Christian Dior the Fashion Designer seemed to begin his career with a hit. His iconic and well-known ‘new look’ that launched a new fashion era, and contrasted with the constrained style of war time, simultaneously re-established Paris as the leading light of the fashion world. The Dior fashion house is still to this day noted as one of the most successful couturiers to come out of the 20th century fashion world.
But this line that fashion director Christian Dior created in 1947 for the company of the same name was not the first fashion line he designed that won favour. In 1937, Christian Dior designed three collections for the fashion designer Robert Piguet. One of those collections was very well received in the fashion industry and Dior gained valuable experience. He once was noted for saying that “Robert Piguet taught me the virtues of simplicity through which true elegance must come.”
That must have been the case, as the ‘new look’ uses the art of seduction to allow the woman to show off her form with nipped in waists and a sexy bust, full skirts, and soft flowing shoulder lines. He aptly named his collection ‘Corolle’, which literally refers to the term corolla, meaning flower petals, and stated: ‘After women, flowers are the most lovely thing God has given the world…..I have designed flower women”.
Since that time many Christian Dior French Fashion Designers have produced clothing for the world of fashion, with notable fashion houses opened in New York and Mayfair, London. The London boutique, Christian Dior Uk, was opened in 1954 in honour of Princess Margret who famously wore a Christian Dior gown for her 21st birthday. This piece of Christian Dior vintage clothing can now be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Christian Dior clothing is not the only fashion item to come out of this fashion designers’ vision. Fragrances produced by Dior now seems to make up the majority of Dior’s output. With ambassadors such as Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman, Christian Dior fashion shows it still holds popular status amongst the rich and famous.
New directors of Christian Dior have taken the company down different avenues since these early innovations. Theatre and feminism have played their part in influencing the direction of this fashion empire. Politics too have been a huge part of the Dior fashion world. In 2016 the first female creative director of Dior launched the new range with a slogan that stated ‘we should all be feminists’, and had Dior make fashion history once again.
Christian Dior Vintage Clothing are still highly sort after but, as you can imagine, to own an original design by any of the Christian Dior French fashion designers, would be rather costly. The styles and shapes that characterise the launch and glory of Christian Dior can be replicated using any vintage patterns that can be available to you at The Vintage Pattern Shop. Check out the web site to see how you can own such a special piece of history.