Marie Trepanier (a Prettier Place): The New Look (1947) The New Look (1947) Christian Dior (F/W 1954) On February 12, 1947, Dior launched his first fashion collection for Spring/Summer 1947 and put an end to the wartime styles that had dominated fashion ever since 1939. The new collection went down in fashion history as the "New Look" after Harpar’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel exclamation, "It's such a New Look!" During World War II, designers and clothes makers had been forced to adjust their styles to wartime cloth restrictions and rationing due to lack of materials; women's clothes were close fitting, with square shoulders and shorter skirts. Though clothing restrictions were still in effect in France, UK and the US in 1947, Dior's New Look collection violated all the rules of wartime fashion: his outfits had rounded shoulders, full skirts and a narrow waist. The dresses were lined with expensive and luxurious fabrics such as cambric or taffeta and were beautifully detailed.

Outfits were accessorized with a hat, often worn to one side, long gloves and simple jewelry. As Dior described it when the clothing line was introduced, the New Look was "symbolic of youth and the future." Jean Dessès (1951) Victor Stiebel (1950) Balenciaga (1955) Dior's New Look clothes created an international sensation. Critics scolded the designer for ignoring the continued rationing and the economic distress of the war years. They complained that manufacturers didn't have enough cloth to make Dior's full skirts and that women didn't have enough money to buy them. One British politician claimed that the longer skirt was the "ridiculous whim of idle people," while protestors in Paris called out, "40,000 francs for a dress and our children have no milk," according to Nigel Cawthorne, author of The New Look: The Dior Revolution. But women and other designers disagreed. The first women to see the designs at Paris fashion shows raved that femininity had returned to women's clothes. Designers imitated Dior's look for their collections and quickly produced ready-to-wear New Look-inspired clothing lines.

(Ready-to-wear refers to clothes that can be bought "off the rack" as opposed to custom designed, tailored clothing.) Jean Dessès (1953) Pierre Balmain (1950) The New Look killed off the utility clothing of the war years and ushered in a new era in fashion. By 1948 the New Look was the dominant fashion in Paris, London and New York. It continued to be popular for several years. Photos from the Albert and Victoria Museum, London Article sources from the Fashion Encyclopedia and Wikipedia Diorable Style: February 12, 1947 - Dior's New Look is Born February 12, 1947 - Dior's New Look is Born "In 1947, my first collection was successful beyond my wildest dreams." - Christian Dior On February 12, 1947, precisely sixty-four years ago today, a humble man by the name of Christian Dior catapulted to international stardom with the launch of his debut haute couture collection.

Immediately upon its reveal at Dior's studio, originally titled "Corolle", fashion critic and Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow exclaimed, "It's quite a revelation, dear Christian. Your dresses have such a new look!". Unbeknownst to her that moment, from merely uttering a sentence of gracious praise, Ms. Snow was to coin perhaps the most iconic debut collection of all time. The Tailleur Bar ensemble & its respective sketch by Dior In a firm response to the imposed fabric restrictions during World War II, Dior would zealously craft his revolutionary designs utilizing countless yards of extravagant materials. Inspired by his nostalgic emotions towards the Belle Époque fashions of the late 1800's to the first World War, Christian Dior's designs restored ultra femininity to both the fashion industry and women worldwide. Featuring a cinched waist, accentuated bust, and full-length pleated skirt, Dior's opulent New Look introduced his legendary "Tailleur Bar" ensemble (or simply the "Bar Suit").

With a dominance of boxy shapes popularized by houses such as Chanel and Lanvin in the 20's and 30's, Christian Dior's New Look would soon take the world by storm and begin the history of contemporary fashion. On this day in 1947, Monsieur Christian Dior introduced an ultra-feminine silhouette which would ignite a global fashion revolution, restore Paris as the pinnacle of haute couture, and launch the legendary empire of Dior. Joyeux Anniversaire, New Look :) The New Look revolution / The story of Dior / The House of Dior / Dior official website The Bar jacket, an icon of the New Look 12 February 1947, an international success This is the story of a quip, which thanks to a magical moment, forged a legend. On 12 February 1947 at 10.30 a.m. Christian Dior, aged 42, presented his first collection at 30 Avenue Montaigne, which was strewn with flowers by Lachaume.

The Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar, Carmel Snow, strongly believed in the couturier's talent, which she had already noted in 1937 with the Café Anglais model that he designed for Robert Piguet. At the end of the fashion show, having seen those unique silhouettes, those lengths, those volumes, those tiny waists and devilishly sexy busts, she exclaimed, "It's quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your dresses have such a new look!" A correspondent from Reuters seized upon the slogan and quickly wrote it on a note that he threw from the balcony to a courier posted on Avenue Montaigne. The news reached the United States even before the rest of France, where the press had been on strike for a month. The American journalist, who cabled the brilliant slogan to her editor, did not know how right she was. The newness of which she spoke caused shock waves on both sides of the Atlantic. Just two years after the war, Dior, with this collection in his own image, definitively turned the page of restriction, gloom, rationing, gravity and uniforms.

With the utmost seriousness, he wanted to give women back their taste for light-heartedness, the art of seduction: he had known since his childhood that they always kept it hidden somewhere within them, even in the most dramatic of circumstances. He learnt this in Granville during the Second World War, by observing women looking at the Parisian magazines that it was so difficult to get hold of: surprised and excited by the fashionable dresses, they raced to have them made as soon as they closed the magazine. The Bar jacket, an icon of the New Look With his revolutionary New Look, Christian Dior wrote a new chapter in the history of fashion. Furthermore, in order to write it, he literally constructed it with his own hands. The would-be architect had to hammer away at a Stockman mannequin that was too tough and unyielding to bear the preparatory canvases of his visionary wardrobe, says his friend Suzanne Luling: "And so, with big, nervous blows of the hammer, he gave the mannequin the same form of the ideal woman for the fashion that he was to launch." His aim was clear; his hand did not tremble.

"I wanted my dresses to be 'constructed', moulded on the curves of the female body whose contours they would stylise. I accentuated the waist, the volume of the hips, I emphasised the bust. In order to give my designs more hold, I had nearly all the fabrics lined with percale or taffeta, renewing a tradition that had long been abandoned." Thus, on 12 February 1947 at 10.30 a.m., the announcer introduced "numéro un, number one". The first outfit was worn by Marie-Thérèse and opened the show during which the astounded audience saw 90 different creations file past, belonging to two principal lines: En Huit and Corolle. Bettina Ballard, Fashion Editor at Vogue, had returned to New York a few months earlier after 15 years spent covering French fashion from Paris, believing European fashion was heading for a dead end.

But she was a good sport and even she had to bow to the innovative genius of Dior: "We have witnessed a revolution in fashion at the same time as a revolution in the way of showing fashion." The Bar jacket immortalised in the famous photo by Willy Maywald, was a signature piece from this collection with its cream shantung morning coat with rounded tails that closely followed the curves of the bust and its large black pleated skirt that flared out, giving the gait an elegant swing that had never been seen before. It was all cleverly completed by a little black pillar-box hat perched cheekily on the head, gloves and fine slender shoes in complete contrast to the square-toed shoes with wedged heels worn by those who had come to watch the fashion show. One by one, like plucking petals from a daisy, it was possible to pick out the major pieces of this manifesto-collection that demonstrated the style and state of mind of a rigorous and joyful man. There was the Passe-Partout suit in navy-blue wool crepe with its crew-neck jacket, pockets on the chest and the tails and pencil skirt that outlined the irreproachable En Huit line.

The Corolle afternoon dress in black wool fastened with five large buttons on the bust and skirt with aptly-named miraculous pleats. The Jungle sheath dress with a panther motif, the Soirée dress with two layers of superimposed pleats in navy blue taffeta... In short, from Rita Hayworth to the average woman on the street that couture did not normally touch, but who learnt during the post-war period to work miracles with her sewing machine, everyone now wanted to adopt this new look that Christian Dior himself was later to describe as "the return to an ideal of civilised happiness." Not long after the fashion show, Elle magazine printed a photo of Marlene Dietrich's calves, the "most beautiful legs in the world", advising its readers to take a good look because they were never likely to be seen again – the star had just ordered 10 New Look dresses whose hems would now cover her up! Dior became "the most famous Frenchman in the world", according to the headline of the L'Aurore newspaper. A photo showed two women tearing apart the New Look outfit of a third woman in the middle of the street, shocked by the lengths of fabric and ‘indecent’ sensuality.

It was to misunderstand the motivation of Dior who, in designing "flower women with soft shoulders, blossoming bosoms, waists as slender as creepers and skirts as wide as corollas" only wanted to make them happy. Which he succeeded in doing. Over six decades after its creation, the New Look revolution and its spirit continue to inspire Dior. The New Look is a perpetual evolution. The Fifties: Fashion in France, 1947-1957 - The New Yorker The Fifties: Fashion in France, 1947-1957 By Capucine, Arachnée; April, 1952.Credit© Georges Dambier / Courtesy Benrubi Gallery “Fashion isn’t just clothes—is it?” Dick Cavett once asked Diana Vreeland. To which she replied, “No. It isn’t. It’s part of the daily air, and it changes all the time. You can even see the approaching revolution in clothes.

