Fashion Addition: Christian Dior Biography

Biography

Christian Dior (January 21, 1905 – October 23, 1957), was an influential French fashion designer.

Christian Dior with model Renee in the salon of the house. 1957. Photograph by Hernry Clarke

Reference: P.141 "THE GOLDEN AGE OF COUTURE : PARIS AND LONDON 1947-1957" EDITED BY CLAIRE WILCOX - V&A

Christian Dior in the fitting rooms with his models during a show, 1950

Reference: P.143 "THE GOLDEN AGE OF COUTURE : PARIS AND LONDON 1947-1957" EDITED BY CLAIRE WILCOX - V&A

Acceding to his parents' wishes, Dior attended the Ecole des Sciences Politiques from 1920 to 1925. The family, whose fortune was derived from the manufacture of fertilizer, had hopes he would become a diplomat, but Dior only wished to be involved in the arts. After leaving school he received money from his father so that in 1928 he could open a small art gallery.

After a family financial disaster that resulted in his father losing his business, Dior was forced to shut down the gallery. In the 1930s Dior made a living by doing sketches for haute couture houses.

In 1938 he worked with Robert Piguet and later joined the fashion house of Lucien Lelong, where he and Pierre Balmain were the primary designers.

Mother's Influence

Dior Fahion House Established and the New Look

In 1945, he went into business for himself, backed by Marcel Boussac, the cotton-fabric magnate. Dior's fashion house opened in December 1946, and the following February, he presented his first collection, known as Corolle. It was more famously known as the New Look.

The actual phrase the "New Look" was coined by Carmel Snow, the powerful editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar. Dior's designs were more voluptuous than the boxy, fabric-conserving shapes of the recent World War II styles, influenced by the rations on fabric.

The New Look revolutionized women's dress and reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world after World War II.

Style

He was a master at creating shapes and silhouettes; Dior is quoted as saying "I have designed flower women."

His look employed fabrics lined predominantly with percale, boned, bustier-style bodices, hip padding, wasp-waisted corsets and petticoats that made his dresses flare out from the waist, giving his models a very curvaceous form. The hem of the skirt was very flattering on the calves and ankles, creating a beautiful silhouette.