Dior: A New Look, a New Enterprie 1947-57

by Alexandra Palmer

“Never in the history of fashion had a single designer made such a revolution in his first showing.” Time

 
In 1947 Christian Dior rocked the fashion world with his New Look, which dominated postwar fashion and firmly secured the name of his house in the minds of the public and the industry. Based on new research, this absorbing and beautifully illustrated book examines the seminal years of Christian Dior, 1947 to until his death in 1957, from a truly international perspective.


Dior drew on historical models of femininity and utilized the unique skills of the Parisian haute couture in textiles, embroidery, cutting, and sewing techniques to produce stunning designs that captured the new mood of optimism after World War II.  Dior also designed and marketed ready-made luxe lines and broke new ground by creating and controlling innovative licensing agreements for all Dior products, from perfume to stockings, jewelry, bathing suits, and even men’s ties.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[WORN Fashion Journal]

“There has probably been more written on Christion Dior in his lifetime, and after, than has been penned on any other couturier,” so writes Alexandra Palmer in the introduction to her book Dior: A New Look, A New Enterprise. However, I hadn’t read any of it, so I opened this slim 113-page volume expecting nothing above a very basic introduction. Palmer, the Nora E. Vaughan Senior Curator of Costume at the Royal Ontario Museum, respected author, clothing expert and academic, gave me much, much more.

I can honestly say I have never found such a broad range of information in so few pages. This book which, on first glance, appears to be mostly pictures (ooh, the pictures!) covers not only the clothes Dior was famous for, but also details the business innovations (ooh, the commercial vs. private client sales tables!) of the most successful and innovative couturier of his time.

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Dior, as Palmer illustrates, was much more than Bar suits (“Bar” was the name of the fabric used to create the famously full, iconic New Look skirt) and shirtwaist dresses. In one decade, from the launch of his first line in 1947 to his death in 1958, he reestablished a desire for French couture that, during the hardships of war, had become akin to profanity. A champion in the battle against commercial couture piracy, Dior encouraged women to take his dresses to their tailors, calling it a “good plan” to make copies in other colours – a move that not only implied empathy and understanding, but ensured that a woman might be seen in “his” design twice as often. And he found ingenious ways of sidestepping shipping tariffs to keep his clothes affordable in international markets. (Well, affordable enough.) He plucked fashion from the world of privileged indulgence, making it feel accessible – even necessary.

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As I read, my respect for this designer (for whom I had never really felt any great affinity) grew exponentially. The business end of the story was interesting, but what ultimately captured me was Dior’s sensitivity to the kinship between style and personality, and the drive to self-expression that never diminishes with age. Having developed his style designing dance and theatre costumes during the war, Dior lifted fashion from years of austerity and privation. His clothes were conceptually complex and three dimensional; it is said he compared his silhouettes to flowers,* with all the variety that implied. Dior offered women real choices. Palmer outlines the designer’s ability to channel both cocotte and coquette, mingling a dissolute, sensual past with a clean, modern future: “[Realizing] the dual images of sophisticate and ingenue in all his haute couture… The brilliance of Dior’s vision was that he managed to commodify his look in so many ways for so many women…”

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It occurred to me as I read how different his approach was compared to contemporary Dior, especially in the last decade, that I was 25 when John Galliano took over as head designer in 1997. Even then, I could see an interpretation of femininity narrowing to exclude many more women than it embraced. It was a realization directly responsible for what was, until now, my personal disinterest in that fashion house.

But in fewer pages than it took Canon to explain my camera, Alexandra Palmer has made me a convert. From licensing to marketing strategies, public reception ( the Little Below the Knee Club formed to protest Dior’s post-war return to a more traditional feminine silhouette), sales numbers, his dedication to creating a legacy, and the man himself, Palmer creates the sort of well-rounded picture one would expect from a much longer book – and she leaves no doubt that Chrisitan Dior was a true fashion revolutionary.

*Not quoted from the text.

(reviewed by G. Stegelmann)

[Calla Reviews (كالا) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well written intriguing book. I not too long ago finished Dior and I, and I think this book blends well with it and helps solidify the information.

[Sophie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dior: A New Look, A New Enterprise is an ideal read for anyone who adores Haute Couture and wishes to discover more about the history of an iconic fashion house.

