In the city of Granville (France, Normandy).
He was the second of five children. Dior's father made a fortune trading chemical fertilizers. In 1911 the family moved to Paris.
Christian was fond of painting since childhood and dreamed of becoming famous artist, however, the parents saw their son in diplomacy. In 1925 he entered the Free School of Political Science.
Having received his education in 1928, Christian Dior, together with his friend Jean Bonjac, opened a gallery where they exhibited works by Derain, Matisse, and Picasso. He took the money from his father, who agreed to provide financial support on the condition that his name would not be indicated on the doors of the gallery. In 1931, the economic crisis ruined Dior's father, and his mother, suffering from cancer, died. Christian was forced to close the gallery. Over the next few years, he earned money selling fashion sketches. Since 1935, Dior published his drawings in the magazine Figaro Illustré. In 1938, he became an assistant designer at the House of Parisian couturier Robert Piguet.
When did the second one start? World War, Dior went to serve in the French army. After the surrender of France in 1940, he returned to Paris.
From 1941 he worked for the fashion house of Lucien Lelong.
In 1946, with the support of businessman Marcel Boissac (who at that time took a monopoly position in the French textile industry), Dior opened own house fashion in Paris.
On February 12, 1947, Christian Dior presented his first collection in Paris. Called the New Look in the press, it created a sensation. It was a radical turn towards an emphatically romantic femininity. The hallmarks of the “new look” included maxi-skirts almost to the ankle (narrow, or, on the contrary, wide and fluffy), small shoulders, “kimono sleeves”, thin “wasp” waists, high heels, contrasting and effective accessories.
In 1954, Dior introduced new concepts - the "H line" (ironically referred to in the press as the "sack look", with a loose belt marking the low waist, and a tunic-like cut of textured fabrics that almost covered tight skirt. In 1955, he proposed a contrasting “Y line”, with shoulder pads and the main volume of the dress in the form of a large triangle.
Along the way, the house of Dior (also involved in men's clothing) established a system for selling licenses for stockings, ties and other accessories - adopted by other houses, this system contributed to the transformation of haute couture from a private artistic pursuit into a powerful transnational industry.
Dior was also a pioneer of the active synthesis of haute couture (“high fashion”) and stage design: he was a costume designer for several performances at the Théâtre de Mathurin, in a number of productions by Roland Petit and films directed by Claude Autan-Lard, Alfred Hitchcock and others.
Christian Dior created stage outfits for such pop and silver screen stars as Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich and Gloria Swenson.
In addition to clothing, Dior created his own shoe lines and perfume company Christian Dior Parfums.
Future couturiers Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent, who became his successor, worked in his atelier.
On October 24, 1957, the designer died in Montecatini Terme (Italy, Tuscany). At the time of his death, the House of Dior was earning more than $20 million a year.
His family home in Granville now houses the Christian Dior Museum.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Celebrity biographies
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27.09.15 17:36
The name of our hero is known to the whole world - it is a legend, covered in the aroma of exquisite perfumes, told in the whisper of the silks of elegant outfits that personify true femininity. But few people know that the biography of Christian Dior is a thorny path, that the star of his fame burned during the master’s life for only a dozen years: the Frenchman became famous at 42, but died early and suddenly. His work was continued by his students, led by, and therefore the Christian Dior Fashion House is still thriving and remains synonymous with the words “elegance”, “chic”, “good taste”.
Biography of Christian Dior
From the family of a Norman merchant
He was born in large family businessman Maurice Dior. Then they lived in the north of France, in Normandy - in a port town on the English Channel called Granville. The mother had five children (Christian, born on January 21, 1905, was the second), with whom she took care of, and the father traded in fertilizers and managed to earn a lot of money from this “chemistry”. Therefore, the family was able to move to the capital already in 1911.
Christian grew up as a dreamy boy, loved and understood art, drew himself and thought about a career as a painter. His father and mother tried to “land” the rebellious young man and, in the end, they succeeded: Dior became a student at the Free School of Political Science. He did not like his studies, his classmates seemed boring and insipid, and Christian skipped lectures, instead hanging around the museum halls and making sketches.
