Book Description

Christian Dior, the legendary French fashion designer, caused a worldwide sensation in 1947, in a Paris still groping to recover from the devastations of wartime occupation. Reintroducing the flowing, ankle-length skirt, Dior gave women back their long-lost sense of freedom, femininity, and joie de vivre. Dior's collection, with its pinched waist and generous folds of fabric, was dubbed the 'New Look' by the press, and Dior himself was crowned 'The King of Fashion'. Dior immediately re-established Paris as the centre of the fashion world and for the next thirty years the House of Dior, with its subdued and refined pearl-grey velvet-covered walls, played host to the aristocracy and international stars of stage and film. The Duchess of Windsor, Olivia de Havilland, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Ingrid Bergman were amongst those who graced its corridors. Dior's daily inspiration emanated from the world of the intellectual and artistic elite, in which he moved with such people as Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc, Henry Suguet, Jean Cocteau, and Raoul Dufy. With elegance, precision, and impeccable research, Marie-France Pochna recreates this one-of-a-kind world of glamour and luxury and situates Dior's fairy-tale career in the rich tapestry of Paris cultural life.