The Legendary Names Of The 20th Century Fashion Design: Christian Dior

Renée Breton in Christian Dior Bar Suit, photographed by Willy Maywald, 1947 Source: The Red List

What was Dior's path to fame? Was it "rosé-carved" or "covered with stones"? How did he manage to create almost a mythical fashion style, which, at one moment, transformed Dior's name into one of the fashion legends of the century? Maybe only Coco Chanel was able to compete with the recognition of Dior's name, because the romantic fashion revolution that he caused - forever changed the fashion trends of the 20th century.

Indeed, Dior had a great deal of success in his journey to fame, but he himself was a man in the right place and time, coming to terms with ideas that the public was unaware of in the post-war years ...

And again, this is a small story dedicated to creative work of Christian Dior. Because this is the year when we especially remember his performance and there is a good reason, because House of Dior was founded 70 years ago!  So, let's look back at the birth of a legend! 

Christian Dior by Willy Maywald, 1948

The Birth Of The New Look 

Christian Dior's (1905 - 1957) main contribution to the 20th century was that fashion was a product of fantasy and that fantasy was a good means of escapism from reality. His designs were dream-like and outrageously opulent. The skirt of a luxurious evening gown required up to 90 yards of fabric. 
The New Look was nostalgically reminiscent of a feminity defined through seductive beauty. It had nothing to do with the demands of the mechanized, fast-living modern world of the late 1940's and 1950's. That was the fashion design that took post-war consumers on a nostalgic flight back into a fantasy world. It depicted pictures of great women and fairy-tale princesses, of wealth and luxury, of intoxicating balls and theater evenings, of promenades in the park and elegant tea parties. 
On February 12, 1947, as Paris shivered in sub-zero temperatures, Christian Dior presented his legendary first collection in a salon on the Avenue Montaigne 30. An invited audience was shown 90 outfits, defined by two themes: "Huit"("Eight"), featuring tiny waists and curvaceous hips; and "Corolle", featuring plunging necklines and calf-length skirts. The models paraded endless yards of fabric as they came down the catwalk. Marcel Boussac, textile magnate could feel pleased... Christian Dior once said that he would like to establish a small, discreet house for a hand-picked selection of truly elegant women... And with this wish Dior persuaded famous textile magnate Boussac to lend him the money for his couture business. 

Christian Dior's ​black woolen suit from the Corolle line, 1947
​Image source: glamourdaze.com/2017/09/paris-collection-dior-1947.html

Post-War Boom & Fifties 

Dior resurrected fashion in glamorous style as France experienced the post-war boom and modernism of the 50's appeared on the horizon. Dior's revolution was based on tradition. Shapes and silhouettes remained classic, but he gave them innovative twists and ​a decent dose of eccentricity. His fame quickly spread beyond Paris and he was featured on the cover of Time magazine. The legendary words of Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar was a culmination of a huge press campaign organized for Dior. 

"It's a revolution, dear Christian, your dresses have such a new look..."

With the "New Look", a legend was born, and with it the greatest fashion empire in the world was created in the middle of the 20th century. The legendary two words - New Look - became the key to the fame for Dior's first collection launched in 1947. 
Dior brought new gleam and glamour to the world of fashion. After so many years of deprivation, people were hungry for pretty clothes. Many women wished to appear feminine once again in the traditional sense, to disguise the marks of the hard work. Post-war reconstruction and growing prosperity influenced the ways in which people expressed themselves. 
In the 1950's Unites States and many European countries enjoyed a previously unheard level of booming affluence. The fabric industry boomed in the fifties. The new synthetic materials were introduced into the market, all claiming to be easy to care for and to be beautiful reflection of the more expensive natural fibers such as silk and taffeta. Such the new fabrics helped many women to embody the dream that was created by Dior. 