Own gallery... and 33 misfortunes
He decided that politics and diplomacy were not for him, and at the age of 23 he became the owner of a gallery - jointly with his friend Jean Bonjac. In their humble abode arts, works of artists known to the whole world today were exhibited (Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse). Alas, this bright streak in the biography of Christian Dior quickly ended: already in 1931, he was beset by personal and subsequent financial problems. The cheerful mother, who never particularly complained about her health, is dying of cancer, the disease also affects her father: his companions let him down, Dior Sr. went bankrupt, and his worries led to tuberculosis.
The father was the main sponsor of his son, so the gallery died for a long time. Christian tried to make money using his artistic talent, but he did not become a great painter. True, he managed to attach sketches and drawings to the prestigious magazine “Le Figaro Illustre”. Prospects began to emerge when Parisian couturier Robert Piguet invited 33-year-old Dior to collaborate, but this thread also broke: World War II began.
A lucky chance helped
After several years of military service, Christian returned to Paris. Some of his friends managed to achieve success: for example, Pierre Balmain opened his own Fashion House and flourished. Dior had neither connections nor money for this. But then chance (in the person of a childhood friend) brought the future fashion designer together with the fabulously wealthy manufacturer Marcel Boussac. It turns out that he, who earned millions from textiles, needed an artist to revive one of the fashion houses. What happened between these two is unknown, but Marcel imbued Dior with some incredible warmth and trust. So the unknown artist Christian Dior (who at that time was already over 40 years old) acquired his own brand, and Boussac became a sponsor of the Christian Dior Fashion House.
A New Look
The opening of the House was marked by the debut show of models of the rising star of Parisian fashion. Christian became a real revolutionary: wanting the ladies to quickly forget about the horrors of war and the asceticism inherent in this harsh time, he created magical outfits! They were reminiscent of pre-war chic: feminine shoulders, long skirts, the waist is cinched (as if a fashion model is wearing a corset from her grandmother’s era), the top is emphatically lush (or very tight-fitting to the chest). The media dubbed this style the “New Look”. The French women were absolutely delighted.
Not everyone liked Dior's innovations. Thus, his American colleagues spoke very negatively about the collection: it seemed to them that there could be no place for luxury in a country exhausted by war. But these turned out to be isolated voices of dissatisfied puritans, who soon surrendered under the pressure of the growing popularity of the couturier. And already in 1947, in Dallas, the Frenchman was presented with a prestigious award - a kind of Oscar among haute couture couturiers.
A tumultuous decade
Next decade creative biography Christian Dior is all about creating legendary collections. The names spoke for themselves: “Cyclone”, “Tulip”, “Corolla”, “Vertical”, and the designer drew ideas from what he had loved so long ago and devotedly: museums, literature, flowers or the theater.
By the way, the couturier also paid attention to theater (and cinema) in his work: he created stage costumes for performances by Roland Petit, for films by Rene Clair, Marcel Achard, Claude Autan-Lard, Alfred Hitchcock. However, the master often refused directors, because he considered it only a tribute to fashion, a hobby, but not his main calling. Although Olivia de Havilland, Ava Gardner or Marlene Dietrich looked brilliant in the Parisian's costumes.
Monarchs applauded him
Already in 1950, Dior was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor; his luxurious art was applauded by the monarchs of Europe. And when the Christian Dior Perfume company was born, Parisians were amazed by the subtle aroma of the debut perfume from the fashion maestro. These were the famous “Miss Dior”. Other exquisite creations of Christian’s company caused no less sensation: “Dior Eau Fraiche”, “Diorama”, “Diorissimo”.
Christian Dior knew how to spot talent in another person, so his students and followers (first of all, Yves Saint Laurent, who replaced him after his death at the Fashion House) became world-famous couturiers.
Personal life of Christian Dior
A heart that has known the bitterness of disappointment
Even when success came to the master, Christian Dior’s personal life remained far from cloudless. Like many male fashion designers, he chose as his muses beautiful women, but could not love them, since he was a homosexual.
