One-minute bio: Christian Dior
The French designer leaps back into flowery feminine forms after years of war-time fashion
French designer Christian Dior was the founder and namesake of one of the world’s top fashion houses. From an early age, Dior had always been artistic and would sell fashion sketches outside his house for mere cents. In 1937, Dior was hired by fashion designer Robert Piguet, allowing him to hone his creative sensibilities for Piguet’s collections. During this time, he worked alongside Pierre Balmain.
In 1946, Dior founded his eponymous fashion house and by the very first collection, had grabbed the attention of Harper’s Bazaar ‘s editor-in-chief, Carmel Snow. She coined his style the “New Look” for its revolutionary use of fabric and silhouette.
To leap back into flowery feminine forms after years of war-time fashion was a breath of fresh air in the Paris landscape. Part of this first collection was the “Bar” suit, which features a nipped-in waist and voluminous skirt, and is still a key shape on Dior’s catwalk.
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