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3. Christian Dior Haute Couture
(founded in 1946)
| Christian Dior
(1905-1957), who had originally studied to become a diplomat, briefly worked
for the designers Robert Piguets (1901-1953) in 1938 and Lucien Lelong
(1889-1958) in 1942 before founding his own couture house in 1946. At the
house of Lelong he met Pierre Balmain, who was to open his own couture
house one year before Dior in 1945. Christian Dior rose to fame by creating
the 'New Look', which caused furore and revolutionised fashion. It was
American Vogue that originally coined the term 'New Look' when Dior presented
his first collection on 12 February 1947. Christian Dior's 'New Look' was
to solidly restore Paris after World War II as the sovereign city of fashion.
For years women had dreamt of wearing more feminine dresses and Dior introduced
petticoats, small waists and dresses that went down to the ankle. A 'Dior
Dress'- a dream countless women in the post-war period had - became a symbol
of everything that was desirable and yet out of reach for the ordinary
person.
Christian Dior attracted
many young talents such as Pierre Cardin, Jean-Louis Scherrer and Yves
Saint Laurent who were all later to open their own couture houses. Founded
in 1950, the futuristic visions of the House of Cardin were a 'style de
force' in the 1960s and 1970s. Both Scherrer and Yves Saint Laurent were
to found their couture houses in 1962. When Dior suddenly died at the height
of his fame of a heart attack, he is succeeded in 1957 by a very young
Yves Saint Laurent, aged 21. Later, designers Marc |
© Christian Dior
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2001
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Bohan and Gianfranco Ferré
follow in Saint Laurent's footsteps in 1960 and 1989, respectively. Dior's
clients have always included international stars and crowned heads of state.
For example, film star Elizabeth Taylor is an early client of Dior and
British Princess Margaret wore the 'New Look' during a state visit to France.
And Marc Bohan designed the wedding dress and coronation gown of Persian
Empress Farah Diba.
© Christian Dior
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2001
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English eccentric
John Galliano (born in 1961) succeeded Gianfranco Ferré at the house
of Dior in 1996, which has been part of the Louis Vuitton-Moet Hennessy
(LVMH) empire since 1985. Today Dior is the flagship enterprise of this
leading international luxury group. When Galliano graduated from London's
prestigious St. Martins College of Art & Design, his graduation collection
was inspired by the French Revolution. After launching his own label in
1984, his historically influenced designs spiced with a contemporary edge
attracted the interest of Mr. Bernard Arnault, head of luxury conglomerate
LVMH, who first appointed him as chief designer at Givenchy. Galliano thus
became the first British designer to head a French haute couture house.
Since 1996 Galliano has been busily creating his own version of Dior's
'New Look'. The Economist magazine wrote about Galliano late January 2001:
'John Galliano is praised for his painstaking craftsmanship however you
view his crazy clothes'. Even though his fashion shows occasionally have
an air of hallucinations, it is said that he does create the most beautiful
work for his private clients.
The house of Dior has been
situated since 1946 in a small town palace at No. 30 avenue Montaigne.
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Address for Haute
Couture Clients (by appointment only): Christian Dior, 30 avenue Montaigne,
75008 Paris, France, Phone: 0033-1-40.73.54.44, Website: www.dior.com
Copyright © 2001 Elegant-Lifestyle.com
Ltd. All rights reserved.
Any reproduction, even partial
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