Christian Dior the man who made the world look new

by Marie-France Pochna

Christian Dior The Man Who Made the World Look New

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Meridith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dior? He doesn't dress women. He drapes them." Chanel

This book is a biography of the designer comprehensive enough to give much-needed context. It evokes the postwar mood of sacrifice and deprivation that set the stage for the fashion revolution of 1947. Dior's New Look--his celebration of women as figures of exuberant frivolity swathed in tens of yards of fabric--famously caused riots in the streets of Paris, pitting classes against each another, and more importantly, midwifing the modern world of fashion, celebrity and idolatry of the artist that we know so well today. Socialites as models, self-congratulatory awards, the birth of retail as we know it, not to mention the burgeoning influence of merchants on design--all are ideas that got their start with the New Look show of 1947.

And, this book is chock-full of gossip, just how I like 'em.

[Prometheus Worley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding the legend that is Dior...

Marie France Pochna did an amazing job descriptively detailing the extraordinary life of Christian Dior. As if to be a proverbial fly on the wall witnessing some of the most fascinating moments which shaped his life, the author transports you back into Dior's somewhat exciting formative years. His numerous interactions with many notable persons like Jacques Cocteau, Balenciaga, wealthy industrialists, princesses, and artists alike, are literally brought to life through the magnificent narration of Nadia May. I honestly have to say... I learned so much more about Dior "the man" from this title, more than any other Dior biography I've read thus far.

It really was a pleasure to listen to the audio version of the book.... Even if you're not into historical fashion narratives or autobiographies, this is a title that delivers on both, exciting information and engaging content!!!... I highly recommend it 👍

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Yvonne Ellett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't so remarkable about Christian Dior the man as much as offering insight into Christian Dior the business man. Everything that fashion is today -- licensing, status branding, multi-continent marketing -- is something that CD invented. The author gives a good sense of his lifetime's period without getting overly side-tracked with the movie stars and royalty that favored his clothing. She also does a good job of describing pre- thru post-depression era Europe through Dior's friendships with some of the most famous artists, musicians, and writers of that time. He was someone who understood beauty and was able to create it, seemingly, from thin air. Ultimately you get a feel for a man who was very far ahead of his time who painstakingly maintained every discretion necessary for the times.

[Francesca Penchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful tribute to a design genius. I loved learning about Dior's comfortable French childhood designing fanciful carnival costumes, that was to shape his later love of feminine frivolity. This book made me appreciate Dior's influence on 20th- and 21st-century fashion--as well as his business genius that introduced licensing as an important part of all haute couture businesses to come.

[Laura Eppinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, conversational style I imagine guides the original French text and is warmly translated into English by Joanna Swill. This was a sunbathing read that gave me lots of fun little anecdotes to tell at parties. ("Did you know THE Dior family, before Christian, was locally famous for chemical manufacturing and when their factory run-off made their local town stink, folks said, 'Oh look it's Dior weather again' " ?!)

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good

This was an interesting biography in that the author didn’t know much about her subject before she decided to start researching… it made me wonder if she could possibly write as thorough a piece as someone who knew him, worked in the industry, or had at least had a lifelong fascination with the man. It was ok, but Dior never really came alive to me, and I think this may be why.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

His life spanned two serious economic downturns in the world, the stock exchange collapse of '29 and WW2. I'm learning so much from his periods of scarcity, perhaps more than any other courturier he has influenced my interest and enjoyment of the elegant arts.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly very touching without being sentimental, and does a good job at describing the fashion industry at the time when Dior's star was rising. However, it was much too long and many details could (and should) have been omitted.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this telling of Diors life story. I did feel like to much name dropping was used as filler repeatedly however. It was nice to learn the way Dior over came hardships and went on to create the house of Dior. As a teen Diors Poison was my favorite perfume.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conocer la vide de Christian Dior, el hombre que cambió el mundo de la moda después de la II Guerra Mundial, es fascinante. Es una vida llena de contrastes entre el trabajo duro y la superstición. Recomendada esta lectura.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beyond loving Dior's creations, this was a wonderful history of where he came from and how he got started. I was unaware of just how influential he was in changing the fashion industry and its practices on a global basis in numerous ways. Interesting read.

[Doris Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

very englitening

[Jason Kivela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously I knew the label, but nothing about the man. Great information on his life, success and the industry. Awesome that the book didn’t gloss over his homosexuality.

[Caspar Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legend.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. Creatively and beautifully written, informative and so interesting.