They say that even in his youth, Christian was infatuated with a certain Italian Perrotino, but most of his loves ended in another depression. At 51, it seemed that Dior had come great love, and this time the object of his passion (the young North African Jacques Benita) reciprocated. The fashion designer perked up, began to pay more attention to his appearance, and decided to strict diet. But the heart, which had suffered over the years of hardship, could not stand it. On October 24, 1957, it stopped beating. The attack found Dior in Tuscany - he was only fifty-two...
The name Christian Dior has probably not been heard only in the most remote corners of the planet. This French fashion designer, creator of the eponymous Christian Dior brand, changed the vision of fashion in the forties of the twentieth century, returning the title of fashion capital to post-war Paris.
Dior - the story of a genius
The future couturier was born in 1905 in the family of a French entrepreneur. The father wanted to see his son in the role of a politician, however, studying at the Free School of Political Science showed that this field was not suitable for him. Since childhood, Christian Dior was interested in painting, music, and art history. The level of income in the young Dior's family was quite high, so he was able to open an art gallery in 1928. However, after the ruin of the father, who provided his son material support, it had to be closed.
For several years, Dior searched for himself in various fields. He was interested in artistic carpet weaving, which did not find a response from investors and buyers, and tried to find work in an office. It came into fashion in the late 30s thanks to Jean Ozenne, an artist who at that time was developing sketches for fashion magazines. Dior also began to create sketches of women's hats and dresses, achieving success in this activity. After serving in the army, in 1941 he returned to Paris and began working for fashion designer Lucien Lelong.
In his work, Christian Dior always paid attention to the entire image, and not just clothes. So, in 1942 he created his own perfume laboratory, which later grew into a separate perfume company. He called perfume the final chord of a dress - just as the beauty of a flower is inseparable from its aroma, so a complete image is impossible without a trail of perfume.
Brand creation
Success came to Dior after the war. He opened the Christian Dior fashion house in 1946 together with textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac, who became an investor. The first collection was released at the beginning of 1947. Opinions about Dior's creations were divided. Some criticized the models for being too chic, revealing and uncomfortable, while others admired the beauty and femininity of their lines. In any case, the public did not remain indifferent; Dior announced himself loudly and immediately. The American media dubbed the collection New Look ( new look) and she really was.
The usual image of a woman in war time assumed straight lines, convenience, simplicity. The war left its mark on life and clothing, giving it a uniform appearance. Dior's models were distinguished by their bright femininity. Thin waist, emphasized by a corset, open rounded shoulders, raised chest, fluffy skirts - these are the main features of his first collection.
It is not surprising that there were opponents of such dresses - some dresses required from 9 to 30 m of fabric to make, they were called prohibitively expensive. The weight of the dress could exceed 20 kg, and in combination with a corset, the comfort of such an outfit was no longer a question. But the fact remained that the dresses were works of art and made women beautiful, and therefore resonated with customers.
The fashion house began productive collaboration with large American department stores, creating ready-to-wear lines for them. Already in 1949, the Christian Dior brand accounted for three quarters of all exports of clothing produced in France, so it was it that determined world fashion in those years.
Except appearance Dior introduced another innovation - selling a license to create clothes under his name. The Christian Dior brand quickly spread throughout France and other countries, providing profit to the brand owners. Dior didn't stop there. Creating full image women, he began producing branded accessories (jewelry, watches), lingerie (stockings), perfumes, and decorative cosmetics. Historical fashion house Over time it grew into the Dior empire.
Development of a fashion house
Christian Dior headed the fashion house until 1957, when he died suddenly from heart attack. Over the course of 11 years, he established his work, creating clothing designs in accordance with customer expectations, and recruiting talented couturiers such as Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent to his staff. Dior named the latter his successor; it was he who headed the fashion house after the death of the couturier.
Yves Saint Laurent
He began working at the Christian Dior fashion house in 1953 and served as creative director from 1957 to 1960. His “Trapezoid” collection was a new trend in the brand’s fashion – the models remained feminine, but became simpler, lighter and more comfortable. Yves Saint Laurent and his style did not quite coincide with the vision of the owners, so when he was drafted into the army in 1960, they did not prevent him from leaving.
