Overview

'The most important feature of my life - I would be both ungrateful and untruthful if I failed to acknowledge it immediately - has been my good luck; and I must also acknowledge my debt to the fortune-tellers who have predicted it.' Christian Dior (1905-1957) found fame with his first collection in 1947 when the 'New Look' took the world by world by storm. This charming autobiography gives a fascinating insight into the workings of the great fashion house, while revealing the private man behind the high-profile establishment. First published in English in 1957, this updated translation features extra text from the original French edition, not before included in the English edition. Three plate sections include drawings by Dior, behind-the-scenes images from the atelier and stunning fashion photograph from Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst, Cecil Beaton and others.

Full Product Details

Author:   Christian Dior ,  Antonia Fraser ,  Oriole Cullen
Publisher:   V & A Publishing
Imprint:   V & A Publishing
Edition:   Illustrated edition
ISBN:  

9781838510497

ISBN 10:   1838510494
Pages:   274
Publication Date:   24 April 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Language:   French

Table of Contents

Prologue: The Two Christian Diors -- Part One: The Birth of Maison Christian Dior -- One: The Reluctant Couturier -- Two: A House of One's Own -- Three: The New Look -- Four: An Innocent Abroad in the U.S.A -- Part Two: From the Idea to the Dress -- Five: The Idea -- Six: From the 'Toile' to the Dress -- Seven: the Birth of the Collection -- Eight: The Dress Rehearsal -- Nine: The Eve of the Battle -- Ten: The Showing of the Collection - Eleven: The Romance of Clothes -- Part Three: Inside a Couture House -- Twelve -- The Mannequins -- Thirteen: The Clients -- Fourteen: Domestic Expansion -- Fifteen: Paris to New York and Back Again -- Sixteen: Christian Dior- London -- Part Four: The Adventure of My Life -- Seventeen: My Early Years -- Eighteen: Friendships and Frustrations -- Nineteen: Portrait of Myself

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Author Information

Christian Dior was born in Granville, Normandy, in 1905. He opened his own couture house in 1947, revolutionizing fashion with the ""New Look."" He was created a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1950 and died in 1957.

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