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Girl in Dior

Annie Goetzinger

3.16 · Rating details · 1,119 ratings · 266 reviews

Winner of:
YALSA 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

In February of 1947, the crème de la crème of Paris haute couture have flocked to see Christian Dior’s debut fashion show. In a flurry of corolla shaped skirts, the parade of models file down the runway and the mesmerized audience declares the show a triumph. When Clara—a freshly hired chronicler and guide to the busy corr ...more

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Hardcover, 128 pages

Published April 1st 2015 by NBM ComicsLit (first published October 31st 2013)

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Average rating 3.16 ·

Rating details

· 1,119 ratings · 266 reviews

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Dec 04, 2018 Dave Schaafsma rated it it was ok

Shelves: picturebooks-bio, picturebook-adult, gn-european, gn-women, gn-bio

Girl in Dior is sort of out of my wheelhouse, focused as it is on fashion, and the Paris artist/author did a lot of glamour fashion comics work (she died last year at 66, RIP). I read this because I had just read her book about Collette, which I thought was just all right, and saw that a couple of my Goodreads friends liked this. It’s a kind of historical fictional story of Christian Dior’s fashion house focused on the later years before Dior died at 52.

Clara is a young journalist who meets Dio ...more

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Apr 30, 2015 Kate Copeseeley rated it liked it

This is an odd sort of graphic novel, if that is what you want to call it, I'm not sure. It's basically a shallow history of Christian Dior through the eyes of Clara. Through a strange set of circumstances she becomes a Dior model and this story vaguely follows some of her life as she works in Paris.
I say vaguely, and now I'm going to give two reviews for this book.

My first review is for the graphic part of the graphic novel. The illustrations are beautiful. I could look at them over and over ag This is an odd sort of graphic novel, if that is what you want to call it, I'm not sure. It's basically a shallow history of Christian Dior through the eyes of Clara. Through a strange set of circumstances she becomes a Dior model and this story vaguely follows some of her life as she works in Paris.
I say vaguely, and now I'm going to give two reviews for this book.

My first review is for the graphic part of the graphic novel. The illustrations are beautiful. I could look at them over and over again. The author obviously did a lot of research on the styles and techniques Dior used. The illustrations themselves tell so much about his fashion house and what they did. Honestly, this book could have stood alone WITHOUT words, that's how great the illustrations are. 5 Stars for the drawings.

Unfortunately, the text was awful. I'm not sure if the writer wasn't used to writing in English, or if this book was translated or if the writer was just awful. And I'm sorry, I really don't want to be insulting! The dialogue was so stilted and the narration seemed so completely vague that half the time I couldn't really tell what was going on.
It was almost as if the author got halfway through and either lost her will to illustrate or didn't really know what to do with the story. It's a great idea, and I give her credit for it, but the execution of the writing was subpar and the ending was terrible. I think this is a case where there should have been an author/illustrator pairing, for certain.

And finally, I think the publishers of this book should be ASHAMED of themselves for letting a book go out with a forward like that. It was horrifying. A foreward is supposed to explain something to you of the author and what they've written. This woman didn't really say ANYTHING about the author, just rambled on and on faux apologizing for not really writing a forward. OH YEAH, AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN READ THE THING. (not that I blame her there, but GEEZ LOUISE).

In summary, I would look at anything this author drew, and I hope she does far more illustrating in the future, but please, madame, get a writer for yourself. ...more

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Jul 23, 2015 Laura (ローラ) rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-2015, from-my-public-library, 1-star, comicbooks

Mechanically well constructed. Beautiful binding, beautiful paper, beautiful colours that suit the 1940s glamour... but, other than mechanics... it was boring. There was no passion or feelings. It just fell flat. I would summarize the story as: "first my life was ok, then it was ok, and then it was ok again." Disappointing. ...more

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Dec 22, 2020 Shannon Rochester rated it liked it

Every now and then I get into a phase where I am really into fashion, past and present. You would never know it to look at me but I am totally into the fashion scene...the girlier the better. And Dior is one of my favorites. This was a graphic novel about a young writer who becomes a model for Dior through some random circumstances...and then stops modeling when she falls in love. I loved the story and I loved the pictures...not much more than that to say about it...other than it was a fast and ...more

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Jun 22, 2019 Neil R. Coulter rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels

Girl in Dior caught my eye in the library because I'm hoping to take my wife to the Dior exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. Knowing almost nothing about fashion or Christian Dior, I thought it would help give me some framework for the exhibit. It seems good for that, and I look forward to seeing some of these names and events at the museum.

I like the artwork, cleverly arranged in panels and from page to page. The titular character is fictional, and the story of Dior as seen in these pages is s ...more

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May 14, 2017 Heidi The Reader rated it it was ok

Shelves: graphic-art-or-comic

A girl falls into the world of high fashion and then out of it and then back in again. A so-so storyline that should have been elevated by, come on, Dior! Sadly, that was not the case.

I would have enjoyed this more if it had just been panels of the dresses rather than pretending to be a story.

Literally, a girl in Dior on each page would have been epic.

Only recommended for serious fashionistas or those who study graphic novel art. Every one else, strut your stuff on down the library aisle and pic ...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Melki rated it it was ok

Shelves: graphic-bio, girly-stuff

Pretty art.
Pretty dresses.
Pretty pointless.

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Oct 04, 2015 Madhulika Liddle rated it liked it

12th February, 1947: Fashion designer Christian Dior, from a family that manufactured fertilizers and detergent but crashed in the 30s, has now—with financing by a textile giant—set up his own fashion house, and today is the day Dior opens its doors to welcome a list of elite invitees to view its inaugural designs. Alongside the likes of Rita Hayworth and Carmel Snow (of Harper’s Bazaar) is a quiet, timid journalist named Clara Nohant, come to report on the show for a fashion magazine.

Clara’s ar 12th February, 1947: Fashion designer Christian Dior, from a family that manufactured fertilizers and detergent but crashed in the 30s, has now—with financing by a textile giant—set up his own fashion house, and today is the day Dior opens its doors to welcome a list of elite invitees to view its inaugural designs. Alongside the likes of Rita Hayworth and Carmel Snow (of Harper’s Bazaar) is a quiet, timid journalist named Clara Nohant, come to report on the show for a fashion magazine.

Clara’s article is good enough to draw her to the attention of Monsieur Dior, eventually—because of a mishap that occurs later. And Dior offers her a job: be one of the models, or, as he calls the women who showcase his dresses, ‘young ladies’. This is the story of how Clara Nohant goes from being a ‘dowdy’ journalist to a Dior model.

Which might sound thoroughly intriguing and interesting, but falls sadly flat on the story front. As far as plot is concerned, this graphic novel has only a wisp of one, and that so bland, it just doesn’t work. Clara, in her own ‘biography’ (though she’s a fictional character, as Anne Goetzinger clarifies), is really not the focus of the book at all—Christian Dior is.

And even Christian Dior not so much as his dresses and his fashion house. In these pages are some interesting snippets of information about how fashion shows were organized; who were the people who ruled the fashion world (at least in the West) in the post-war period; how designs were turned into dresses, and so on. Just snippets, tantalizing glimpses of how fashion worked back then. There are bits and pieces about Dior himself—for example, about how he owned a series of dogs, all named Bobby, and how each year’s showing always included a design named Bobby. Or how Dior’s long skirts enraged American women, causing massive protests against the French designer in the US. Or how Yves Saint Laurent worked at Dior before setting up his own line.