Mark Boan
The French fashion designer who replaced Saint Laurent pursued a more relaxed policy in managing the house of Dior. The models were simple, Mark Bohan introduced Dior clothes to the masses, creating collections for ordinary women. With him, for the first time, Dior began to produce casual clothes, and in 1970 appeared men's clothing brands. At first, Mark Bohan's line was a great success, especially when the brand's simple clothes were worn by movie stars (Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly), however, over time, interest in designer new items began to fade. The company almost went bankrupt and the owners were forced to sell it.
Mark Bohan headed the house of Dior for almost thirty years, however, the new owners justifiably considered that the brand needed fresh blood.
Gianfranco Ferre
When Ferré took over Christian Dior in 1989, new stage development of a fashion house. He brought back Dior's style, its femininity and exclusivity. The fashion architect, as he is called, was the director of the fashion house for 8 years, after which, according to the official version, he left to develop his own brand.
John Galliano
In 1996 creative director the flamboyant Briton John Galliano became and the Christian Dior brand shone in a new way. Galliano created bright and controversial images, and turned each show into a theatrical show. During his time at Christian Dior, he created more than 50 collections. Galliano's uncontrollable nature was manifested not only in his work; in February 2011, he became the culprit of a scandal thanks to his anti-Semitic statements. Because of this, he was dismissed by the owners from his position.
In the period before the appointment of the new couturier, Dior was temporarily headed by Bill Gaten, but he lacked individuality - the collections were strongly reminiscent of Galliano’s work.
Name: Christian Dior
Age: 52 years old
Activity: fashion designer, founder of the Christian Dior fashion house
Family status: wasn't married
Christian Dior: biography
Modern world imposes standards: in order to live a successful and happy life, you should get higher education, go to work in your specialty for an international company, get married by the age of 25, have children and your own business by the age of 30, etc. But if you look at the biographies prominent figures recent past, it is clear that they life path has little overlap with these standards. Take, for example, the great couturier Christian Dior.
Childhood and youth
The future trendsetter was born in the former fishing port of Granville, located in Normandy (France) on the English Channel. This event took place on January 21, 1905. Christian became the second of five children of Maurice Dior and Isabelle Cardamone. Maurice comes from rich family Moreover, at the beginning of the twentieth century, he managed to increase his capital through trading in the then popular chemical fertilizers. Therefore, Isabelle did not work, and the children were not denied anything.
In 1911, Christian Dior's family moved to Paris, where Maurice bought real estate. By decision of the parents, the children received elementary education at home. Teachers noted that the boy had a penchant for exact sciences, so the parents decided to send the child to the Institute of Political Studies (until 1945 - the Free School of Political Sciences). Christian goes there to study, but quickly abandons it - going to the theater and visiting art exhibitions seem much more interesting and closer to him.
Then he begins to study painting. In 1928, Christian decides to open his own gallery. The father refuses to help financially, so the young Dior begins to look for a partner. He becomes his old friend Jean Bonjac. The Dior and Bonjac gallery was not the largest in the capital, but it brought them profit, because it hosted exhibitions of such artists as Raoul Dufy, Andre Derain, as well as an exhibition of works done in the style of cubism.
But the 1930s come - a difficult time for Christian. At first, doctors discovered mental disorders in his brother and took him for treatment. The next step was the death of Dior's mother - cancer. Christian's father also cannot withstand such a load and stops monitoring affairs, which ultimately leads to ruin and the sale of most of the real estate. And then he becomes infected with tuberculosis.
In order to somehow escape from the misfortunes that befell him, Dior decides to go to the Soviet Union as a tourist. During this trip, he manages to visit the museums of Leningrad, as well as enjoy the beauty of the Caucasus and Black Sea coast. The impressions from the trip change some of his views on life, so, returning to Paris, Christian closes his gallery. On the advice of friends, the next step is to visit the islands of the Spanish archipelago located in the Mediterranean Sea.
Fashion and design
In the Balearic Islands, Christian begins to paint again. The reason for this is his new hobby - carpet weaving. Dior creates sketches for carpets, but they cannot be realized - investors refuse to invest in this business because they consider it unprofitable due to lack of demand.
Returning back to the capital of France, Christian decides to end the world of art. The first thing Dior does is start looking for a job in administration, a bank, or just an office. But nothing good comes of this venture - he is refused everywhere. Financial position leaves much to be desired, so Dior decides to return to the world of painting for a while to realize the painting “Plan of Paris”, painted by Raoul Dufy in 1925.
