Christian Dior

Christian Dior is one of the brightest stars in the fashion world in the history of mankind. For half a century, his legacy - Christian Dior Fashion House - has been living without him, but the brand’s collections still correspond to the highest level declared once by the great couturier. What was the biography of the fashion master, what milestones in the history of the Dior house changed the lives of all fashionistas, and what were the main discoveries in the design of women's clothing made by Christian?

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that fashion in the form in which it exists today is largely due to the hard work of Christian Dior. This man was in love with fashion, and therefore he devoted his whole life to it, thanks to which today in the everyday life of stylish women there are a lot of things that can not be done without.

Nowadays there is not a single person to whom the name of the great couturier would be unfamiliar. However, Christian made a difficult path to recognition and fame, and during his life he managed to taste success only for several years.

Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905 in a large family in the tiny town of Granville, located in the north of France, right in the English Channel.It was a very successful family: the father managed to become a successful businessman, the mother took care of her five children (Christian was the second in a row). And when the boy was only 6 years old, his parents were able to move straight to the capital. This was the first, as yet unconscious, step of Dior towards the cause of his whole life.

Christian was a dreamer from childhood. From a young age, the boy was fond of painting, practiced a lot and even thought about the career of the artist. Parents persistently tried to draw the attention of their offspring to more practical activities - business, politics, diplomacy. But they did not succeed: although Christian Dior entered the Free School of Political Science under the pressure of his ancestors, this did not affect his career plans.

So, at the age of 23, Dior, together with his friend Jean Bonjac, acquired a picture gallery. At the disposal of young entrepreneurs were the works of authors who are known today all over the world: Picasso, Matisse - with the right promotion, this gallery would be very profitable, but it took time. Unfortunately, fate decreed that Dior and Bonzhark had no time.

In just three years, young enthusiasts managed to play the owners of the art gallery. In 1931, a fatal ailment took Christian's mother, and after his beloved wife, his father also died away, shortly before that he completely went bankrupt. Dior had to get rid of the gallery and return from heaven to earth.

After the failures of his youth in search of his place in this world, Dior went to the army, where he served for several years. Returning to civilian life at an already advanced age - about 40 years old - Dior looked around and realized that many of his friends had significantly succeeded in the fashion world. However, by a happy accident, among friends from this sphere there were people who helped Dior to be in the right place at the right time.

The culprit of the fateful meeting was a childhood friend of Dior - Pierre Balmen. At the time when Christian was just back from the war, Pierre already had his own prosperous fashion house and a lot of useful acquaintances. It was Balmen who advised Dior as an artist to one of the fabulously wealthy entrepreneurs.

The manufacturer Marcel Boussac, who made a fortune on textiles, was looking for a talented artist for his fashion house at that time. It is not known for certain how the first time of cooperation between Dior and Bussak passed, it is not documented what exactly conquered the entrepreneur in an unknown artist. However, under the auspices of Marcel Boussac, this very artist soon had his own fashion house.

Having become a designer of women's clothing, Christian Dior gained wings and began to create, like a little dreamy boy, as he was in childhood. Thanks to Dior, beauty and luxury have again become popular in post-war Europe, the joy of life has returned to men and women, and the honorary title of the world fashion capital has returned to Paris. The maestro has not been in the world for many years, and now it is especially important to keep the history of the creation of legendary things from Dior, so that the traditions of this amazing brand passed from generation to generation.

In 1941, Christian began his career in the world of big fashion. He got the artist's place in the famous Paris Fashion House Lucien Lelong. The following year, Dior opened his perfume laboratory - over the years, it will grow into the world famous company Christian Dior Perfume.

But the history of the great brand will begin its chronicle only in 1946. October 8 - the founding day of Christian Dior fashion brand under his own name. The first ten years of the brand's existence are the last years of the life of the great master.

• February 12, 1947. The first Dior collection - New Look - was shown at a major fashion show in Paris and revolutionized the fashion world.

• 1948 year. A memorable trip to America took place, where Dior was awarded the prestigious prize for his contribution to the art of a fashion designer.

• 1950-1951 years. One after one of the innovative collections of the House of Dior came out: Vertical, Oblique, Oval, Longue.

• 1952 year. The London office of the Christian Dior brand has opened.

• 1953 year. A Dior Delman shoe production department appeared, sketches for which were provided by the renowned master of his craft, Roger Vivier.

• 1954 year. Dior received a license for sewing underwear. In the same year, the brand continued to conquer the world: Dior representative offices were opened in Mexico City, Caracas, Australia, Chile and Cuba.

• 1955 year. The Fashion House has its own Bijoux jewelry line.

• 1956-1957 years. The last bright collections were released, created with the participation of Christian Dior - Arrow, Aimant, H and Libre.

