world of Jean Cocteau, Max Jacob, Salvador Dalí, and, especially, Christian Bérard, the illustrator who was to play a significant role in the success of Dior’s first collection.
It was in 1928 that Christian Dior’s passion for art overruled his father’s wishes. He left school and opened a small art gallery with money he received from his father, who had agreed to lend his son his financial support on the condition that the family name would not appear above the gallery door. Because his parents refused to have their name on a commercial sign, the establishment was given the name of his associate, Jacques Bonjean. In the few years, it was open, Dior's gallery handled the works of such notable artists as Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and Max Jacob.
Christian Dior's carefree youth soon came to an end: in 1931 his brother was institutionalized, his mother died, and his father was completely ruined financially. The gallery did not survive for long and during the Great Depression had to be shut down after his father lost control over the family firm, Dior Frères. The situation for Dior worsened because he contracted tuberculosis. As a surprise, he had to live off the few savings and the help of his loved ones, he began selling sketches with his designs to newspapers and magazines.
In 1935, Dior landed a job illustrating the magazine Figaro Illustré. Years later in 1937, he was employed by fashion designer Robert Piguet, who gave him the opportunity to design for three Piguet collections. It was under Piguet that Dior learned the fine nuances of designing. Jean Ozenne, who was designing for couture houses, introduced Dior to the fashion world and to his clientele. At the age of thirty, Dior devoted himself to studying fashion drawing, referring only to what he knew and appreciated, Edward Molyneux, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Jeanne Lanvin. He managed to sell his first sketches of hats and then of dresses. His clients were fashionable hat makers and couture houses but he "also sold ideas to foreign buyers."
Dior was mobilized at the outbreak of war in 1939 and then joined his family in the unoccupied zone of France after the 1940 armistice. Dior left Piguet to serve in the army in the south of France. In 1941 he returned to Paris and was hired by couturier Lucien Lelong. Lelong’s fashion house was highly esteemed as it dressed up women of both the Nazi and the French collaborators. Throughout the remaining years of the war, Lelong's design house would consistently dress the women of both Nazis and French collaborators.
After the Liberation, Dior's colleague Pierre Balmain opened his own couture house in 1945 on rue François Ier and encouraged Dior to do the same. Marcel Boussac, a major French textile manufacturer and president of the cotton-marketing syndicate, offered Dior the artistic direction of the Gaston firm (formerly called Philippe et Gaston) on rue Saint-Florentin. In 1946, Christian Dior made the big leap of his career, a leap that eventually transformed the world of fashion and reaffirmed the status of Paris as the World’s Fashion Capital. Backed by Boussac, Dior started his own fashion house, thus starting a legacy that has survived several decades.
In the spring of 1947 the success of his first collection, called the New Look, propelled him to the top of the French fashion industry. His idealized, ultrafeminine silhouette featured tiny waists; long, full skirts; padded busts; and rounded shoulders. Everything was made exquisitely of the best materials available. The New Look changed the shape of women's clothing and lifted the French fashion industry out of the doldrums. For this feat, a grateful French government awarded him the Legion of Honor.
Interestingly, his designs were not openly accepted by the women who criticized his couture trend for being too voluptuous and heavy. Women had got so used to the limitations on the use of fabric during the war days that the profligacy of fabric seemed unnecessary. However, with time Dior’s New Look began to be well received. The second season, in which the couturier carried "the famous New Look line to its extreme," achieved "breathtaking" success and was accompanied by the launch of his first perfume, Miss Dior.
By 1948, Christian Dior had become a household brand name to be reckoned with. By now he had successfully arranged lucrative licensing deals for fur, stockings, and perfumes, thereby getting into every aspect of fashion and style. His collections were mostly theme-based. While the Spring collection of 1953 had an abundance of floaty and flowery prints, the 1955 Spring marked the ingress of A-line fashion. Skirts/Dresses with an undefined waist and smooth silhouette that widened over the hips and legs, resembling the capital letter A marked the new "in" thing of fashion.
With this impetus, Dior spent the last ten years of his life developing his couture house and extending his influence on world fashion. His subsequent collections continued to be popular, and throughout the 1950s the fashion world looked to Paris and Dior for inspiration and style. He expanded his company into eight firms and sixteen associate firms in twenty-four countries, reportedly grossing some $20 million a year. His Dior label went on jewelry, scarves, men's ties, furs, stockings, gloves, and ready-to-wear clothing.
During the final phase of his career, he took a detour from his usual route. His over-the-top and flamboyant look gave way to a more limber silhouette and lifestyle, as he started designing chemises, narrow tunics, and sari-like wraps. After his death, the House of Dior continued under other designers, including his protégé Yves St. Laurent until 1960. Subsequent creative directors at the House of Dior have included Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, and John Galliano.
During his time at Sciences Po, Dior briefly experimented with anarchism, even labeling himself as such. Conversely, he also spent some months in The Soviet Union, examining the socio-political effects of communism.
Views
Differing in their lines, Dior's creations were always related to one another through the constancy of certain characteristics. Structurally, the dresses came out of the intention to sculpt the silhouette along predefined lines. Whether it was the New Look, the Shock Look (the English name for the Vivante line), or the Flat Look (the H line), the body was always strongly stylized. The waist was displaced, cinched, or unbelted. The hips swelled or shrank thanks to the choice of materials able to express in shapes the energetic and tense designs of the couturier: shantung, ottoman silk, thick taffetas and satins, velvet, organza, woolen cloth, and cotton piqué generally replaced the customary use of fluid woolen and silk crepes.
The originator of a style that used a large quantity of material, artifices, and ornaments, Christian Dior stimulated the growth of a number of parallel industries: corset makers, feather makers, embroiderers, makers of costume jewelry, flower designers, and also illustrators. Thus, the image of the creations of Christian Dior includes the shoes of Roger Vivier, the prints of Brossin de Méré, the tulles of Brivet, the fabrics of Rébé (René Bégué) and Georges Barbier, the jewels of Francis Winter, and the drawings of René Gruau. As for furs and hats, they were manufactured in specialized workshops of the couture house.
Stylistically, Dior's creations were frequently distinguished by ornaments that came directly from pre-1914 fashion. Simulated knots; false pockets; decorative buttons; play with cuffs, collars, basques, and tails; false belts; and bias cuts punctuated his collections with their Trompe-l'oeil effects and, from the outset, erased any modernist intentions. Dior did not specify the origin of his stylistic borrowings. In particular, he expressed only elliptical intentions to justify the inspiration for his New Look.
Quotations:
"A dress is a piece of ephemeral architecture, designed to enhance the proportions of the female body."
"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting."
"My dream is to save women from nature."
Personality
Dior’s superstitious nature correlated with his growing older; by the time he was presenting collections regularly, he would feel a compulsion to name one garment in each show after his hometown of Granville. At least one model would be instructed to carry a bouquet of white lilies, and he never began a couture show without consulting his tarot card reader first.
Dior gave each of his dresses names, inspired by the style itself or from on-the-spot inspiration: The Bobby dress was named after his dog; the Lahore dress he designed for the Duchess of Windsor was inspired by Indian embroidery; the Gruau dress was named for his friend, the illustrator.
Interests
Artists
Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Max Jacob, Jean Cocteau
Connections
Although Dior's personal life is highly discreet, it is well-known that he has often been rejected by the objects of his love.