After the sale of the canvas, the sale of several Dior apartments in the capital follows; the entire family, with the exception of Christian, moves to the provinces. Christian himself settles with his longtime friend Jean Ozenn. At that time, Ozenn was a fairly famous fashion artist and collaborated with popular magazines and the best tailors in Paris. Dior likes this, so he soon begins to take lessons both from Ozenn himself and from teacher Max Kenn.
The first success is not long in coming: Jean Ozenne begins offering Dior’s work (mainly patterns for women’s hats) to tailors and magazines, and they are received with a bang. The first publication took place in 1936 in Le Figaro illustré. After just a year, Dior’s income becomes stable, and he begins to rent his own home.
Drawing hats alone becomes boring for Christian, and he switches to clothes. It is these works that delight fashion designer Robert Piguet. In 1938, they established communication, after which Piguet offered Dior a job. Christian agrees and works under Robert for the next year. But the Second World War begins. Dior joins the army to go fight in the south of France.
Christian Dior store In 1941, having seen enough of the horrors of war, Christian returned to Paris. Lucien Lelong, an old acquaintance of Robert Piguet, finds out about this and immediately offers Dior a job in his fashion house. Christian agrees. IN short time he manages to lift the Lelong fashion house from its knees. As a token of gratitude, Lucien increases Dior's salary, which allows the latter to open a perfume laboratory (later turned into Christian Dior Parfume) and a store that will sell the created perfumes and eau de toilette.
Perfume "Christian Dior" In 1946, Christian left Lelong and, with the support of textile magnate Marcel Boussac, opened his own fashion house. On February 12 next year, the presentation of Dior's first collection takes place at the estate on Montaigne Avenue. Couturier calls it “New look” (“ A New Look»).
And it's true new concept far from what girls and women of those times wore before. The elegant and romantic style was contrasted with uniforms and work clothes. Christian himself called this collection the embodiment of his own ideas about ideal woman and femininity in general. The collection was a success in its homeland, but American colleagues were outraged by the “New Look”, which was written about in thematic publications.
“It’s better to be persuaded on the first page than to be given two lines of praise on the last,” Dior responded to this.
In addition, the Americans quickly calmed down, because the rest fashion world I also liked the collection. From 1947 to 1957, Christian made up for lost time, releasing two collections a year. Each show is an extravaganza, new dresses and hats bearing fantastic names like “Cyclone”, “Tulip” or “Vertical” become hits, and Paris is officially declared the capital of fashion. When asked how he managed to achieve such popularity, Dior replied:
“Women instinctively felt that I wanted to make them not only beautiful, but also happy.”
Christian succeeded, but he had no intention of stopping. The production of perfumes is being established (on the basis of the same perfume laboratory). The most popular perfumes are Miss Dior, Diorama and Diorissimo. In 1953, Christian managed to attract Roger Vivier, a shoemaker popular all over the world, and Christian Dior began producing shoes. In 1955, Dior worked with master Daniel Swarovski on a collection of jewelry made from rock crystal crystals.
Christian does not forget to collaborate with theater and film figures. Back in 1940, he managed to create costume sketches for the play “The School of Scandal,” staged by the Théâtre de Mathurin, and in the 50s he made sketches for productions by Roland Petit. In the world of cinema, Dior managed to collaborate with directors like Claude Autan-Lara, as well as with actresses, Olivia de Havilland and.
Years later, a film (and more than one) would be made about Dior, “Christian Dior. Legendary person". The couturier was twice nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA for best costume design - Termini Station (1955) and Arabesque (1967, posthumously), respectively. Another important award becomes the Order of the Legion of Honor, which Dior was awarded in 1950.
Personal life
The great couturier was gay. His first love was the Italian Perrotino, who for some time worked as Christian’s personal driver. The reasons for their separation are unknown, but it plunged Dior into depression. Over the following years, Christian tries to find another love, but to no avail - the guys reject him.
This continued until 1957, when Dior met the North African model Jacques Benita, who reciprocated. There were also rumors that Dior was having an affair with his student. However, other than Cardin's words, there is no confirmation.