• October 24, 1957. While at a health resort, Christian Dior suddenly died of a heart attack. He was only 52 years old, but he managed to change the whole world, and his legacy still lives on.

Over the several decades that the brand exists without its founder, many famous couturiers stood at the helm of the Fashion House. The reign of some of them was a continuation of the traditions laid down by Christian. Others almost completely buried his ideas and remade Dior almost beyond recognition.

The young fashion designer appeared in the company in 1953. Dior immediately noticed the talent of Saint Laurent, and from 1955 until the death of Christian, the young man was his assistant. Yves Saint Laurent presented the first collection for Dior as the chief designer of the brand in 1958. It was called "Trapeze" and was distinguished by its focus on younger women.

This made Dior completely different than the brand was with the creator. It was under Saint-Laurent, in 1959, the clothes from Dior were first seen by the inhabitants of Soviet Moscow at a show at the Wings of Soviets cultural center.

However, success was no less loud, because from the collections of Saint-Laurent it was fresh and youthful. In 1960, the “Hipster” collection was released, the name speaks for the components of this line: cropped motorcycle jackets, classic suits worn on turtlenecks instead of shirts ... Investors at the Fashion House were frightened of the avant-garde mood of Yves Saint Laurent, and he was quickly removed from his post as chief designer of Dior .

It’s hard to understand why not all the changes in the brand concept scared those who invested in Dior. So, since 1961, for as long as 28 years, the creation of Christian Dior has been mercilessly redrawn by another ambitious fashion designer - Mark Boan. The designer decided to abandon the luxury and splendor featured in Christian Dior clothing before. The main principle of Boan was the creation of clothing "... for real women, and not for himself, not for mannequins and not for fashion magazines."

In 1970-1980, the Christian Dior Monsieur line was produced. The collections of this era were simple and light, it was a new “luxury luxury” - an attractive trend from Dior. In a sense, this was a successful time, because the main fans of the brand were Hollywood beauties: Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Mia Farrow. However, in general, the brand was failing: a change in the main concept led to the fact that public interest in Dior faded, the brand’s shows began to attract negligible audience.

They tried to dismiss Mark Boan back in 1984, it was then that Ferre first received an offer to take a leadership position in Dior, but the virtuoso Italian designer for some reason refused. The second time, in 1989, Gianfranco nevertheless accepted this offer.

However, the designer was not very happy with this success. In 1996, Ferre left his post at Dior to devote himself to working on the brand with his own name.

In place of Ferret came a young and very promising British fashion designer John Galliano. This was the beginning of another, new round in the history and style of Dior.The era of glamor began with the first Misia Diva collection. The brand has become even more vibrant, avant-garde and theatrical than ever, and most importantly - it has become incredibly successful commercially. Celebrities again began to appear in Dior outfits on the red carpet, the faces of the brand during the reign of Galliano were Charlize Theron, Monica Bellucci, Sharon Stone, Marion Cotillard, Gisele Bündchen.

The Dior collections at the time of Galliano were romantic, feminine and extravagant. The designer used only luxurious materials: velvet, satin and brocade were generously decorated with fringe, stones, frills and embroidery. It was Galliano who opened the first Dior store in Moscow (1997). Unfortunately, such a talented creator turned out to be somewhat arrogant, like many creative personalities. On March 1, 2011, the company's management fired John Galliano from the post of chief designer of Dior in connection with the scandal that erupted due to the anti-Semitic public behavior of the fashion designer.

Edie Slimane, widely known in France from 2000 to 2007, was responsible for the Dior men's collections. He was remembered for his sophisticated silhouettes and made a lot of innovations in the men's style. He worked in the Fashion House so little, because he was afraid to become a hostage to someone else's name. Edie Slimane very soon switched to promoting his own label.

The next bright creative director, whose brand management has left a noticeable mark in history, was Raf Simons. He became the head of the company in 2011 and held this post until October 2015. The main feature of Simons was shoes: latex over the knee boots and high-top sneakers are his most striking hits.

In June 2016, Maria Grazia Curie took over as Dior’s Creative Director, previously managing Valentino Fashion House. Some time before her arrival, after Raf Simons, various young and talented designers stood at the helm, including Lucy Meyer and Serge Ruthier.

• 1947 - New Look - Christian Dior. This collection introduced the hourglass silhouette: rounded hips, sloping shoulders and a wasp waist became forever the embodiment of true femininity. An elegant miniature handbag, shoes with a narrow and pointed toe, and, as a finishing touch, a fluffy hairstyle or a wide-brimmed hat.

• 1957 - The Trapeze - Yves Saint Laurent. Geometric silhouette, straight lines and unusually short length - the child prodigy from the fashion world has forever left its indelible mark on history.

• 1966 - "Doctor Zhivago" - Mark Boan. The collection based on the film was remembered for long coats with fur collars and wide belts.

