From Christian
Dior, a believer in astrology and the beauty of mysticism, was always described as a soft and sweet soul who adored his family, specifically the women who surrounded and supported him, the very women who served as his first point of sartorial inspiration, pushing him to produce the House of Dior. A young Dior would tend to his mother’s garden alongside her, caring for and nurturing it, and learning about the rose varieties she tended. Roses became to him the embodiment of womanhood. Roses have symbolically guided Dior in his creations and designs, remaining highly relevant over the years.
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After women, flowers are the most divine creations.
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– Christian Dior
The house of Dior emerged in post-war Paris at a time when fashion was still reflecting the sombre reality of the hardship that changed lives and livelihoods across the continent. Here, the talented Christian Dior presented the new look to Parisians, welcoming beauty back into wardrobes.
At the time, his approach to fashion was quite controversial as Dior did not compromise design or style.
Fashion and many daily essentials were rationed to support war efforts as the country tried to rebuild due to the strenuous effects on citizens and the economy, resulting in many cutbacks, with fashion being a non-essential being hit hard during this time. At the right time, Dior showcased his now-infamous cream silk bar jacket and pleated black skirt to ladies across Paris, earning rave reviews as women yearned for glamour in their lives.
His designs, at the time, used surplus fabric to bring his creations to life. For Christian Dior, this flamboyance represented a resurgence, a recollection of his childhood, youthful innocence and glamour. This bold move saw an influx of women supporting the brand as attitudes switched from subtle to sumptuous.
Christian Dior’s original designs were classy, elegant and attractive innovations to the silhouettes of the time, which kept a steady base of clientele within the maison.
The foundation and original feminine ethos of the maison, defined by the new look, ultra-feminine cinched waist silhouette, rounded shoulders, and voluminous long skirts, catapulted Dior to infamy as a house pushing boundaries and expectations of femininity. Launched in 1947, his new look, which lengthened dresses by 20 centimeters soon set the standard in America and the rest of the world. He was dubbed the pope of Couture, an honour based on his care and craft.
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I insist on using the word happiness. I believe Alfonso Day once wrote that he wanted his books to make him become a merchant of happiness. In my modest role as couturier, I pursue the same aim. My first creations were called names like love, tenderness and happiness. Women have instinctively understood that I dream of making them not only more beautiful but also happier, and that is why they have rewarded me with their patronage.
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– Christian Dior
This legacy has been carried on for many decades, with each new lead couturier and creative director weaving new styles, adding to the Dior aesthetic. Dior has seen eight fantastical creative directors lead the house, with each bringing their unique flair to the maison. Starting with Christian Dior himself, Dior Women’s has seen success with Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Jonathan Anderson, who is currently at the helm. Each designer’s stint defined a new era for Dior, with Anderson’s Dior unfolding before our eyes.
Anderson’s Dior thus far is colourful, playful, youthful and referential, once again exciting and energising clientele who are hoping this era endures for many years.
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In Dior, you’re up against multiple legacies. Legacies are forgotten, legacies are very well known, some of them are tremendously well-known. Some of them are current, some of them are in the past. So you’re kind of dealing with odd voices that you have to kind of deal with, which are the brand itself. You have the legacy of Dior, the museum, and the fashion book.
Yves Saint Laurent, this brief moment, then comes Marc Bohan, who was quieter, you have John, Gianfranco Ferre. You know you have all these voices and the public’s imagination of what Dior is, and in people’s heads, they have this vision. Each generation has a certain vision of what Dior is. They’re not all the same. So you’re kind of dealing with a brand which ultimately means so much to people, and you’re trying to find a doorway through it.
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-Jonathan Anderson
Dior through the years
Yves, Marc, Gianfranco, John, Raf, Maria, Jonathan
Yves Saint Laurent was hand-picked by Christian Dior to join the creative team as his assistant at only 18. A decision that would help shape the legacy of the maison for years to come, as Dior would pass, leaving the coveted role of lead couturier to his trusted assistant Yves, who would show his first collection to rave reviews.