Death
In 1957, a happy streak began in Christian’s personal life. Then the decision to go on a diet to lose weight appears. Dior goes for treatment to the small town of Tuscany (Italy) Montecatini Terme, where he unexpectedly begins to have heart problems. On October 24 of the same year he passed away.
Fashion house now
After the death of the couturier, the fashion house underwent changes more than once. First of all, of course, the number of Christian Dior employees increased - if in the fifties the company contained about 900 jobs (models were not included in the number of employees), then today their number is measured in the thousands.
Recent changes include the launch of men's collections in 2006. The main products in this direction are clothing and accessories.
In 2012, the post of director of the fashion house was taken by Belgian designer Raf Simons. Four years later, Maria Grazia Chiuri replaced him in this field, becoming the first female director at Christian Dior.
To see the fashion house’s 2017 collection, as well as photos and videos from the shows, you need to go to the company’s official website.
Memory
Films, both feature and documentary, have been made in memory of Christian Dior
- 1994 – “Monsieur Dior”
- 2005 – “Christian Dior. Legendary person"
- 2014 – “Dior and I”
- 2016 – “Dior”
- 2016 – “Dior. France"
(French Christian Dior; January 21, 1905, Granville, Normandy - October 24, 1957, Montecatini Terme, Tuscany) - one of the most famous French.
Dior was a pioneer of active synthesis (“haute couture”) and set design: he was the costume designer for several performances (“The School of Scandal” by Richard Sheridan at the Théâtre de Mathurin; a number of productions by Roland Petit, 1950s) and films (directed by Claude Autan-Lara, Alfred Hitchcock, etc.). He created stage outfits for such pop and silver screen stars as Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich, The Beatles.
Biography of Christian Dior
Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905 in Granville (France), a former fishing port on the English Channel. A few years later, the family moved to Paris and settled in the Passy district, which Dior would never leave. Christian grew up in big family, where there were five children. Despite this, the family was quite wealthy, since Dior's father made a fortune in the trading of chemical fertilizers.
In his youth, Christian became interested in drawing, he discovered an artistic gift and dreamed of becoming a great artist, but his parents predicted a career as a diplomat for their son. After his mother's pleas, Christian gave in and entered the Free School of Political Science. However, this is where his “ political activity» ended: instead of classes international law and geography, the future spent time in museums, studied painting and musical composition. In 1925, he nevertheless graduated from the school of political science, but his calling was in a completely different area.
In 1928, Dior, together with Jacques Bonjean, an artist and actor, opened a private Art Gallery, which sold paintings by Derain, Matisse, Braque, Picasso, as well as works by little-known artists. The gallery gained fame and a solid reputation. However, happiness could not last forever, and a dark streak came in the life of Christian Dior. In 1929, his father went bankrupt due to fraud and the economic crisis, and in 1931 his mother died of cancer. A few months later, returning from a trip to Soviet Union, where Dior went with a group of young architects, he found himself in front of closed door bankrupt Gallery.
Only in 1935, after several years of unemployment, semi-miserable existence and apathy, did he recover from tuberculosis Dior found shelter with the artist and actor Jean Ozenne. Christian began to design theatrical costumes. At the same time, on the advice of friends, he prepares drawings for French fashion magazines and quickly gains fame: sketches of hats and dresses are published in the magazine Le Figaro Illustre. A collaboration with the fashion department of the popular newspaper Figaro soon followed.
Despite the fact that hat models were used much great success, Christian nevertheless decides to specialize in clothing models. In 1938, he was noticed by the famous fashion designer Robert Piguet, but World War II got in the way rapid development careers. Dior joined the army and served in the south of France, but already in 1941 he returned to Paris. He is there starts working at the famous fashion house Lucien Lelong. Piguet taught Christian elegance and simplicity, and from Lelong he mastered the craft and technology, inherited a flair for materials and a love of handcraft.
In 1946, French textile magnate Marcel Boussac financed the opening of his own Christian fashion house in Paris.
