On the evening of October 24, 1957, in the Italian resort of Montecatini Terme, the life of a man who managed to change the idea of feminine elegance in just ten years ended. Christian Dior died at the age of 52 from a heart attack while in Italy for treatment. The news was met with shock in Paris, and the French newspaper “Monde“ described the silence that fell on the fashion house on Avenue “Montaigne“.
He was born on January 21, 1905 in Granville, Normandy, into a wealthy family. His parents hoped he would become a diplomat and Dior studied political science, but Paris in the 1920s captivated him with art, music and theatre. With financial support from his father, he opened an art gallery, where he exhibited works by artists such as Max Jacob and Christian Bérard.
From sketches to the first collection
Family financial problems and a long illness interrupted this period. In 1935, Dior returned to Paris and began selling fashion sketches. According to Time magazine, his first drawings were bought for 120 francs. He worked for Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelon, but the war temporarily took him away from the studios.
The decisive meeting came after the end of the war. Textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac supported Dior and in 1946 helped him create his own fashion house. On February 12, 1947, in the salons of Avenue “Montaigne“ 30, Dior presented his first collection. It received the official name “Royal“, but remained in history as “New Look“.
The silhouette was a sharp turn from the strict military clothes and restrictions of the years of World War II. Soft shoulders, an emphasized bust, a thin waist and voluminous skirts brought back the idea of luxury. Many of the models required a large amount of fabric, which caused criticism at a time when there was still a rationing regime in Europe. Nevertheless, the collection quickly conquered the public.
“We were passing from a period of war, of uniforms, of female soldiers with shoulders like boxers. "I turned them into flowers," says Dior about the idea of the "New Look."Fashion as a fragrance and a legacy
Dior did not limit his work to clothing. In 1947, he created his first perfume - Miss Dior, named in honor of his younger sister Catherine. Thus, the fashion house began to build a whole world in which the dress, the fragrance, the shoes and the accessories spoke the same language.
In 1948, the Dior-New York structure was opened, and the designer's name began to spread far beyond France. His clothes were worn by Queen Elizabeth II, Marlene Dietrich and the Duchess of Windsor. His influence also reached the next generation of designers: in 1955, Yves Saint Laurent became his assistant, and after Dior's sudden death, he took over the artistic direction of the house.
Christian Dior worked under his own name for only about a decade. During that time, however, he transformed flowers, curves and long skirts into the language of post-war reconstruction. Therefore, his death does not end the story, but leaves a task for those who come after him: to continue inventing the future, without forgetting the silhouette with which Dior brought dreams back to the wardrobe.
Sources: lemonde.fr, time.com, theguardian.com