Fashion and history: remembering Christian Dior
On December 16, 1946, Christian Dior opened his own fashion house on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. If he had followed the path of his parents and become a diplomat, who would have given women the famous pencil skirt that so flatters the curves of the body?
The great fashion designer began his career at the fashion house of Lucien Lelong and sold his illustrations of dresses and hats to the magazine Le Figaro Illustre. In 1942, Dior opened his perfume laboratory, and after the war, his own fashion house. We recall important facts from the life of the fashion designer and his famous images.
The Dior family was quite wealthy, and Christian's parents expected him to build a career in diplomacy. But Christian believed in his artistic talent and even sold his drawings to newspapers.
Christian Dior often repeated that “dresses are ephemeral pieces of architecture designed to emphasize the proportions of the female body.”
The older the fashion designer became, the more superstitious he was. He always included in each collection a piece of clothing that was named after his hometown of Granville. And at every show, at least one model had to carry lilies.
Christian's wealthy father gave him his own gallery in 1928 on the condition that the name Dior never appear on the sign. The gallery was open only a few years, but managed to acquire works by famous artists, including Pablo Picasso.
Since the circumstances of Christian Dior's death have not yet been made public, various rumors are circulating about them. Some claim that the fashion designer died of a heart attack after choking on a fish bone. Others say the heart attack occurred while playing cards.
When Yves Saint Laurent was 19 years old, Dior hired him as an assistant at his fashion house. They worked together until Saint Laurent was drafted into the army. After this, the designers did not cooperate and even clashed, but Saint Laurent said: “I could not utter a word in front of him. He taught me the basics of my art. No matter what happens next, I will always remember what I learned from him.”
During World War II, Dior worked at the fashion house of Lucien Lilong, where they made dresses for the wives of French Nazi collaborators. At the same time, Dior's sister Catherine was a member of the French resistance.
During World War II, Dior was accused of being too wasteful and using a lot of fabric for his models.
Dior's fashion house attracted the attention of celebrities almost immediately after its appearance. Rita Hayworth and Margot Fonteyn helped the young designer win a wealthy audience. The British royal family even invited the young Dior to the presentation of the collection at the palace.
Today a patent is common among designers, but in 1949 it was unheard of. Dior was even criticized for such “impudence.”