Quite late, only at 42 years old, fame found its hero. Christian Dior's first own collection was truly revolutionary and flashy. The fashion press called it “,” and he himself dubbed it “Crown Line.” Tightened waists, full busts, small round shoulders, ankle lengths, either straight or quite wide - these are the main features of his first collection, which boldly departs from traditional canons and strives for simplicity and functionality. It seemed that Dior's styles would frighten the buyer, accustomed to short skirts and square jackets, but the opposite happened. Tired of restrictions and poverty, Parisian women enthusiastically accepted the collection. It is noteworthy that her concept bore striking similarities to French fashion of the 1860s. Dior himself said that he was inspired by memories of the beautiful, elegant outfits his mother wore in the 1910s.
Although several other designers experimented with new silhouettes, it was Christian Dior's luxurious collection that reminded the world of the wealth and importance of Parisian fashion. During World War II, Paris lost its position, but Dior once again proclaimed this magical city as the capital of world fashion.
However, the first success was not a final victory: there was also a lot of criticism against the “New Look”. Feminists argued that and was an attempt to return women to the oppressed “labor” role. Others were shocked by the ornaments and colors, as in post-war years the use of such bright fabrics seemed almost blasphemous. America also responded with an unexpected protest: “How dare he return to luxury in a country paralyzed by strikes, where governments are replaced one after another, where literally everything is missing?!” — American couturiers reacted very sharply. A club was even created in defense of short skirts, and Dior was accused of disfiguring women. However, despite everything, the “New Look” became a real “post-war cultural symbol,” as the designer himself later described it.
After the first collection created a sensation, Dior became widely known. He used the most luxurious fabrics (satin, suiting, fine wool, taffeta) and continued to shock the public with progressive silhouettes. The names of the lines literally grated on the ears: “Corolla”, “Cyclone”, “Vertical”, “Tulip”. These were powerful images, the public waited for them with trepidation, but at the same time they were afraid. Before each show, the audience anticipated the appearance of something grandiose. Each model had its own name, and general style the collection reflected the diversity of the world that the couturier valued so much: theater, opera, literature, flowers, museums, Paris.
During those ten years when Christian Dior was truly famous, not a single one of his collections failed - either from a commercial or from a creative point of view. The only dangerous moment for the couturier's career was 1954 - an unexpected return to the fashion industry. The philosophy of the legendary Chanel - complete opposite Dior's philosophy. “The horrors of the fifties” is how she spoke of Christian Dior’s models, accusing him of dragging women’s bodies into ridiculous shapes. Dior's reaction was immediate: he released new collection"Lily of the Valley" Softened lines, natural silhouettes, unobtrusive jackets, delicate pleated skirts with nautical collars... Christian Dior's clothes became light and beautiful.
Soon the name Dior became synonymous with luxury and good taste. Turnover was approximately $20 million annually. It is noteworthy that the couturier organized several major international agreements, and shortly before his death, the fashion house began producing perfumes, jewelry, underwear, and shoes.
Dior's inspiration extended beyond Haute Couture; he was also active in the film industry. Christian Dior clothing can be seen in the films “Bed with Columns” by Tual, “Love Letters” by Claude Autan-Lara, “Silence is Golden” by Rene Clair and many others. Great actresses wore his dresses: Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner and Olivia de Havilland. However, as Dior admitted in his memoirs, it was more a tribute to fashion than passion. In his opinion, the image on the screen is always unfinished and too structured.
Christian Dior died in 1957. It was an irreparable loss for the world of high fashion.
Madame Raymond, personal assistant to the great Couturier, noted:
“If Dior had lived, fashion would not be in such a deplorable state as it is now.”
After the death of the master, the owners of the Fashion House changed many times, and the corporate style of Christian Dior was almost lost. Over the course of two decades, he lost many licenses, his popularity and authority steadily “creeped” down. Fortunately, in 1984, Bernard Arnault bought the company from its insolvent owner and literally restored the fashion empire.
Christian Dior is one of the most famous fashion designers XX century. Followers of the legendary couturier carefully preserve the traditions of the master, never forgetting his views on fashion, his craving for everything new and passion for experimenting. If other legendary names of designers have become synonymous with style, then the name of Christian Dior is an expression of all the magic and wizardry of high fashion.
Official site: www.dior.com
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