He too was enamoured with the beauty of women and etched sketches in a way to honour their feminine form.
His time at Dior was however cut short, once again leaving the coveted lead role vacant. History would repeat itself with another handpicked designer filling the role, Marc Bohan, whom Dior praised, being offered the lead position for the English arm of Dior. Due to circumstances, he was immediately shifted to Paris to lead Dior with Christians blessing.
Marc Bohan’s time at Dior marked the introduction of ready-to-wear as the glamour of haute couture faded, with youth culture booming during the sixties. Marc found himself designing for a new form of woman, a younger woman, on the go, free from certain expectations.
Women were more inclined to indulge in fashion as life began to unfold in new ways for them. Marc Bohan helped transition the maison into this new wave of production, redesigning the Dior woman, where he tailored and sewed new styles. Marc, a couturier, had to stretch his imagination to fit the styles of the time. Over the years, Marc grew into Dior and grew out of Dior. With that, Dior settled into ready-to-wear, and a new look and legacy.
Ferré, Galliano & Simons
Dior established his sartorial career as a couturier, which Yves and Marc honoured. However, haute couture steadily declined, giving rise to ready-to-wear, which required a different type of lead within the maison, a creative director, now Gianfranco Ferre. The Italian at Parisian Dior, who was one of the most popular designers of the time.
Gianfranco, a student of architecture, followed and studied Monsieur Dior’s approach to structure, form and fit for haute couture, evident in his debut collection that re-energised Dior, a renaissance through reminiscents. Gianfranco’s enthusiasm for the house of Dior was felt through his creations, including the now infamous Lady Dior handbag.
However, in an effort to keep Dior modern, the maison searched for a new head to usher in the millennium, letting go of Dior of the past, ushering in Dior for the future.
A young John Galliano transitioned the brand from the nineties into the new millennium and is famed for his artistic and bold approach to Dior, most noted for the many cultural references brought to Dior.
Dior was his artful playground where no vision or dream was off limits or untouchable. His designs were not always met with admiration, as they at times appeared insensitive and irreverent. This would lead to an unfortunate event where art and life collided, leading to his stepping down at Dior.
The maison scrambled for some time after that to appoint a new creative director, and for a few years, designs were presented by the design team until a name presented itself, Raf Simons.
Raf’s work was a stark difference to Galliano’s theatrical approach but followed the DNA of Monsieur Dior.
He too romanticised women and brought to life the elegance of femininity. Dreamy is how you could describe Raf’s work at Dior, but as with our dreams, his time too came to an end after three years of beautifully brief but significant work.
Dior women by women for women
Maria Grazia Chiuri joined Dior after the departure of Raf and brought with her a personal definition of femininity.
For the first time, a woman was designing at Dior.
As with her predecessors, she referred to the archives and dove into the history of Dior, ultimately making it her own, championing women in a modern way. Making statements on behalf of the Dior woman with her debut collection, boldly embracing the works of feminist authors, presenting a t-shirt imprinted with “we should all be feminists.” This was a symbolic turn for high fashion and the house of Dior, as a woman was designing for women for the first time.
She intellectualised fashion, showcasing a new definition of feminine dress with her slogan tees, bold statements and tulle skirts, now a signature of her tenure, described as the Dior romantic. However, over time, this idea of the Dior romantic no longer felt modern and was now in need of refreshing, and so Maria stepped down, ushering in the Jonathan era.
Stronger through the years
Each designer has reworked and reimagined fashion for the modern woman, sewing together women’s fashions of the past and present, building up the house of Dior. This has given room to its latest creative director, Jonathan Anderson, ushering in a new era of Dior, the Jonathan years, which is currently unfolding before our eyes. Christian Dior built a legacy of beauty, honouring femininity, and the house of Dior has honoured him by embracing and nurturing couturiers and artistic directors who embody his original spirit. Their craft has made Dior stronger throughout the years, strengthening its aesthetic foundation. From Christian to Jonathan, Dior still stands strong.
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