Brought up by bourgeois industrialists in Granville, Normandy, Christian Dior had his life mapped out for him. His parents encouraged a career in diplomacy but his degree in political science was left incomplete. Maybe this change in course was a blessing in disguise as later he would become instrumental in stimulating the revival of a couture world which had been ravaged by two world wars.

During this period there was dependence on international investment (particularly from America.) This meant that individuality was forgotten as the Americans produced more affordable duplicates of French couture.

The tale of Dior is one of triumph against adversity; it was from illness and financial ruin that Christian Dior rose like a phoenix from the ashes. He began his ascent into the industry by selling fashion sketches to reputable designers of the period (eg. Balenciaga, Nina Ricci and Schiaparelli.) Later on he would work in the design studio at Lucien Lelong, alongside the young Pierre Balmain.

“Chance always comes to the aid of those who really want something…” ~ Christian Dior ♡

The stars aligned for Christian on the evening of 18th April 1946…

“Whilst walking up the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Christian Dior hit his foot on an object on the ground and almost tripped, as though it was the object itself that wished to attract his attention. He… realised that he was in front of the British Embassy and this made him think of his childhood in Granville, Normandy…Dior picked up the object that had nearly made him fall over: it was a star, the one that was to propel him into the upper echelons of haute couture and luxury, his evening star indicating the path to follow… he knew at that very moment he could no longer escape his destiny…the next day, Dior announced to Marcel Boussac that he would not take over Philippe de Gaston. Instead, he was ready to open a fashion house in his own name.”
Dior emerged onto the couture scene in 1947 with his infamous “New Look.” This spellbinding collection revolutionised couture and has impacted womenswear up to the present day.

“We were emerging from the period of war, of uniforms…I drew flower women, with soft shoulders, full busts, willowy waists and wide skirts like flowers in bloom…” ~ Christian Dior ♡

The “New Look” closed the chapter on utilitarian design which had dominated the war years.

Silhouettes were transformed through an iconic jacket called “le bar” which, with its clean lines and hourglass structure, re-emphasised what femininity could be. The jacket was intended to be worn during cocktail hour in the bars of grand hotels.

Dior would go on to influence Parisian couture until his untimely death in 1957; just as Dior found his lucky star two decades previously, we lost ours too soon…

Palmer dedicates a chapter to each 'phase' of the brands establishment on the world stage of couture ~ the details of how the fashion house branched into an array of different sectors in such a short space of time is truly astonishing!

Although this was a fascinating read, I must admit that many of Palmer's discussions of the more financial side of Dior became quite tedious and repetitive at times but the continuous attention to detail for the expansions and influence of this fashion house were communicated throughout. As the final line of the book reads... "It was a phenomenal growth that made Christian Dior so authoritative that Time magazine wrote, 'he's Atlas, holding up the entire French fashion industry.'" ♡

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christian Dior illuminated the fashion world in 1947 with his “New Look” collection, which made him both a household name and secured his place as a legend amongst his peers. His revolutionary re-evaluation of femininity in fashion embodied the post-war optimism, and was shocking in its use of elaborate embroidery and vast amounts of fabric (it screamed ‘rationing is over!’). For those who couldn’t afford his haute couture pieces, there was also a ready-to-wear line, along with branded merchandise such as perfume and swim wear. Palmer has taken a fresh look at Dior’s history between 1947 and 1957, and delves into both his artistry and his ingenuity as a businessman. As you can imagine, the illustrations are pretty fabulous, but this is a genuinely fascinating read and not just a picture book.

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Palmer's prose is a touch on the dry side, this book offers an in depth - but not overly detailed - view of the Dior phenomenon. The thesis argues that the house of Dior changed the face of modern fashion and set an example in both style and couture business for future fashion houses, and due to the carefully chosen examples makes itself a winning case. The focus is more on the economic aspects of the global Dior enterprise, and so serves to provide a balance to the many other books which focus solely on Dior's style and artistry. Maybe not a book for the light-hearted fashion enthusiast, but definitely a useful resource for fashion historians.

[Am Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely presented, with substantive research and references. But the book was not free of errors, which irritated me. Just casually speed-reading through, I found several of them (e.g. "a array of" as opposed to "an array of") spoiling what would otherwise have been a good reading experience due to the concise language.

[Carina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written written and lain out in an excellent format. I loved this book so much that I'm considering buying it, if just because the images were reproduced so perfectly!

[Carla T · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I wish there were more pictures of Dior’s designs. Can someone write a book with ALL his designs during the New Look period?