I must admit I’m not very interested or knowledgeable about fashion; this graphic novel, though, gets three stars from me for two reasons:

(a) It made me a little knowledgeable about Dior, and I always like books from which I learn something; and
(b) The drawings. Oh, the drawings. Beautiful, elegant, very Dior. I’m keeping the book just because of them: they’re a sight for sore eyes.
...more

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Jun 05, 2016 Cassandra rated it it was ok

First of all, the illustrations in this book are stunning. 5 stars for the art. Zero stars for the story. It was a weird focus of some random facts about Dior and a fictional character named Clara being magically intertwined with the Dior fashion house. Clara's story wasn't believable at all, and Dior's story wasn't coherent. The actual text on each page was confusing and vague. The characters' dialogue was composed of everyone saying one line that had little to do with the lines that came befor ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 Kris - My Novelesque Life rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-book-borrowed, historical-fiction, history, graphic-novel, fashion

GIRL IN DIOR
Written and Illustrated by Annie Goetzinger
2015; NBM Publishing (128 pages)
Genre: Graphic novel, fashion, imagined life

(Review Not on Blog)

RATING: 3.5 STARS

I love the illustrations, especially of the Dior dresses, but the book does lack in real storytelling. We get to see the "life" and fashion of Dior, but don't really gleam anything further than what we can read on Wikipedia. I enjoyed it for the dresses and images.

...more

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Apr 20, 2016 Elizabeth A rated it it was ok

Shelves: kids-ya, graphix, 2016, art

Winner of: YALSA 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

You only have to look at the cover to know that the art is beautiful. It is so lovely that I flipped through this graphic novel several times. Given the lovely art the lackluster story is doubly disappointing. It reads like a boring memoir or biography of a woman whose life intersects with Christian Dior (yes, that Dior), but then at the end you read that this woman, the main character in this story, is a figment of the author's imagination, a ...more

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Mar 27, 2017 Martyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: great-cover, à-l-origine-en-français, graphic-novels, fiction, 2017

I get what other reviewers are saying about this book, that the story is slight and that it seems a little chaotic, but I enjoyed it for its elegance and for the bitter-sweet ending. The art is sensational, I would buy this for the picture of the outfit called "Amour" alone (page 19 in my edition) - amazing color and movement! I also loved the way that the colors in the book became muted toward the end, reflecting well the narrative. I've always had a fascination with the fashion world and its p ...more

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May 28, 2015 Damon rated it did not like it

Shelves: comics

Not recommended. An insult to comic writers everywhere. Stick to weekend articles in the local paper.

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Feb 07, 2019 laura (bookies & cookies) rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, 2019-read

Good supplementary reading before I see the Dior exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art.

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Oct 05, 2015 NicAlba rated it did not like it

Clunky. Underdeveloped. Beautiful pictures of dresses. Not a very good biography of Dior or creating the Dior dress. This could have been fantastic, but it didn't even reach the fail point. It never lifted off the ground. Not good. The one star is given not out of hatred (which is usually the reason for me) but because I came into this book with little expectations and I left feeling "Wow. What was the point of that?" There is no story, no character development, hardly any bones of biography or ...more

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Jul 08, 2016 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it really liked it

Shelves: france, relationships, adventure, coming-of-age

How serendipitous it was to read this book at the same time I read Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris. Both take on Dior and fashion and Paris as they were, and, read together, complement each other like a good wine with a delicious entree.

The story is simple: a young poor girl is plucked from the crowd to become a fabulous Dior model. It's the stuff of fairy tales, with the girl sent out into the world of the rich and famous where she finds a suitably rich husband and lives a grand life.

But the streng ...more

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May 25, 2015 Joshua rated it it was ok

Shelves: graphic-novels

This one was frankly just a bit odd for me. On the positive side I loved the art in the book. On the negative, it felt like it was missing substance. Heck even the forward isn't even worth reading (they basically jabber awkwardly and then just tell you they haven't even read the book). Its interesting to see the beginnings of the Dior fashion house from the inside, but it just left me wanting something more from the characters and the story as a whole. ...more

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Feb 27, 2017 AJ rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: No one unless you're a fan of Dior's New Look or fashion in general

Recommended to AJ by: The title--I adore fashion and the New Look!

