Post on 07-Jul-2015
Christian DiorJessica Harrington
Timeline of Christian Dior• 1905 - Christian Dior was born
• 1928 - Opened an art gallery in Paris
• 1935 - Illustrated for Figaro Illustrémagazine
• 1937 - Employed by fashion designer Robert Piguet
• 1942 - Joined fashion house of Lucien Lelong
• 1946 - Founded The Fashion House of Dior
Timeline of Christian Dior• 1947 - Launched his first Haute Couture
fashion show
• 1947 - First perfume, Miss Dior
• 1949 - Dior boutique in NYC opened
• 1953 - first Dior lipstick and shoe line
• 1957 - First couturier to make cover of Time magazine
• 1957 - Dior died, age 52
Start of His Fashion Career• Sold his fashion sketches for
money
• Started working for Robert Piguetin 1937
• Designed 3 collections for him
• “Piguet taught me the virtues of simplicity through which true elegance must come.”
Start of His Fashion Career• Worked at the Fashion House
of Lucien Lelong during WWII
• Designed dresses for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators
• Offered position of artistic director of the Fashion House of Philippe et Gaston
Start of The Dior Fashion House• Believed in signs and symbols -
lucky star
• Found a star while walking home - meant it was his destiny to start his own fashion house
• “Passing in front of 30, avenue Montaigne, Christian Dior knew that this little townhouse would be home to his couture label”
• February 12th, 1947 first haute couture fashion show called Corolle
First Collection• Spring-Summer collection
• “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your dresses have such a new look!” -Editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar
• Collection was referred to as The New Look
• Pairs regained the title of fashion capitol of the world thanks to Dior after slightly losing it during WWII
The Old Look• WWII attire was boxy, masculine,
fabric-conserving
• De-feminized uniforms worn by women traditionally in masculine occupations
• Ration restrictions on fabric
The New Look• “I wanted my dresses to be constructed”
on the curves of the female body
• Known for unique silhouettes, lengths, volumes, tiny waists, sexy busts
• Volume to hips, accentuated waist, emphasized bust
• Went back to ultra feminine silhouette
• Mass amounts of fabric used to make one dress
The New Look• Became a master of creating shapes and
silhouettes
• Work lined with percale, boned, bustier-style bodices, hip padding, wasp-waisted corsets, petticoats
• Collection inspired by flowers
• Rose was his favorite flower
• Line resembled flowers, petals, loops of figure 8
The New Look
Effect on the World• News spread of The New Look to U.S.
• More than half the revenue came from US in the 50s
• Influenced designers after the 50s
• Still found in modern day fashion
Celebrities in Dior
Grace Kelly
Marilyn Monroe
Elizabeth Taylor
Ava Gardner
Dior After Death• October 23, 1957 Dior died
• Yves Saint Laurent took over the house (1957-1958)
• Made clothes softer, lighter, easier to wear
• “National hero”
• Criticized for not making elegant enough pieces
Dior by Yves Saint Laurent
Dior After Death• Marc Bohan took over (1958-
1989)
• Instilled conservative style
• Rescued the firm with elegant wearable clothes
• Created first masculine scent, Baby Dior, Dior watches, skincare treatment
Dior by Marc Bohan
Dior After Death• Gianfranco Ferré an Italian
designer became head designer (1989-1997)
• Style was flirtatious and romantic
• Introduced concepts and style that was “refined, sober, and strict
Dior by Gianfranco Ferré
Dior After Death• John Galliano a British designer
took over fashion house (1997-2011)
• Established look “Anything Goes Era”
• Extreme makeover of the house
• Style was a mixture of romanticism, feminism, and modernity
• Fired in 2011
Dior by John Galliano
Present Day Dior• Raf Simons is the artistic
director (2012)
• Currently designs women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture collections
• Known as a minimalist
• Contrasts against the dramatic designs of Galliano
Dior by Raf Simons
Celebrities in Dior
Natalie PortmanJennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lawrence
Present Day Dior
Works Cited
http://www.dior.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior
http://nymag.com/thecut/fashion/designers/christian-dior/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior_S.A