Christian DiorJessica Harrington

Timeline of Christian Dior• 1905 - Christian Dior was born

• 1928 - Opened an art gallery in Paris

• 1935 - Illustrated for Figaro Illustrémagazine

• 1937 - Employed by fashion designer Robert Piguet

• 1942 - Joined fashion house of Lucien Lelong

• 1946 - Founded The Fashion House of Dior

Timeline of Christian Dior• 1947 - Launched his first Haute Couture

fashion show

• 1947 - First perfume, Miss Dior

• 1949 - Dior boutique in NYC opened

• 1953 - first Dior lipstick and shoe line

• 1957 - First couturier to make cover of Time magazine

• 1957 - Dior died, age 52

Start of His Fashion Career• Sold his fashion sketches for

money

• Started working for Robert Piguetin 1937

• Designed 3 collections for him

• “Piguet taught me the virtues of simplicity through which true elegance must come.”

Start of His Fashion Career• Worked at the Fashion House

of Lucien Lelong during WWII

• Designed dresses for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators

• Offered position of artistic director of the Fashion House of Philippe et Gaston

Start of The Dior Fashion House• Believed in signs and symbols -

lucky star

• Found a star while walking home - meant it was his destiny to start his own fashion house

• “Passing in front of 30, avenue Montaigne, Christian Dior knew that this little townhouse would be home to his couture label”

• February 12th, 1947 first haute couture fashion show called Corolle

First Collection• Spring-Summer collection

• “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your dresses have such a new look!” -Editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar

• Collection was referred to as The New Look

• Pairs regained the title of fashion capitol of the world thanks to Dior after slightly losing it during WWII

The Old Look• WWII attire was boxy, masculine,

fabric-conserving

• De-feminized uniforms worn by women traditionally in masculine occupations

• Ration restrictions on fabric

The New Look• “I wanted my dresses to be constructed”

on the curves of the female body

• Known for unique silhouettes, lengths, volumes, tiny waists, sexy busts

• Volume to hips, accentuated waist, emphasized bust

• Went back to ultra feminine silhouette

• Mass amounts of fabric used to make one dress

The New Look• Became a master of creating shapes and

silhouettes

• Work lined with percale, boned, bustier-style bodices, hip padding, wasp-waisted corsets, petticoats

• Collection inspired by flowers

• Rose was his favorite flower

• Line resembled flowers, petals, loops of figure 8

The New Look

Effect on the World• News spread of The New Look to U.S.

• More than half the revenue came from US in the 50s

• Influenced designers after the 50s

• Still found in modern day fashion

Celebrities in Dior

Grace Kelly

Marilyn Monroe

Elizabeth Taylor

Ava Gardner

Dior After Death• October 23, 1957 Dior died

• Yves Saint Laurent took over the house (1957-1958)

• Made clothes softer, lighter, easier to wear

• “National hero”

• Criticized for not making elegant enough pieces

Dior by Yves Saint Laurent

Dior After Death• Marc Bohan took over (1958-

1989)

• Instilled conservative style

• Rescued the firm with elegant wearable clothes

• Created first masculine scent, Baby Dior, Dior watches, skincare treatment

Dior by Marc Bohan

Dior After Death• Gianfranco Ferré an Italian

designer became head designer (1989-1997)

• Style was flirtatious and romantic

• Introduced concepts and style that was “refined, sober, and strict

Dior by Gianfranco Ferré

Dior After Death• John Galliano a British designer

took over fashion house (1997-2011)

• Established look “Anything Goes Era”

• Extreme makeover of the house

• Style was a mixture of romanticism, feminism, and modernity

• Fired in 2011

Dior by John Galliano

Present Day Dior• Raf Simons is the artistic

director (2012)

• Currently designs women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture collections

• Known as a minimalist

• Contrasts against the dramatic designs of Galliano

Dior by Raf Simons

Celebrities in Dior

Natalie PortmanJennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lawrence

Present Day Dior

Works Cited

http://www.dior.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior

http://nymag.com/thecut/fashion/designers/christian-dior/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior_S.A