Christian Dior, Schumann Evening Dress, photographed by Willy Maywald, 1950 Source: The Red List

After a successful launch of the New Look, Dior became a regular feature of the international social scene. Nieman Marcus awarded the young couturier fashion's equivalent of an Oscar. Many of his contemporaries soon began to imitate him. Dior became a symbol of luxury and elegance regained, making Paris once again the home of glamour and Haute Couture. 
Soon after his Paris show, Dior went to New York to open his own shop on Fifth Avenue. In less than five years, he created a real fashion empire, whose structure would be borrowed and copied by many other great fashion houses. 
​

His Path To The World Of Fashion 
​

The great couturier was born in Granville, Normandy, France in the family of rich industrialists. He studied political science and economics in order to please his parents. Later he abandoned his studies as he was close to creative circles in Paris and here he nurtured a certain innate instinct for creativity. Being close friend with creative people like artist Christian Bérard, the musician Henri Sauguet and the writer Pierre Gaxotte and many others, Dior felt the call to focus on art. In 1928, he opened art gallery, exhibiting the works of Picasso, Fernand Léger and Salvador Dali among others. But in this area he was not destined to work for a long time ... 1929 brought financial ruin to his family and Dior was forced to close gallery business. He was then thought the techniques of fashion design by a friend and in 1935 he began earning a living in Paris selling his sketches to newspapers and a few major couturiers. 
​In 1938 Dior joined Robert Piguet (1901 - 1953) - Swiss born fashion designer who favoured dramatic gowns in a romantic style and created many costumes for the theatre, as well as well-cut suits and softly tailored dresses. Until 1951, when Piguet retired, he hired or used designs by Pierre Balmain, Marc Bohan, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy and James Galanos. 
One of Dior's most famous works for House of Piguet  was a day dress called "Cafe Anglais" in 1937. In a way, this design was the beginning of Dior's success and the key to his fame.  
In 1942 Dior moved to Lucien Lelong (1889 - 1958) where he worked alongside Pierre Balmain until cotton magnate Marcel Boussac offered him the opportunity to open his own couture house. 

Day dress "Cafe Anglaise" by Ch. Dior for Piguet, 1937

​The New Silhouettes
​ 

Of course, The New Look was not the only innovation by Dior. In the following years, there were many legendary fashion silhouettes of the late 40's and 50's. 
New Look dresses had huge skirts which blossomed out from tiny waists, and stiffened, boned bodices. Skirts were longer than in previous years, pleated, gathered, draped and panelled, often lined with tulle to create fullness. Hats were worn on the side of the head and often accompanied by a choker necklace. 

The New Look was followed by the 1948 collection "Envol". Skirts were scooped up at the back, worn with jackets that were cut with loose, fly-away backs and stand-up collars.
In 1949 Dior showed slim skirts with a pleat at the back, strapless evening dresses, and bloused bodices and jackets. 
In 1950 skirts were shorter and jackets were large and box-shaped, some with horseshoe collars.
Over the following seven years Dior introduced his version of the oriental coolie hat, which was worn low over the eyes and trimmed with bows. He also introduced a popular "princess line" which gave the illusion of a high waist by employing curved shoulder lines on short jackets and by placing belts on the back of coats and jackets. 
In 1953 Dior raised skirts again and showed knees with top-heavy barrel-shaped coats and jackets. 
In 1954 Dior contributed a revival of men's suiting and named his collection that year the "H-Line". Hats were either closely cropped or huge like cartwheels. He made a white handkerchief-lawn jacket, softly pleated and bloused, the neckline filled in with white beads. 
In 1955 followed the "A-Line" and the "Y-Line", featuring large, V-shaped collars and stoles. 
Dior's last collection, in 1957, was based on the "Vareuse", a garment with a stand-away collar, cut to hang loosely on to the hips.  "Vareuse" also showed oriental tunic dresses, chemise dress and patch pockets. 
All these years Dior was a master of undisputed elegance and sculptured structures that made an impact on the decades to come. 

Dovima in Christian Dior "Ambuscade Tunic", photographed by Richard Avedon, 1950 Source: The Red List

The Heritage 
​

Dior died in 1957, after only ten years of international fame as a legend in Haute Couture. The shock waves that he created in the world of fashion, in the Paris scene will continue to be felt for generations to come. The name 'Dior' became a synonymous with the fashion of the fifties and even with Haute Couture in general. He was probably the last fashion dictator who launched entirely new silhouettes and changed the course of fashion. 

References & Further Reading: 
​
Lehnert, G. Fashion - A Concise History - Laurence King Publishing, London, 1999.
Pavia, F. The World Of Perfume. - Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1996. 
O'Hara Callan, G. The Thames And Hudson Dictionary Of Fashion And Fashion Designers. - Thames & Hudson, London, 1998. 

https://theredlist.com/wiki-2-23-1249-1256-view-1950s-profile-christian-dior-3.html 

glamourdaze.com/2017/09/paris-collection-dior-1947.html 
​
www.vogue.com/article/christian-dior-archival-looks

You May Also Like: