The Fashion Designer Of The 1940-1950 Ies, Christian Dior

Christian Dior was born on the 21 of January 1905. He grew up in Granville France to a affluent family, that worked in manufacturing. ‘Dior’s first interest in clothes developed in his teens when he dressed up as king Neptune for a fancy dress party.’ He went to school to study political science at Ecole des Sciences Politiques in Paris in 1920. This was because of his parent 's insistence. Dior then got the call for military service and served in the French Army from 1927-1928. In 1938 Robert Piguet hired him as a design assistant. Then after the war ended he began working for Lucien Lelong. Before pursing his own ambition and opening his own fashion house. Dior rose to fame quickly after he showcased his first collection ‘La Ligne Corolle’. Carmel Snow the editor and -chief of Harper’s Bazaar at the time gave the collection a name that

A. Chanel No. 5 is one of the most prestigious scents in the world (J. Baughman (Ed.), 2001)

Technology has had a major impact on the progress of fashion between the 1945’s and 1960’s and beyond. People used to have busy lifestyles before the growth of technology to help them. During WW2, there was a shortage of fabrics and people needed to preserve them. However, once the world got into a stable post-war time which were the 50s, there were more intricate outfits which used large amounts of fabric. Technology also allowed more different varieties of dyes and fibers to be made which added more of a personal touch to fashion and gave a feeling of wellbeing and comfort.

After the War Chanel returned to Paris in 1953 to find that Parisian women were obsessed with Christian Dior and the “New Look”, which is a very feminine

Many great fashion designers have entered the market of fragrance (Chanel, Lanvin, Givenchy, Yves Saint‐Laurent, Balenciaga …). After that, the speakers of the cosmetic market launched their own perfumes (Yves Saint Laurent, Estee Lauder) and finally, the family brands made their entry on the market (L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Unilever…). These

The 1940’s was a turning point in fashion when the New Look by Christian Dior was created in 1947. The new silhouette included soft rounded shoulders, was nipped in the waist, and had a long full skirt. This silhouette along with Christian Dior’s tight-skirted silhouette in dresses and suits and the A-line look all continued into the 1950’s and remained the three main silhouettes for most of the decade. His three silhouettes influenced all kinds of attire including prom dresses, casual everyday wear and even children’s clothing. Figure 4 shows my great grandmother and grandfather in their home in 1955. Everyday dresses were very important during this time because many women did not work but still wanted to remain fashionable in their home.

Fast forward to Chanel’s young adult life, and you can see it wasn’t long off that she would set up shop in Paris, France in 1910, eventually expanding out to Deauville, and then Biarritz. She had started off with designing, and marketing hats which became a very successful hit amongst the fashionistas of that day. Chanel’s empire was growing exponentially, and in 1920 she expanded into the realms of couture now working in jersey which at the time was unheard of in the French fashion circle. Soon she was blurring the lines of what was acceptable, setting fashion trends instead of adhering to the routine, and was giving way to entire style genres such as the “chemise” and the “little boy” look. Her fashion statements were a gigantic contrast to what was socially acceptable, and of course Chanel fell under scrutiny over it, but she went on to create more casual, shorter, and idyllically “liberating” clothing for the day’s modern woman. In essence she was liberating women from the stuffy, confining fashions that they were used to, and giving way to a loose more relaxed style all together while maintaining it’s inherent feminine charm. Chanel was creating more than just a design, or an article of clothing, she was creating a movement that would change the way society viewed fashion in it’s entirety. (Lewis)

Christian Dior SE was founded by its namesake, French fashion designer, Christian Dior. The legendary designer exploded onto the Parisian fashion scene in 1947 through designs that challenged the wartime restrictions and reintroduced feminine elegance to women’s fashion. Dior was immediately successful and recognized for his unprecedented creative originality and innovation. During his lifetime, Dior was the most successful fashion designer in the world. Following Dior’s death at the age of 52 in 1957, the house brought in a steady stream of new designers who would carry on Monsieur Dior’s legacy into the

Fashion has been around ever since ancient times, since the time of the Romans, it survived the world wars and is yet today a business with rapid changes. Fashion started off as an art form, a way for the riches to show their social status with unique and innovative designs that only they could afford. It was a way to separate the social classes of the society. In this paper I will include the creator of haute couture, and how the following designers developed couture, as well as having leading names in today’s ready-to-wear industry. The list is long, but I chose to focus on the three most important designers of the modern fashion industry.

20th century can be named as the era where there was a significant development of the fashion industry. During this century the world experienced two world wars and this itself brought immense

Paul Poiret was born on April 20th, 1879 in Paris, France. His contributions to twentieth-century fashion has earned him the title in many people’s eyes as the “King of Fashion”, because he established the principle of modern dress and created the blueprint of the modern fashion industry. Poiret’s designs and ideas led the direction of modern design history. He was born into a working class family and his natural charisma eventually gained him entry into some of the most exclusive ateliers of the Belle Époque. Jacques Doucet, one of the capital’s most prominent couturiers, hired him after seeing promising sketches he had sold to other dressmakers. Furthermore, he was hired by the House of Worth and was put to work to create less

Dior returned to Paris after war in the year of 1941 and began working for Lucien Lelong. This path led him to opening his own design house with a manufacturing company, owned by Marcel Boussac, backing him. Dior had 85 new employee

Elie Saab developed an interest on fashion starting from early ages. Built his first atelier only at the age of 18. His passion for fashion and haute couture grew in the following years and has dedicated himself to his brand from design to brand and customer communications .According to him :“Couture was a creative engine for the entire brand, a marketing tool for foundation of an image on a profound long term level.”

This essay will be considering the historical development of haute couture by analysing Charles Frederick Worth’s (father of haute couture) key factors in the success of haute Couture. I will then discuss Coco Chanel’s thriving impact on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear caused by the second world war. Saint Laurent’s drift to ready-to-wear and the high street fashion system will also be discussed in order to answer if haute couture is relevant in fashion today. The books I will be analysing and referencing are ‘A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century’ by Bonnie English, ‘Couture’ by Ruth Lynam, ‘How Fashion Works’ by Gavin Waddell. Which will thoroughly breakdown the evolution and historical development of fashion by cultural, economic, environmental and social changes to finally come into a conclusion.

Around 1947, after the end of World War II that Christian Dior introduced “Kings” style. This style gave a sense of luxury to Americans and was very classy. The women began to wear formal dresses that had delicate necklines. The women were also introduced to stylish hats and distinctive hairstyles with curls. The men’s style didn’t see many changes expect that the war jackets were now distant, and they followed a narrow shoulder and hip pattern in everything they wore (“Brief History”).