Dior's career, a veritable fairy tale, is set in a rich tapestry of Paris cultural life before, during, and after the war. Much of Dior's daily inspiration emanated from the world of the intellectual and artistic elite, in which be moved with such people as Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc, Henry Sauguet, Jean Cocteau, and Raoul Dufy. Born at the end of an era in which luxury seemed reserved only for the happy few, Dior again revolutionized the world of fashion by introducing, in the early 1950s, "ready-to-wear" in his Dior Boutique. Until then, couturiers had worked essentially if not exclusively for the very rich and famous. With his boutique, Dior brought high fashion to the world at large. Marie-France Pochna guides us skillfully through the constellation of Paris high-fashion luminaries: Lanvin, Balenciaga, Lelong, Hermes, Givenchy, and Jacques Fath. Rivalries and gossip might have divided the fiefdoms, but absolute perfection in design and high standards of fashion united the Paris "family" of haute couture. From 1947, when the House of Dior was established on Avenue Montaigne near the Champs Elysees and burst upon the scene following its first collection, we follow the Duchess of Windsor, Olivia de Havilland, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, and many more society celebrities and film stars - all Dior clients - to their fitting rooms.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
First published in 1993 in France, this English translation of Marie-France Pochna's biography of Christian Dior appears in time for the 50th anniversary of Dior's debut in the world of fashion and coincides with a retrospective of Dior's design work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a biography of the designer, Pochna's book is complete and telling, perhaps not swept up high enough in the airy realms of fashion to please devoted couture mavens but highly informative and interesting for general readers interested in Dior and his impact on the fashion industry. The business of fashion rather than the artistry of Dior's designs is where Pochna directs much of her attention. After all, the marketing and branding that Dior helped initiate was innovative, so discussions of licensing agreements and the development of designer accessories, along with Dior's youthful development and inspirations, blend into a provocative profile of this fashion great.
From Publishers Weekly
A superstitious man who collected amulets and followed astrology, Christian Dior (1905-1957) established his couture house in Paris in 1946 upon the advice of a fortune-teller who had correctly predicted that Dior's sister, a member of the French resistance deported by the Gestapo, would survive. Dior's "New Look," with its corolla skirts and narrow waists?a welcome change from drab wartime fashions and from the minimalism of Chanel and Lanvin?was an instant success. Son of a wealthy fertilizer manufacturer who went broke in the Depression, Dior, a discreet homosexual, had rebelled against his bourgeois father by embracing the artistic world of his mother, a horticulturist and expert on flowers. He opened a Parisian art gallery, exhibiting cubist and dadaist works in the 1930s. His decision to become a fashion designer came after a soul-searching trip on the island of Ibiza. An elegantly written, sparkling portrait of a pioneering arbiter of style, this candid biography reveals Dior as a spendthrift and tax evader, a tough, at times imperious boss, a captive of his own success?tormented by anxieties even in his sleep?who wasted himself in the frenzied pursuit of living like a lord to make up for years of struggle. Pochna's previous books include bios of billionaire Gianni Agnelli and fashion designer Nina Ricci. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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17 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Book on Fashion I have ever read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Christian Dior: The Man Who Made the World Look New (Hardcover)
This book opened the world of fashion to me in an intelligent and amusing way. Read it!
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
DIOR,
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This review is from: Christian Dior: The Man Who Made the World Look New (Hardcover)
Ah, the great Dior, by which all other 20th century designers measured themselves against; from Yves St. Laurant to Coco Chanel, they all viewed Dior as the master. Even today his name is synonymous with style and elegance. This book is thorough and well written, Dior was a fascinating man and he is really fleshed out here. Very good book on a singular talent.
0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
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Christian Dior: The man who made the world look new,
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This review is from: Christian Dior: The Man Who Made the World Look New (Paperback)
Seller did not provide the book on time. It should have reached my house no later than Jan 6th 2011 because it was for my daughter's birthday on the 15th and I am still waiting for this book as Jan 16th. Very disappointed with seller WORLDOFBOOKSUSA
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