'Monsieur Dior: Once Upon A Time' is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the ten years Christian Dior ran his esteemed house. As women were starved for glamour following World War II, Dior's New Look was revolutionary in bringing femininity back to fashion with a bold use of fabric and silhouetted lines. In the short time he ran the house, Dior rose to superstardom and managed to expand his empire to perfumes, jewellery, and hosiery while opening boutiques all over the world. Author Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni interviewed dozens of people who had a direct relationship with the fashion designer such as Jacqueline de Ribes, Olivia de Havilland, John Fairchild, Pierre Cardin, Victoire Doutreleau, and many others, including his vendeuses or saleswomen, society clients, models, and muses, giving readers unique intimate insight into how this captivating house operated. With dazzling images by photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lord Snowdon, and Willy Maywald, as well as neverbefore-seen materials from the Dior Archives, this account is a fresh and surprising view into the House of Dior and life of its brilliant founder. 'Monsieur Dior: Once Upon A Time' is elegantly presented in a Dior grey box with silver tissue paper and a grosgrain bookmark.

“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

The great hats of Dior, as chosen by Stephen Jones, one of the most revered milliners of our times. Christian Dior himself wrote in his Little Dictionary of Fashion: "A hat is essential to any outfit. It completes it. In a way, a hat is the best way to express your personality." Published on the occasion of the 2020 exhibition at the Musée Christian Dior in Granville, France, and authored by renowned milliner Stephen Jones, this volume celebrates more than seventy years of exquisite hats. Opening with a focus on hats designed by Christian Dior himself, the book explores the house's headdresses over the years--from the first millinery of the New Look to Yves Saint Laurent's Venetian masks, the toques of Marc Bohan, dramatic boaters by Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano's extravagant confections, the graphic neck bow by Raf Simons, and romantic designs by Maria Grazia Chiuri. Jones's insightful texts are accompanied by contributions from leading experts and enlivened by drawings and photographs from Dior's archives; shots by famed photographers, such as Richard Avedon, Sir Cecil Beaton, and Craig McDean; and exclusive new images by Sølve Sundsbø.

Through a highly original and detailed analysis of the memoirs, interviews and other life writings of Poiret, Dior and Schiaparelli, this book explores changing notions of femininity in the early decades of the twentieth century, when the democratization of fashion began. Examining the idea of modernity, eternity and the ephemeral in the writings of these haute couturiers, the book reflects on fashion's ambivalent approach to women, which both celebrated and vilified them, presenting them as both ultra modern style leaders and irrational creatures stuck in the past. This fascinating text is key reading for scholars and students of fashion, gender studies, cultural studies and history.

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.

In celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the house of Dior comes the first volume in a series of books devoted to each designer of the couture house. Dior by Christian Dior is the ultimate compendium of the most iconic designs conceived by Christian Dior. Featuring a wealth of stunning photographs by Laziz Hamani and lovingly detailed text by Musee Galliera director Olivier Saillard, this monumental volume encompasses a curated selection of Christian Dior's most important haute couture creations.

A comprehensive biography of the late designer, Karl Lagerfeld, and his infamous rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent. In the 1970s, Paris fashion exploded like a champagne bottle left out in the sun. Amid sequins and longing, celebrities and aspirants flocked to the heart of chic, and Paris became a hothouse of revelry, intrigue, and searing ambition. At the center of it all were fashion's most beloved luminaries - Yves Saint Laurent, the reclusive enfant terrible, and Karl Lagerfeld, the flamboyant freelancer with a talent for reinvention - and they divided Paris into two fabulous halves. Their enduring rivalry is chronicled in this dazzling exposè of an era: of social ambitions, shared obsessions, and the mesmerizing quest for beauty. "Deliciously dramatic... The Beautiful Fall crackles with excitement."-New York Times Book Review "Fascinating." -New York Times "Addictive." -Philadelphia Inquirer "It's like US Weekly, 1970s style." -Gotham "A story constructed as exquisitely as a couture dress. . . . It moves stylishly forward, with frequent over-the-shoulder glances at some very dishy background." -Boston Globe