• 1989 - Spring / Summer - Gianfranco Ferre. The unique collection brought the Italian fashion designer the prestigious Golden Thimble Award.

• 1996 - Misia Diva - John Galliano. From the very first collection, the couturier sought to reflect ethnic motifs and culture of peoples of different countries in clothing.

• 2004 - spring / summer - John Galliano. Glitter of gold and stones, the collection is imbued with the theme of Ancient Egypt.

• 2013 - Fall / Winter 2013-2014 - Rough Simons. In this collection, the designer demonstrated his vision of the new look silhouette, while he did not change his beloved minimalism and played with plenty of bright colors.

In today's Dior collections, a restrained and slightly modernized display of the style laid down in the brand by Christian Dior is traced. Women's and men's lines are filled with elegant and spectacular things. For example, the spring / summer 2017 collection was dedicated to fashionable classics of the twentieth century, and therefore you can find all the characteristic features of the “textbook” Dior in it.

A branded accessory from a famous brand is the object of desire of any modern fashionista. A miniature clutch bag costs fabulous money, but still women all over the world are eager to get at least one such thing. Most popular models:

• New lady with butterflies;

• Miss Dior

• Open bar;

• Diorama;

• Diorissimo;

• Mini

• Lady Dior.

The latest model was designed specifically for Princess Diana.Each of the listed varieties is today considered to be classical, does not lose its relevance and is appropriate in both everyday and evening looks.

The brand produces both classic boats, and beautiful sports shoes (sneakers, sneakers, sneakers), as well as trendy mule shoes, all kinds of sandals, models with flat soles and, of course, boots.

The first perfume released by Christian in 1947 is Miss Dior. Created around the scent of lilies of the valley - Dior’s mother’s favorite flowers. He made a splash in the world of perfumery, and still the spirits of this brand are among the five best on the planet.

The most popular fragrances for representatives of the strong half of humanity:

• Fahrenheit;
• Sauvage;
• Higher Energy;
• Homme.

Of course, for men, the cult creations of perfumes under the Dior brand were created much less than for women.

In addition to the first, which became revolutionary, there are many other popular aromas:

• J'adore;
• Diorissimo;
• Addict;
• Dune
• Dolce Vita;
• Midnight Poison;
• Blooming bouquet
• Dioressence
• Forever and Ever;
• Hypnotic Poison.

Equally successful among women around the world is Dior cosmetics, both decorative and skin care products. Under the famous brand are issued upscale "inhabitants" of ladies' cosmetics:

• shadows (5 colors);
• powder;
• pomade;
• lip gloss;
• Mascara;
• concealer;
• nail polish;
• makeup brushes;
• blush.

Among the care products, Diorovsky lip balms, creams and gels for the skin around the eyes, for the face, as well as Capture Totale wrinkle filler are especially in demand.

The silhouette of a new look, pumps, Miss Dior fragrance ... Only Rouge Dior red lipstick will complete this series from the arsenal of “female weapons”. Christian Dior released this legendary thing in 1949. At first it was a limited edition for VIP clients: not for sale, but as a gift.

Incredibly bright and seductive lipstick adorned the lips of Bette Davis in the film “All About Eve”, as well as the mouth of Marlene Dietrich in Alfred Hitchcock's film “Fear of the Stage”. After the incredible success not only of the films themselves, but also of the appearance of their heroines (and here the lips played no less, and maybe a bigger role), Dior began working on the mass production of his seductive lipstick.

The first collection of Rouge Dior consisted of 8 shades that perfectly combined or even completely repeated the red shades of couture fabrics from this year's collection. Today, the palette of legendary lipstick has several dozen shades.

The main advantage of Dior jewelry, whether it be earrings or sunglasses, is the decoration of each product with iridescent rock crystal. Dior discovered the effect of such a decorative technique along with Swarovski back in 1955. Today, Victoria de Castellan is responsible for creating the brand’s unique jewelry.

The first model was released in 1975 and was called Black Moon. Today, the brand produces several watch lines, each of which presents dozens of different models. The most popular is the Dior VIII line (with a lucky Dior number). This collection creates everyday, evening and cocktail hours. The face of the advertising campaign was actress Charlize Theron.

The name of Christian Dior is immortalized not only in his brand. Fashion designers are considered a true legend and the creator of world fashion, films are made about him and books are written. By the way, the master himself released in 1956 the autobiography Dior o Dior. And two years earlier another book by a fashion designer was first published - “Dior. Fashion Dictionary ”.

An autobiography narrates in detail the entire history of the formation of the great couturier. And in his dictionary, Dior shares simple secrets of elegance with women. Most of his style recommendations are relevant today.

