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Dior in Vogue
In 1947 Christian Dior, aged 42, opened his own Couture House in Paris. His first Collection was nicknamed the 'New Look' by an American journalist and it launched him overnight into a spectacular and glamorous career which even he had never dreamed of and made his name into a household world.
Brigid Keenan gives a fascinating account of events leading up to that famous Collection, and tells how he coped with the overburdening responsibilities and pressures that came with success. A man of immense style and quiet charm, Dior was greatly influenced by memories of his childhood, particularly his mother, and the New Look was, he said, an attempt to put the clock back to the age of greace and femininity that he had known as a child.
When success came it was overwhelming, and he had to adapt his lifestyle to the public image of the house of Dior: But there was also Dior the man, and the book gives a revealing a sympathetic view of the 'twin personalities' of Christian Dior: the private individual, relaxing in the garden of his old mill house in the country, and the showman, the star of the Paris fashion scene, working night and day to create stunning new designs in his world-famous couture house.
The Dior Collections, brilliantly illustrated by the top fashion photographers of the day are described in detail by the author, who assesses their importance during the decisive post-war years and their influence on the fashion of the day.
Brigid Keenan has provided an authoritative view of Christian Dior - a truly remarkable man who epitomized the style of a bygone age.
Brigid Keenan gives a fascinating account of events leading up to that famous Collection, and tells how he coped with the overburdening responsibilities and pressures that came with success. A man of immense style and quiet charm, Dior was greatly influenced by memories of his childhood, particularly his mother, and the New Look was, he said, an attempt to put the clock back to the age of greace and femininity that he had known as a child.
When success came it was overwhelming, and he had to adapt his lifestyle to the public image of the house of Dior: But there was also Dior the man, and the book gives a revealing a sympathetic view of the 'twin personalities' of Christian Dior: the private individual, relaxing in the garden of his old mill house in the country, and the showman, the star of the Paris fashion scene, working night and day to create stunning new designs in his world-famous couture house.
The Dior Collections, brilliantly illustrated by the top fashion photographers of the day are described in detail by the author, who assesses their importance during the decisive post-war years and their influence on the fashion of the day.
Brigid Keenan has provided an authoritative view of Christian Dior - a truly remarkable man who epitomized the style of a bygone age.
- GenresFashion
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
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About the author
Brigid Keenan
16 books25 followersBrigid Keenan was born in 1939.
Her involvement in fashion began when she joined the Daily Express women's page staff at the start of her career in 1959. Two years later she moved to the Sunday Times where she was responsible for their Young Fashion pages. In 1966 she left the paper to become Assistant Editor of Nova magazine and from there she went to The Observer as Woman's Editor. After a year's break, during which she lived with her husband (a development economist) in Ethiopia, she returned to the Sunday Times as fashion and Beauty Editor. In 1977 she moved to Brussels where she now lives with her husband and two small daughters.
She is a founding board member of the Palestine Festival of Literature.
Her involvement in fashion began when she joined the Daily Express women's page staff at the start of her career in 1959. Two years later she moved to the Sunday Times where she was responsible for their Young Fashion pages. In 1966 she left the paper to become Assistant Editor of Nova magazine and from there she went to The Observer as Woman's Editor. After a year's break, during which she lived with her husband (a development economist) in Ethiopia, she returned to the Sunday Times as fashion and Beauty Editor. In 1977 she moved to Brussels where she now lives with her husband and two small daughters.
She is a founding board member of the Palestine Festival of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 13, 2013
While this book may be slightly out of date (Marc Bohan hasn't been the creative director of Dior for ages) its narrative of the fashion house's inception and years under Christian Dior still stands. I very much enjoyed how organized the structure is, with a chapter dedicated to each of the 10 years during Dior's reign, and Keenan's terse but detailed description of each Spring and Autumn collection. The photos accompanying each chapter may be in black and white (which seems anathema to expressing the tone of some clothes - reliant on colour and texture as they are), but Dior's clothes seem to be more about their distinctive shapes than the materials that they are made of. In a way this proves the unique qualities of Dior's designs, as few other designers can rely on line alone.
May 18, 2020
Lovely images and very enjoyable t read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews