{"id":163033,"date":"2018-07-31T10:53:38","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T08:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/magazine.theblondesalad.com\/?p=163033"},"modified":"2018-10-12T14:07:10","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T14:07:10","slug":"christian-dior-history-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theblondesalad.com\/en\/fashion\/christian-dior-history-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create an iconic brand – Volume 10: Christian Dior"},"content":{"rendered":"

It only takes to whisper of Christian Dior<\/strong> to open the doors to a mythical universe. Mythical as its founder, who was able to lay the foundations for a project of style and elegance in only ten years, that left a mark in the following sixty years. To tell the story of this brand, we need to talk about the iconic designers who wrote many successful chapters. Today The Blonde Salad<\/strong> is going to tell you everything about the history of Christian Dior<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From 1947 to 1957: Christian Dior created the New Look<\/strong><\/p>\n

Born in Granville, Normandy, in 1905, Christian Dior started his career in fashion in 1937, after he left his courses at \u00c9cole des Sciences Politiques and he opened an art gallery, which closed after the financial crisis of his family company. His very first experience as a fashion designer is in\u00a0Robert Piguet<\/strong>‘s atelier, where he had the opportunity to sign three collections. He left Piguet when he was called up for military service, but in 1942 he started to work at\u00a0Lucien Lelong<\/strong>, where he became head designer together with\u00a0Pierre Balmain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 1946, Christian Dior met\u00a0Marcel Boussac<\/strong>, a cotton entrepreneur and one of French richest men. He asked Dior to work with him to relaunch\u00a0Philippe et Gaston, but Dior\u00a0refused: he wished to make a fresh start under his own name rather than reviving an old brand. These words pushed Boussac to give Dior the financial support for the opening of his own fashion house, established on October 8th, 1946. His concept of fashion and femininity is opposite to wartime austerity and Coco Chanel’s style. The idea of “flower-women” is his main inspiration in shaping a new wardrobe that could enhance the feminine silhouette. His skirts are designed like flower petals: he used wasp-waisted\u00a0corsets\u00a0and\u00a0petticoats\u00a0that made his dresses flare out from the waist.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 2nd, 1947: this is the birth date of the\u00a0New Look<\/strong>. Carmel Snow, Harper’s Bazaar\u00a0<\/em>former editor-in-chief, is the one who used these words to describe Christian Dior style<\/strong>, that seemed to be so new to the fashion world.\u00a0He reinterpreted many iconic pieces from the fashion of the past, like corsets and petticoats, but they’re revisited in a modern way, with luxury fabrics, rich embroideries, flirting details like bows and new prints like animalier. A new fashion era is born: France regained its place in the fashion world after the drama of World War II. The symbol of Dior’s style revolution is the iconic\u00a0Bar suit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t