Among books written about Dior by other people, Christian Dior. The biography ”(Marie-France Pokna) and“ Dior Glamor: 1952-1962 ”(Mark Shaw).In 2005, director Philippe Lanfranchee released the documentary Christian Dior - The Man-Legend, immersing the viewer in the atmosphere surrounding the great creator, showing the world of the legendary fashion designer from the inside.

But the main repository of the memory of Christian Dior should be called a museum, located in the master's father's house - on the estate in Granville.

The interiors in which the Christian family lived were recreated here, some personal belongings of the illustrious designer are presented, and, of course, retrospective exhibitions of the brand regularly happen here.

It would seem, who is finer able to feel the female soul than the master, dressing her in stunning dresses, putting her shoes in seductive shoes and enveloping her with seductive aromas? But Christian, who exalted a woman to heaven, according to the evil fate, did not have the opportunity to love a woman in the full sense of the word.

A fashion designer has never found family happiness in his entire life. All the blame for the non-traditional orientation, which, of course, Dior did not spread, but it was clear to close people. They began to speak openly about this many years after the death of the master. In many ways, the discovery of this fact was facilitated by the appearance in the company of Dior John Galliano, who not only did not hide his orientation, but also actively discussed this topic.

• Christian Dior was the first among fashion designers to license their inventions in the fashion world. He sold the right to place the Dior brand name, which was a curiosity in his time, and today is the norm.

• Dior was a terribly superstitious person, so he always observed the same patterns: at every show at least one model defiled with a bouquet of lilies of the valley - the favorite flowers of Christian's mother; before the start of each show, the fashion designer always wondered on the Tarot cards; each of Dior’s collections included a coat named after Granville, the couturier’s hometown.

• Most of all, the designer was inspired by architecture: the master used a lot of techniques to create unique outfits that emphasize the chest and hips.

• Dior returned to fashion a corset, he was convinced that "without a corset there is no fashion."

• An ardent opponent of corsets, Coco Chanel was negative about Dior’s creations.She stated that his first collection was "the main horror for fashion of the late 1940s."

• Dior was the first to design the sets for shows, bringing elements of theatricality into fashion. It was Dior who created the tradition of decorating the catwalk in such a way that he emphasized the nature of the collection on display.

• Dior's favorite muses were three models: Rene, Cook and Russian girl Alla Ilchun. The last model has worked in the modeling business for a record 20 years. During this time, her waist increased by only 2 centimeters (from 47 to 49).

A shortened, tight-fitting model with a basque along the waist line was sewn, as a rule, from satin or silk. Involuntarily, Dior created an alternative to the little black Chanel dress in the form of its complete opposite - these were cocktail costumes that many ladies simply adored in the 40-50s. For a cocktail, a bar jacket should be worn with tight trousers or with another invention of Christian ...

The style fully reflects Dior's irresistible craving for an architectural cut. The ideal pair for this masterpiece, according to the fashion designer, was one of two options: a cocktail jacket or a tight-fitting top.

Relatively free cut made this style a favorite of absolutely all women. Both the skinny Twiggy and the more feminine Jacqueline Kennedy could show off in an A-shaped dress.

Long crinoline skirts on the floor, richly gathered at the waist, conquered the fashionistas with their practicality: they never crumpled, which means they looked great, no matter what happened. The designer recommended wearing them exclusively with tight-fitting tops decorated with a deep neckline.

Dior’s desire to glorify his brand resulted in large company logos on clothing and accessories. One of the sharp trends, which has not lost its relevance today, has become a branded belt with a buckle in the form of the name of the Fashion House.

Shortly before his sudden death, Dior managed to give the world another masterpiece: in August 1957, the 52-year-old designer showed a gold bra at his show. It looked more like a modern corset with a belt and elastic bands, was sewn by hand from white lace and richly decorated with gold threads.

In 1947, Christian Dior conquered not only the world of fashion, but also the world of cinema. According to legend, during the filming of the film “Fear of the Scene”, the leading actor (Marlene Dietrich) set the director (Alfred Hitchcock) the strict condition that she would be shot only in costumes made by her beloved fashion designer: “No Dior - no Dietrich!” .

Since then, all the most prestigious actresses in Europe and Hollywood have appeared in films and in life in dresses from Dior: Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor, Isabelle Adjani and Bette Davis. Even the young and still unknown to anyone Bridget Bardot, a student of the ballet school and a novice fashion model, having once tried on Christian Dior dresses, carried the love of these luxurious outfits through her whole life.

Times have changed, and the age of capitalism has led to the fact that famous actresses began to appear in the outfits of an expensive brand, not only and not so much in the movies, but more and more in commercials. But these trends of the age of high technology only made friends of Hollywood beauties with the creations of the Fashion House stronger. The new Dior muses are the heroines of their time: Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard, Natalie Portman. Once selected, world-famous beauties for years and even decades represent a luxury brand.