Christian Dior’s Luck

“I would be ungrateful if I didn’t spell the word “LUCK” in capital letters. My life (I would call it a crazy adventure) is a success only thanks to good fortune”, says Christian Dior.
Born in a province in 1905, the designer could enjoy his life in full measure. He studied in Paris and went to Normandy coast for holidays. The only sign of his future occupation were the costumes he created for annual carnivals in his homeland.
Dior spent all his spare time in numerous museums and galleries. After he completed the school of political science he returned to his first passion and, together with the old friend of his Jacques Bonjean, opened a small gallery.
The world collapsed in 1931: Dior’s mother died of cancer, his father’s company went broke, Dior himself developed TB and was forced to leave the gallery.
At this period of life he remembered his dream of becoming a designer. One of his friends showed his drawings to people from the world of fashion. In 1938 Dior made his first step towards success: he began to work in Robert Piguet fashion house. But the place was occupied by another man when Dior went to front during World War II.
Several years Dior worked with Lucien Lelong and Pierre Balmain. In 1946 fortune finally smiled on him. Marcel Boussac suggested that the designer took over a couture operation he owned. He had to persuade Dior for a long time before he would agree to take over this salon and even then, he insisted that Boussac should start a completely new salon. Dior's favourite building at 3O ave Montaigne was available and so it was leased, decorated and embellished into Dior's version of Louis XVl salon. Dior assembled a staff from childhood friends, and colleagues from Lelong. Boussac poured millions into it and everything was made ready. His first collection – “COROLLE or ring of petals” met with great success. The designer decided that women all over the world were sick of war with its grey colours and shabby clothes. So he introduced a sumptuous collection with feminine clothes, soft rounded shapes, full flowing skirts, nipped-in waists and hemlines below the knee. One of the journalists called it “a new look” and so it was called all over the world – the New Look.
That was a real revolution in the world of fashion, lots of demonstrations against Dior’s innovations took place. Nevertheless, pretty soon the New Look won the hearts of women all over the world.
The career of the designer didn’t last long. He created a new collection every six months. Having created just 22 of them, he died at the age of 57.
The House, nevertheless, didn’t stop its existence. It helped reveal the talent of many other talented designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre and the star of the present days – John Galliano.
The French fashion house is still loyal to the direction chosen by Christian Dior: the things are always luxurious, exquisite and very womanly.