You can see and feel everything in clothes.” I wondered about that observation as I boarded a bus at the Gare de l’Est, in Paris, over the summer, just as demonstrators, including a sizable number of women in hijab, had begun clashing with police, two Metro stops to the north, during the first unauthorized manifestation in support of Palestinians in Gaza. I was on my way to an exhibition , “Les Années 50: La Mode en France,” at the Palais Galliera, in the sixteenth arrondissement, the last bastion of Old Paris. I wanted to see the exhibit once more before I left the city the following day, just for auld lang syne.

At the inauguration of “Les Années,” on a rainy, frigid evening, there had been an air of excitement, as young and old, dressed-up and dressed-down, made their way through the exhibit, everyone more or less quietly spellbound: clusters of young couturières moved from garment to garment, scrutinizing the technical perfection; aspiring designers paced about, frowning, as fashionistas in inventive clothing combinations, reflective of our splintered times, paraded their own styles—one young woman wore a flat broad-brimmed navy straw hat with a simple, close-fitting Mary Poppins white shirt and below-the-knee dark slim skirt, finished off with a pair of Balenciaga lace-ups by Nicolas Ghesquière featuring enormous chunk heels. The clothes on display were near enough to touch, though no one did, and no one was scolded for peering too closely.

One elderly, illegally handsome man with white, close-cropped hair appeared in a Maigret trenchcoat, stooping over his cane as he all but bowed before Dior’s simple 1953 “ Palmyre ,” a short evening dress, in rayonne acétate de cellulose, meticulously embroidered with silk thread, sequins, glass beads, glass cabuchons, and rhinestones, par Ginesty. As he left the Communion rail, he smiled absently at me, before sweeping into the next room. My sole wish was that he hadn’t been remembering the Duchess of Windsor, who had donated the dress. The first garment you encounter as you enter the exhibition, which runs through November 2nd, is the “Bonbon” dress of Christian Dior, who launched his inaugural and, yes, revolutionary line on February 12, 1947—“the New Look,” as Carmel Snow, then the editor of Harper’s Bazaar, coined it (though the ebullient, enormously talented publicity hound Jacques Fath was creating a similar, sexier look at the same time, and perhaps even before).

It’s hard to imagine how the Bonbon—or, indeed, any of Dior’s 1947 dresses—could have created such a sensation when you look at it today: a modest shirtwaist in pink (for Dior, pink was the color of happiness) wool jersey, slightly cinched at the waist with a brown suède belt, whose only distinguishing feature is its voluptuous corolla skirt, falling slightly below mid-calf. And therein lies the rub. The New Look created a furor precisely owing to this detail. The sight of such excess was an affront: dowdily clad housewives famously ripped a New Look dress off a young woman’s back in the rue Lepic the following fall. As Janet Flanner wrote in The New Yorker, even a year after the Dior launch many people were still in mourning, still under rationing and suffering deprivation: On the surface, France has improved so much in the last six months that all that is lacking is the belief that the vital, invisible underpinnings of state and society can hold the improvements in place. The average Frenchman can now find in the shops nearly everything he wants except the means of paying for it.

In midtown Paris shop windows, perfect taste, which is the supreme French luxury, has at last reappeared…. By day, in the limpid spring sunshine, Paris looks her old, beautiful self, reclining full length in the greenery by the Seine. By night, the city is lighted but largely deserted; restaurants are half empty and cafés are closed for lack of clients. Parisians dine at home, on soup, and go to bed. During the war, most of the major couture houses closed, but some designers, like Fath, in exile, catered to wealthy Germans and to black marketeers and other unsavory types, though he stopped short of being an outright Nazi sympathizer and collaborator, as Coco Chanel had been. Dior, a dreamy, retiring bachelor who had spent a lifetime closely observing women and who worshipped the female form, and found inspiration in flowers (Florence Müller’s book “ Dior Impressions ” beautifully annotates the relationship between Dior’s dresses and the Impressionist landscape paintings that influenced him), spent the war years at the house of Lucien Lelong, outfitting the wives of Nazi officers.

Dior’s sister, Catherine, meanwhile, had been active in the Resistance, and had been deported to Ravensbrück. (He created his 1949 “Miss Dior” dress, embroidered with a lawn of flowers that constitute the notes of the perfume, for her.) But the essential fact was that Dior understood women, and understood their need to crash out at the end of a long siege.

