Books About Christian Dior
Book Roundup - Books About Christian Dior
Who is Christian Dior?
Christian Dior was a famous French fashion designer who founded the iconic fashion house that bears his name. Born in 1905 in Granville, France, Dior initially pursued a career in political science before eventually turning to fashion design. In 1947, he launched his first collection, which included the legendary 'New Look' silhouette that revolutionized the fashion industry. The success of his designs helped establish Paris as the fashion capital of the world and cemented Dior's status as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Despite his untimely death in 1957, the House of Dior continues to be a major player in the fashion industry today, with a reputation for producing stunning, innovative designs that push the boundaries of style and creativity.
Some of the prominent designers during the same era as Christian Dior include Cristobal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Pierre Balmain. These designers shared a common goal of bringing luxury and elegance to fashion, and their contributions have had a lasting impact on the industry. Yves Saint Laurent spent two years work along side and learning from Christian Dior. If you’re interested in learning about other fashion designers, you can also check out books about Gianni Versace, Gucci and Mainbocher.
About the Christian Dior Brand
Today, the Dior brand is considered to be one of the world's leading fashion houses, with a strong reputation for producing high quality and luxurious clothing, accessories, fragrances, and cosmetics.
Under the leadership of current artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior products and services continued to evolve, while still staying true to its roots in couture and parfums. Recent collections have featured a mix of classic elegance and modern flair, with a focus on tailored silhouettes, intricate embroidery and embellishments, and bold prints and patterns.
In addition to its fashion offerings, Dior has also expanded into other areas, including fine jewelry and watches, as well as beauty and skincare products. The brand is known for its commitment to sustainability and ethical practices, with a focus on reducing waste and using sustainable materials whenever possible. Overall, Dior remains a true icon of luxury fashion and continues to set the standard for high-end style and sophistication.
Dior
by Dior
Dior by Dior
Christian Dior (1905–1957) rocketed to fame with his first collection in 1947 when the “New Look” took the world by storm. This charming and modest autobiography gives a fascinating and detailed insight into the workings of a great fashion house, while revealing the private man behind the high-profile establishment. It is also a unique portrait of classic Paris haute couture of the 1950s and offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes. Dior details his childhood in Granville, the family and friends closest to him, his most difficult years and sudden success, as well as his sources of inspiration and creative processes.
The Paris Secret
by Natasha Lester
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
England, 1939: The Penrose sisters couldn't be more different. Skye is a daring and brash pilot, and Liberty the one to defy her at every turn. Even if women aren't allowed in the Royal Air Force, Skye is determined to help the war effort. She's thrilled when it reunites her with her childhood soulmate, Nicholas. She's less thrilled to learn Nicholas is now engaged to an enigmatic Frenchwoman named Margaux Jourdan.
Paris, 1947: Designer Christian Dior unveils his glamorous first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance Miss Dior in tribute to his beloved sister Catherine, who forged a friendship with Skye and Margaux through her work with the French Resistance.
Present Day: Fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a priceless collection of Dior gowns in her grandmother's vacant cottage. As she delves into the mystery of their origin, Kat begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about her beloved grandmother.
Christian Dior
by Oriole Cullen
Christian Dior by Oriole Cullen
Capturing the highlights of a major V&A exhibition, this stunning volume celebrates the House of Dior from its foundation in 1947 to the present day. Haute-couture gowns by Christian Dior and the illustrious creative directors who followed him—Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri—are showcased here, atmospherically photographed by Laziz Hamani. Archival material—including design sketches by Christian Dior—and press and fashion photography provide colorful context, amplified by introductory texts to each section by V&A Fashion Curator Oriole Cullen. An opening chapter by Cullen looks at Dior’s creative collaborations with influential British manufacturers, and his most notable British clients, from Princess Margaret to author Nancy Mitford and ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn. It also revisits Dior’s spectacular fashion shows staged in England’s most luxurious stately homes, including at Blenheim Palace in 1954.
Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture
by Justine Picardie
Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture by Justine Picardie
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.
Dior or Die
by Angela M. Sanders
Dior or Die by Angela M. Sanders
Portland, Oregon, vintage clothing store owner, Joanna Hayworth, is in a tight spot. Her plans to upgrade her store have derailed and costs are mounting. When she wins three trunks of vintage haute couture in an auction, she thinks her luck has changed—but it’s about to get much worse. The clothing’s high-society matron owner turns up poisoned to death, and police seize the wardrobe, leaving Joanna with more debt, a friend wrongly jailed for diamond theft, and a convent of quirky nuns depending on her help. There’s only one way to calmer waters: find the murderer, and fast.
Christian Dior: Destiny: The Authorized Biography
by Marie-France Pochna
Christian Dior: Destiny: The Authorized Biography by Marie-France Pochna
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.