Shelves: grade-c-two-stars

Book Summary—This is a graphic novel depicting the fictitious heroine, Clara Nohant, who becomes a Dior model.

My Review—Aside from the fashion, I didn’t like it. I’ve read one other graphic novel before and, as with that one, I found the story hard to follow, choppy and without any “meat.”

I know that graphic novels don’t (or can’t) get into the details the way a real novel does (and can), but I just found the story boring. In fact, it kept putting me to sleep. If it weren’t for the fashion, I ne Book Summary—This is a graphic novel depicting the fictitious heroine, Clara Nohant, who becomes a Dior model.

My Review—Aside from the fashion, I didn’t like it. I’ve read one other graphic novel before and, as with that one, I found the story hard to follow, choppy and without any “meat.”

I know that graphic novels don’t (or can’t) get into the details the way a real novel does (and can), but I just found the story boring. In fact, it kept putting me to sleep. If it weren’t for the fashion, I never would’ve finished it. Truthfully, if it weren’t for the name Dior in the title and the picture of one of his dress’s in the cover, I never would’ve even been tempted to pick it up. I certainly wasn’t looking for it. I was doing a library search for something else and this book came up, too, so I decided, “What the heck? It should be a quick read anyway,” and selected it.

As to the heroine—yuck. She starts off the story as a fashion journalist, loses her job (because of a strange occurrence on the streets outside her current story’s target venue), is brought before Dior (her story dealt with two of his models in his dresses—harm came to the models AND the dresses), and, in the end, receives a job as a model. (It’s odd. The model she replaces turns out to be pregnant. The fashion show’s scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and the girl’s not showing—in fact, she appears on stage at the fittings in her evening gown! Yet Clara gets her job because the girl’s pregnant. It’s written, “Sonia, whose belly filled out, left the salons to give birth in peace and quiet” (67)—so I’m to assume that much time has passed, right? If a girl appears in a Dior dress NOT showing but has to give up her job because her belly filled out and she wanted to give birth, I guess time’s elapsed. Only, I JUST guessed that. When I read the blasted story, I was so confused. How could a woman NOT showing fill out overnight? As I’m writing this review, it dawns on me time must have gone by. But is it written anywhere in the story? A little bubble at the top of the page that says: “Four months later…” or anything of the kind? Nope. Maybe it was assumed it wasn’t necessary. Maybe, because I was half-asleep while trying to finish the story, my mind didn’t grasp the time lapse as it should’ve. I don’t know, but it’s stuff such as that (not posting time lapses, not giving detail or more background to the story) that I dislike about graphic novels.)

As I was saying about Clara: She starts off as a journalist. She goes to Dior’s freshman fashion show and is called, by an attendee, a “dowdy little thing” (16), which is true because she isn’t at all fashionable but at least she resembles a female thanks to her long hair. Later on, as a Dior model, she’s inching toward femininity once she assumes just the basic female accoutrements of bra and slip. And THEN she goes and cuts her hair SHORT—in boyish fashion, which, for a girl with her lack of curves, is not very good because she ends up LOOKING boyish! At first, because she just appears with blunted hair, I didn’t realize it was supposed to be the same character. Nothing’s said of her wanting a change; she has long hair on page 69 (and, as it’s put up in a sloppy bun, she looks good, feminine and pretty) and then the book digresses for several pages until, BOOM, there’s a short-haired girl in the top panel on page 76! She’s standing with the other models; one says, “Oh my, you’ve changed your hairstyle!) (76)—only, because Clara looks so completely different (and nothing’s said of a change), it took me a moment or two to realize she’s the heroine! I had to look at the bottom panel where Dior’s calling her Clara. I’m scanning the page, looking for a long-haired girl, realizing Clara’s not any of the others in the room with him, then it dawns on me she’s the short-haired girl. And, frankly, she looks hideous with short hair. As drawn, the girl does NOT have the face for that sort of severe cut. I know she’s modeled after Audrey Hepburn, but at least Hepburn had an attractive face. Clara, as drawn, doesn’t at all; it’s all hard lines and angles to it. Hepburn had, from what I remember, a pixie face, soft lines not austere. Not so with Clara. Anyhow, it’s assumed that she suddenly looks chic, model-like. I disagree.