He had correctly read the signs (and he also understood what was needed for the survival of couture); along with the animal-spirited Fath, and Grès, Griffe, Balmain, Bruyère, Dessès, and Balenciaga, among other brilliant designers, he began feeding women who were starved for another kind of food: yards and yards of sumptuous fabric—often embellished with appliqués and shells and beads and, in the case of the impish Fath, even kernels of corn on the white silk bodice of an evening dress—artfully draped and stitched into achingly beautiful suits and dresses and gowns that, as the philanthropist Carroll Petrie said, made her feel “as though I’d died and gone to Heaven.” It is fairly safe to say that nearly all women of a certain age felt this way; liberation takes many forms.

As I took in the displays of gorgeous feathered hats with veils—which at the time permitted women a degree of distance and privacy and even enhanced sensuality (now we have only designer sunglasses to shield us), as did the amount of space their voluminous dresses took up—I thought how unfortunate it was that the French had banned headscarves for Muslim girls in middle school, as well as the wearing of burkas by women in public. (Contrary to popular Western belief, the burka is not exclusively a garment of oppression or imprisonment; many Muslim women wear “the veil” of their own accord.) And then there were the shoes: in crocodile, in silk, in delicate strips of leather combined with netting; and the gloves—another kind of sensuous covering whose daily wearing has fallen away—wrist-length, in black nubuck and embroidered with tiny strawberries and flowers, as well as extravagant ones featuring leaf designs embroidered with silver and gold sequins and tiny glass tubes that stretch to mid upper arm.

(The gloves and hats and shoes remained behind glass, denoted by forgotten names: Rose Valois, Ferdinand Le Grand, Vaugeois & Binot, Perugia.) In “Within a Budding Grove,” the second volume of Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time,” there is a passage in which Mme Swann emerges from a long winter, during which Marcel glimpses her, from the street, cloaked in ermine in her frigid home as she receives visitors. When, at last, spring arrives, he writes: By virtue of the liturgy and ritual in which Mme Swann was so profoundly versed, her clothes were connected with the season and the hours by a bond both necessary and unique, the flowers on the flexible straw brim of her hat, the ribbons of her dress, seemed to me to spring from the month of May even more naturally than the flowers of the garden or woodland…. We would walk for a little together. And I realized that it was for herself that she obeyed these canons in accordance with which she dressed ….

for if it should happen that, feeling too warm, she threw open or even took off altogether and gave me to carry the jacket which she had intended to keep buttoned up, I would discover in the blouse beneath it a thousand details of execution, which had had every chance of remaining unobserved, like those parts of an orchestral score to which the composer has devoted infinite labour although they may never reach the ears of the public: or, in the sleeves of the jacket that lay folded across my arms I would see, and would lengthily gaze at, for my own pleasure or from affection for its wearer, some exquisite detail, a deliciously tinted strap, a lining of mauve satinette which, ordinarily concealed from every eye, was yet just as delicately fashioned as the outer parts, like those Gothic carvings on a cathedral, hidden on the inside of a balustrade eighty feet from the ground. It is these thousand details of execution, which have every chance of remaining unobserved, that truly define the art of haute couture.

Two years ago, Dior bought Ateliers Vermont, an embroidery studio in the rue Faubourg-Poissonnière, insuring that an art form threatened with extinction (in Paris, anyway) will live on, at least for now; Raf Simons meanwhile continues his evolving dialogue with the master. His fall collection includes not only stunning “flower woman” dresses reminiscent of fifties Dior but also simple abaya-length wool coats and brilliantly colored, elaborately embroidered shorter coats that are said to be inspired by eighteenth-century frock coats. Well, yes. But Simons has also said that his inspiration is “endless…. It is a constant flow and evolution. In general, I’m taking it from everywhere.” After my return to New York, as I entered the terminal at 74th-Roosevelt Avenue, in Jackson Heights, on Eid al-Fitr, men and boys were flooding down the stairs to the subway in spectacularly colored sherwani . It occurred to me that you might just as easily trace the frock coats’ influence to the formal dress marking the joyous feast that concludes the long fast of Ramadan.

New Look - Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages New Look - Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages New Look The New Look clothing designs for women that emerged from the studio of French designer Christian Dior (1905–1957) in 1947 put an end to the wartime styles that had dominated fashion ever since 1939. During World War II (1939-1945) designers and clothes makers had been forced to adjust their styles to wartime cloth restrictions and rationing due to lack of materials; women's clothes were close fitting, with square shoulders and short skirts. Though clothing restrictions were still in effect in France, Great Britain, and the United States in 1947, Dior's New Look collection violated all the rules of wartime fashion: his outfits had rounded shoulders; full, billowing skirts; and a narrow waist. The dresses were lined with expensive and luxurious fabrics such as cambric or taffeta and were beautifully detailed.

