"American Dior contains detailed drawings of the elaborate foundations, images of the New Look collection and more. With the introduction of the New look, Dior became American fashion's ultimate agent provocateur playing on the country's appetite for newness and for French savoir-faire. His collection revolutionized women's dress. His designs were more voluptuous with the use of fabrics lined with percale, bustier-style bodices, hip padding, wasp-waisted corsets and petticoats, giving his models a very curvaceous form. Dior used to say that his client would be "the most elegant woman in the world," which proved to be true, dressing an A-list of American icons such as Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Elisabeth Taylor among them"--Publisher's web site.

"Christian Dior caused a worldwide sensation in 1947, in a Paris still groping to recover from the devastation of wartime occupation. Reintroducing the flowing, ankle-length skirt, Dior gave women back their long-lost sense of freedom, femininity, and joie de vivre. Diorʼs collection with its pinched waste and generous folds of fabric was dubbed the ʻNew Lookʼ by the press, and he was crowned ʻThe King of Fashionʼ. He immediately re-established Paris as the centre of the fashion world and for the next thirty years the House of Dior played host to aristocracy, stars of stage and film, and glitterati from around the world. The Duchess of Windsor, Olivia de Havilland, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman were just a few of the famous names that graced its corridors. Diorʼs daily inspiration emanated from the world of the intellectual and artistic elite, in which he moved with such people as Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc, Henry Suguet, Jean Cocteau and Raoul Dufy. With elegance, precision, and impeccable research, Marie-France Pochna recreates this one-of-a-kind world of glamour and situates Diorʼs fairy-tale career in the rich tapestry of Paris cultural life."--Pubisher description.

"The Collections, 1947-2017: from Christian Dior to Maria Grazia Chiuri in over 1,100 photographs"--Sleeve.

An extraordinary book celebrating the unique connection between the House of Dior and the United States. Published on the occasion of the retrospective staged at the Brooklyn Museum, this new title chronicles the history of the House of Dior from 1947, when Chris-tian Dior heralded the birth of a new era of elegance with his revolutionary New Look, to the present day, with a special focus on the House’s legacy in America. Featuring a sophisticated Swiss binding, this book presents the exhibition’s highlights with creations by Christian Dior and the artistic directors who succeeded him: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri. Captured by artist Katerina Jebb, some of the House’s most legendary designs are displayed in highly unique images. A portfolio of iconic photographs by American masters—including Richard Avedon, Cass Bird, Henry Clarke, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Zoë Ghertner, Ethan James Green, Tyler Mitchell, Irving Penn, and many more—underscores Dior’s undeniable cultural influence.

Clothing and fashion accessories can serve as valuable primary sources for learning about our history. This unique book examines daily life in 20th-century America through the lens of fashion and clothing. This collection explores fashion artifacts from daily life to shed light on key aspects of the social life and culture of Americans in the 20th century. Artifacts from American Fashion covers forty-five essential articles of fashion or accessories, chosen to illuminate significant areas of daily life and history, including Politics, World Events, and War; Transportation and Technology; Home and Work Life; Art and Entertainment; Health, Sport, and Leisure; and Alternative Cultures, Youth, Ethnic, Queer, and Counter Culture. Through these artifacts, readers can follow the major events, social movements, cultural shifts, and technological developments that shaped our daily life in the U.S. A World War I soldier's helmet opens a vista onto the horrors of trench warfare during World War I, while the dress of a typical 1920's "flapper" speaks volumes about America women's changing role during Prohibition and the Jazz Age. Similarly, a homemade feedsack dress illuminates the world of the Great Depression, while the bikini ushers us into the Atomic Age. Here, such artificacts tell the story of twentieth-century daily life in America.

“With Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, [Dana] Thomas—who has been the cultural and fashion writer for Newsweek in Paris for 12 years—has written a crisp, witty social history that’s as entertaining as it is informative.” —New York Times From the author of Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes Once luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. It offered a history of tradition, superior quality, and a pampered buying experience. Today, however, luxury is simply a product packaged and sold by multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising, and, above all, profits. Award-winning journalist Dana Thomas digs deep into the dark side of the luxury industry to uncover all the secrets that Prada, Gucci, and Burberry don't want us to know. Deluxe is an uncompromising look behind the glossy façade that will enthrall anyone interested in fashion, finance, or culture.

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.

Dior and His Decorators is the first work on the two interior designers most closely associated with Christian Dior. Like the unabashedly luxurious fashions of Dior's New Look, which debuted in 1947, the interior designs of Victor Grandpierre and Georges Geffroy infused a war-weary world with a sumptuous new aesthetic--a melding of the refined traditions of the past with a wholly modern sense of elegance. Author Maureen Footer recounts the lives and work of this influential trio, illustrated with a trove of evocative vintage photographs. Grandpierre designed Dior's first couture house, creating not only the elegantly restrained look of the salons but also the template for the Dior brand, including typeface, logo, and packaging. Both Grandpierre and Geffroy (who worked independently) designed the interior of Dior's townhouse. After the couturier's untimely death in 1957, Grandpierre and Geffroy went on to design salons for other couturiers, as well as homes for the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Marcel Rochas, Gloria Guinness, Daisy Fellowes, and Maria Callas.

“Remarkable” —Hamish Bowles, Vogue The overdue restoration of Catherine Dior's extraordinary life, from her brother's muse to Holocaust survivor When the French designer Christian Dior presented his first collection in Paris in 1947, he changed fashion forever. Dior’s “New Look” created a striking, romantic vision of femininity, luxury, and grace, making him—and his last name—famous overnight. One woman informed Dior’s vision more than any other: his sister, Catherine, a Resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, and cultivator of rose gardens who inspired Dior’s most beloved fragrance, Miss Dior. Yet the story of Catherine’s remarkable life—so different from her famous brother’s—has never been told, until now. Drawing on the Dior archives and extensive research, Justine Picardie’s Miss Dior is the long-overdue restoration of Catherine Dior’s life. The siblings’ stories are profoundly intertwined: in Occupied France, as Christian honed his couture skills, Catherine dedicated herself to the Resistance, ultimately being captured by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck, the only Nazi camp solely for women. Seeking to trace Catherine’s story as well as her influence on her brother, Picardie traveled to the significant places of Catherine’s life, including Les Rhumbs, the Dior family villa with its magnificent gardens; the House of Dior in Paris; and La Colle Noire, Christian’s chateâu that he bequeathed to his sister. Inventive and captivating, and shaped by Picardie’s own journey, Miss Dior examines the legacy of Christian Dior, the secrets of postwar France, and the unbreakable bond between two remarkable siblings. Most important, it shines overdue recognition on a previously overlooked life, one that epitomized courage and also embodied the astonishing capacity of the human spirit to remain undimmed, even in the darkest circumstances. Includes Black-and-White Illustrations

This edited collection studies the production and dissemination of popular music, tourism, cinema, fashion, broadcasting programmes, advertising and coffee in Western Europe in the twentieth century. Focussing on the supply side of popular culture, it addresses a field of study that is neglected in European historiography. Moreover, it provides a theoretical and methodological discussion that takes into account the inherent dynamics of content production and the role of cultural intermediaries in the change of cultural repertoires. Taking key developments in the culture industries in the USA as a point of reference, the book highlights particularities of cultural production in Europe. It identifies a greater autonomy of creatives, stronger influence of critics and a lesser concern with audience research as three characteristics of the production regime in Western Europe. It takes into view the transfer of popular culture across the Atlantic and between European countries and offers new insights into research on the cultural Americanisation of Europe. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Review of History.