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About Christian Dior

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world’s top fashion houses. Dior was born in Granville, a seaside town on the coast of Normandy in 1905.  His family hoped he would become a diplomat, but Dior was artistic and wished to be involved in art. 

He sold his fashion sketches outside his house for about 10 cents each to make money. In 1928, Dior left school and received money from his father to finance a small art gallery. The gallery closed after three years

His Fashion Training

Starting in 1937, Dior worked for the fashion designer Robert Piguet, who allowed him to design for three collections. One of his original designs, a day dress with a short, full skirt called “Cafe Anglais” was a hit. At Piguet Dior worked alongside Pierre Balmain.

After leaving Piguet in 1942, Dior joined the fashion house of Lucien Lelong, where he and Balmain were the primary designers.   In 1946 Marcel Boussac, known as the richest man in France, invited Dior to revive Philippe et Gaston, a Paris fashion house launched in 1925. Dior refused, preferring to design under his name. 

Opening His Own House

Eventually, Boussac supplied the financing and Dior founded his fashion house in 1946. His first collection created quite a stir.  The actual name of the line was Corolle (the botanical term corolla or circlet of flower petals in English), but the phrase New Look, coined by the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, stuck. 

Unlike other designers who were still creating boxy, fabric-conserving shapes of the recent World War II style, Dior’s clothes were more voluptuous. A master at creating shapes and silhouettes, his look employed fabrics lined predominantly with percale, boned, bustier-style bodices, hip padding, wasp-waisted corsets, and petticoats making his dresses flare out from the waist, giving his models a very curvaceous form. 

The “New Look” revolutionized women’s dress and reestablished Paris as the center of fashion.

After Dior

In 1955, 19-year-old Yves Saint Laurent became Dior’s design assistant.  Christian Dior died while on holiday in 1957 and afterward the house named Laurent as principal designer.  After six collections, designer Marc Bohan replaced Laurent in late 1960.  Dior perfumes, ready-to-wear, and a men’s line all debuted in the 1970s. 

The design suffered financial difficulties and went through several.  Today Dior is owned by Bernard Arnault.  After all these years the company continues to be one of the major fashion houses in the world.  In 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri became the women’s artistic director.  In 2018, Kim became the men’s artistic director for the house.

Christian Dior Bijoux jewelry was manufactured in Germany by Henkel and Grosse for 50 years beginning in 1955.   Kramer also made jewelry for Dior in the 1950s and 60s.  The marks include “Christian Dior by Kramer”, “Dior by Kramer” or “Kramer for Dior”.   Many hats in the mid-1960s were made by Guy Douvier. 

Curious to learn more? Check out our blog post on Dior.