What is dior famous for
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Christian Dior (1905–1957)
Christian Dior’s reputation as one of the most important couturiers of the twentieth century was launched in 1947 with his very first collection, in which he introduced the “New Look.” Featuring rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and very full skirt, the New Look celebrated ultra-femininity and opulence in women’s fashion. After years of military and civilian uniforms, sartorial restrictions and shortages, Dior offered not merely a new look but a new outlook.
Born and raised in Normandy, France, Dior moved with his parents to Paris when he was ten. After studying political science, he served in the military. His design career did not begin until 1935, when he returned to Paris and began selling sketches. The designer Robert Piguet hired him in 1938. During World War II, Dior served in the south of France, then returned again to Paris in 1941 and worked for Lucien Lelong at a much larger design house. In 1946, backed by textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac, he opened his own house.
Dior helped to restore a beleaguered postwar Pa
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Who was Christian Dior before his fashion career?
Christian Ernest Dior was born on 21 January 1905, the second son of a wealthy family in Normandy.
His father Maurice, an industrialist specialising in fertiliser, and mother, Madeleine, had five children in all, and lived in a clifftop villa called Les Rhumbs in the seaside town of Granville.
This setting inspired Christian as a fashion designer in later life, especially his mother’s superbly kept garden that instilled in him a love of flowers.
The Granville house became a haven for the Dior family during the First World War, apart from the eldest, Raymond, who fought in the trenches. He survived, although with severe shell shock.
As for Christian, he followed his parents’ wishes and began training for a career as a diplomat, even though his true interests were in more artistic exploits.
Leaving school in the late 1920s, he took over a small gallery – possible only with his father’s financial help – where he exhibited artists including Pablo Picasso.
What was Christian Dior’s early career like?
Everything changed for Dio
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US *Harper's Bazaar * magazine editor Carmel Snow.
and fuller bust than had been seen since the turn of the century. A
20 yards of fabric - the look received some criticism upon release.
fashion capital it had once been.
The house was inundated with orders and world-famous stars such as Rita Hayworth and Margot Fonteyn bought and wore pieces, raising Dior's profile significantly. Dior was even invited to stage a private presentation of the collection for the British royal family - although King George V reportedly forbade the young princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, from wearing the New Look in case it set a bad example at a time when rationing was still in force.
He was known to be very superstitious, a quality which increased with age. Each collection included a coat named after his place of birth, Granville; in each show at least one model wore a bunch of his favourite flower, lily of the valley; and he never began a couture show without having consulted his tarot card reader.
Dior established a luxury ready-to-wear house on the corner of 5th Avenue and
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