There’s a spot where Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart show up in the story. If it hadn’t been for the writing that said who they were, I don’t think I would’ve recognized them. There’s a slight resemblance to Bogey in the first drawing, but Lauren Bacall was sleek and cat-like and pretty. The drawing doesn’t do her justice at all.

Oh, well. As I said, the fashion is its own best story! There’s very little that can match Dior’s New Look.

Spoiler alert—I suppose the only spoiler could be that Clara meets a man through her modeling job. Not just any man but the 10th duke of Somerville, who, of course, falls for her, whom she falls for also, marries, then dies when the ship they're in is torpedoed. She’s one of the survivors rescued, but her husband dies.

Grade: C (The story, as it went, was boring and didn't make much sense; for me, the fashion was the only saving grace of the novel) ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Kirsti rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, style, arts-and-photography, imagination, comics-graphic-novels

Five stars for the art, three stars for the heavily fictionalized story. I laughed when the main character informed me that when Christian Dior had to come up with his new collection, he went to his château near Fontainebleu with only his cook and his driver for company. Can you imagine? Only his cook and his driver! My God, it's almost like camping! ...more

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Jul 04, 2017 Theresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel, favorite-graphic-novels

This is my second graphic-novel by Annie Goetzinger and I really enjoyed it. The art work was wonderful and I learned a little about Dior also.

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Jun 16, 2018 Sarah Catherine rated it really liked it

An interesting biography with beautiful illustrations. Kind of like Phantom Thread, but with less mushrooms...

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Mar 21, 2019 Jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: comic-books, art-fash-house

The illustrations are beautiful, they remind me of vintage fashion plates. The story provides a lot of historical context, but is kind of lackluster.

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Jan 20, 2017 Maggie Gordon rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, amazing-art

The first thing to know about Girl in Dior is that it's not really a story. Sure, the book claims to be an overview of Dior's last ten years of life through the eyes of a fictional model, but really the book is all about pictures of pretty clothing. And the dresses are SO pretty. There are moments of history that are intriguing, but readers are going to have to look elsewhere for a more extensive explanation. This book is just here to be pretty and it does that job well! Ask it for anything else ...more

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Sep 06, 2015 Jenny rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction

I confess, I had no idea this was a graphic novel when I checked the e-book out from the library. In some ways, a graphic novel is a great way to talk about classic Dior fashion because the illustrations were gorgeous. Unfortunately the text and the story were practically non-existant. It was pretty much just a great way to see beautiful illustrations of gorgeous gowns but I know nothing new about Dior at all.

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Jan 12, 2017 Elle rated it liked it

Shelves: library

Three stars for the gorgeous pictures, as the story doesn't have much heft. This is essentially an exceedingly brief biography of Christian Dior set during the early days of his studio as told through the eyes of a fictional character who becomes one of his models. The dialogue is stilted, the shifts between scenes abrupt, but oh - the gorgeous drawings of the dresses was enough to keep me engaged. ...more

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Nov 11, 2016 Gauri rated it it was ok

This graphic novel is about the last 10 years of Christian Dior's career told in the perspective of a fictional model. Unfortunately, both the art and the plot progression were underwhelming. It appears the author's aim was to showcase the impact and legacy of Dior's creations, but the author focused on so many aspects of his life and in such a surface manner that she did not succeed. ...more

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Oct 11, 2015 Clarisa Doval rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The drawings are beautiful, but I didn't care for the story, took me forever to pick it up to finish it. ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 Claire rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, graphic_novel, fashion

Pretty but I'm not sure why it needed fictionalized. Surely there could have been an interesting non fiction angle. The artwork was lovely though. ...more

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