CRS 231 My Favorite Designer and Why?- Katherine Norkus

"The tones of gray, pale turquoise and pink will prevail."




"I have designed flower women."
Christian Dior

About The Designer:
Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905 in Granville, a town on the Normandy coast in France. Dior was the second of five children, son of Alandre Lous Maurice Dior; a wealthy fertiliser and chemicals manufacturer. Dior wanted to become an architect, but his family pushed him to obtain a diplomatic career, therefore he enrolled at the Ecole des Sciences Politiques in Paris. In 1928, Christian Dior followed his heart, abandoning his diplomatic career. His father gave him money to open an art gallery, under the conditions that their family name did not appear over the door. In 1931, Christian Dior's brother and mother died, leading to a collapse in the family business, and the closing of his art gallery. Dior there after, made a living by selling fashion sketches to haute couture houses. He received a job as an assistant to the couturier, Robert Piquet, and after World War II ended, Dior went to live with his family on a farm until he was offered a job by couturier Lucien Lelong. Dior spent the rest of the war dressing the wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators.

The New Look:

In the spring of 1947, Dior had success when he joined with Marcel Boussac, and opened the House of Dior featuring his first collection the "New Look," inspired by his mother. The name of the line was originally called "Corolle," but the title "New Look" was thought of by Carmel Snow, the editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar fashion magazine. The success of the "New Look" pushed Christian Dior to the top of the French fashion industry. Dior's first couture show was presented on February 12, 1947. His silhouettes featured the use of long, full skirts, tiny waists, padded busts, rounded shoulders, and the use of beautiful fabric. For this brilliant creation of his, the French government awarded him the Legion of Honor.

His Designs:

Christian Dior was an influential fashion designer, who changed the look of women's clothing and gave the post World War II French fashion industry, a new feminine look. Dior's designs, were more voluptuous than the boxy, fabric conserving look from the previous war. Christian Dior was an innovative designer, who worked with feminine shapes, and luxurious fabrics in his creations. His look employed bustier style bodices, hip padding, waisted corsets and petticoats that made his dresses flare out at the waist. All of these particular features gave his models a flattering curvaceous form. The hem of the skirt highlighted the calves and ankles, creating a beautiful feminine silhouette. At first, women protested his designs because the dresses covered their legs, which was something new to their time, because of the previous limitations on fabric during the war.

Fun Facts:
Christian Dior liked to spend time with Bobby, his dog. He was very shy, and left socializing to his sales director, Suzanne Luling. In every collection, Dior had a coat named "Granville" named after his birthplace. Before every show, he would consult his tarot card reader. Dior liked to use different sized models to prove and show that his clothes could fit on different sized women. In 1957, Christian Dior went to a spa in the town of Montecatini in northern Italy. Ten days later, Dior died of a heart attack from choking on a fish bone at dinner. About 2,500 people attended his funeral. Yves Saint Laurent was his successor.