Christian Dior: Destiny: The Authorized Biography

Product Description

The House of Dior’s official biography reveals the secretive and surprising man who revolutionized fashion, with new insight on his spirituality and relationships and a contemporary perspective on his legacy. 

In 1947, when Christian Dior’s model spun her wasp-waisted skirt and tipped a hat over one eye, the iconic designer became an instant celebrity. His groundbreaking New Look was quintessentially Parisian—the perfect combi­nation of fanciful and elegant that glorified the female form and seduced his international clientele.
 
Yet it was by mere chance that Dior—hapless in the face of personal and professional tragedy—met a friendly priest who helped him to rebuild his faith and to find the strength to chart his glorious destiny. He went on to upend the downtrodden postwar era with his joie de vivre and his pursuit of a single goal: to make women “not only more beautiful, but happier” through the proportions of his marvelous designs and a color palette that reflected the Parisian sky. Today, the legacy of this witty yet staunchly private man shines on as his intuitive creativity continues to inspire the House of Dior’s designers to reinvent the woman of tomorrow.

From the Back Cover

Christian Dior is renowned as the architect of the New Look, the epitome of elegance and beauty. But Dior’s own life, privileged as it began in glittering Belle Époque France, was marked by loss and hardship through the Wall Street Crash and under the Occupation in World War II. From the extremes of both wealth and poverty, and using the talents he had developed amid the bohemian crowd of Paris’s left bank―his eye for fashion, skill as an illustrator, and gift for friendship―Christian Dior emerged, dynamic and more resolute than ever, to found the Maison Dior. His groundbreaking fashions brought style and joy back to the streets of Paris and the world. Maison Dior became a landmark―like the Eiffel Tower―evoking an image of Parisian chic that everyone wanted. In just ten years, Dior created an empire that spanned the globe : his was one of the first Parisian couture houses to become a truly international brand. Throughout this meteoric rise, Christian Dior was surrounded by a fiercely loyal group of friends and colleagues who shared in his successes and fears, and helped him to achieve his vision. But such drive took its toll, and Dior suffered a fatal heart attack at just fifty-two. This sensitive biography looks behind the accolades to understand the private Dior―the man who suffered loss but loved deeply, who was quiet in person, yet known for extravagant displays of generosity. He overcame his own challenges to share the unique, beguiling world of his imagination and, in doing so, revolutionized the fashion industry and the way women would dress forever after.

About the Author

Marie-France Pochna is an expert on fashion and trends in the luxury market, and a professor and TV producer. She has published biographies on the House of Dior’s founder Mr. Boussac, Gianni Agnelli, and Nina Ricci and is the recognized authority on Dior.