Outfits were accessorized with a hat, often worn to one side, long gloves, and simple jewelry. As Valerie Steele wrote in Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now : "The longing for elegance and luxury had been suppressed for the years of the war, and the New Look promised to gratify it." As Dior described it when the clothing line was introduced, the New Look was "symbolic of youth and the future." Designer Christian Dior, creator of the New Look, showing off the raised hemline of one of his designer skirts. Reproduced by permission of © . Dior had entered the fashion industry in 1938 as a designer with the French house of Robert Piguet. In 1942 he joined the house of Lucien Lelong, where he learned a great deal about dressmaking. In 1946, with the financial support of textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac, Dior launched his own design house. The New Look designs were Dior's first collection, and in the following years Dior became one of the world leaders in haute couture, exclusive and trendsetting high fashion design.

He introduced several other notable women's fashion styles, including the H-line of 1954, the Y-line of 1955, and the A-line of 1956, all named for the silhouette the design gave to women. Perhaps even more notably, Dior's house set the tone for the modern fashion house by branching out to design and license a whole line of fashion accessories and perfumes for women as well as ties for men. Though Christian Dior died suddenly in 1957, his vast fashion company still exists today. Dior's New Look clothes created an international sensation. Critics scolded the designer for ignoring the continued rationing and the economic distress of the war years. They complained that manufacturers didn't have enough cloth to make Dior's full skirts and that women didn't have enough money to buy them. One British politician claimed that the longer skirt was the "ridiculous whim of idle people," while protestors in Paris called out, "40,000 francs for a dress and our children have no milk," according to Nigel Cawthorne, author of The New Look: The Dior Revolution. But women and other designers disagreed.

The first women to see the designs at Paris fashion shows raved that femininity had returned to women's clothes. Designers imitated Dior's look for their collections and quickly produced ready-to-wear New Look-inspired clothing lines. (Ready-to-wear refers to clothes that can be bought "off the rack" as opposed to custom designed, tailored clothing.) The New Look killed off the utility clothing of the war years and ushered in a new era in fashion. By 1948 the New Look was the dominant fashion in Paris, France; London, England; and New York, and it continued to be popular for several years. FOR MORE INFORMATION Cawthorne, Nigel. The New Look: The Dior Revolution. London, England: Reed Consumer Books, 1996. Ewing, Elizabeth. History of Twentieth Century Fashion. Revised by Alice Mackrell. Lanham, MD: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992. Steele, Valerie. Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997.

Fashion History - The Importance of Christian Dior | Bellatory Fashion History - The Importance of Christian Dior Fashion History - The Importance of Christian Dior Updated on July 27, 2015 Joined: 7 years agoFollowers: 2,827Articles: 189 17 Women's Clothing of the South in the American Civil War 6 weeks ago Dior created the signature look of the mid 20th century, a style that conveyed feminine sophistication blending simplicity with elegance. Advertisement From Dior's initial collection | Source In ten short years, Christian Dior revitalized and revolutionized the fashion industry. When he burst on the Paris fashion scene in 1947, his New Look created an international frenzy never seen before or since. At age 41, the new designer created a dominant new silhouette based on a femininity that combined historic concepts and brought a war ravaged world into a new age of glamor and luxury. A few weeks after his debut collection everyone knew Christian Dior, his look and styles. His strategy and innovation, his press savvy and his seasonal changes recreated the way women viewed the world of fashion. His marketing concepts revitalized the fashion industry.

By 1950, Maison Christian Dior earned over half the total profits of the Parisian couture industry. Advertisement 1943 The simple dresses of wartime featured short hemlines. There is a barrage balloon in the background. | Source Advertisement Post World War II Fashion In 1947, Europe was still recovering from a war that ended in 1945. France had been occupied by Nazi Germany for five years. The horror and humiliation of seeing an invading force enter Paris ran deep. The scarcity of heating fuel and food made daily life difficult at best. The rationing of materials all but destroyed the fashion industry. Haute couture became meaningless against the deprivations wrought by war. Couture houses closed. Designers like Shiaparelli and Mainbocher fled to New York. The style of women's clothing had adjusted to rationing and restrictions. During World War II skirt hems rose to save on fabric. Dresses and jackets took on a boxy, military look. Women wore pants for work and to move more easily on bicycles. Despite the war's end, the mood was bleak and recovery was hard. It must be remembered that World War II marched in on the heels of the Great Depression.

But on the morning of February 12, 1947 Christian Dior, a new kid on the block, offered something totally new; grand designs featuring glorious skirts, tiny waists and a female figure that had not been seen for 100 years. The Bell Epoque refers to the era from the 1870's to the outbreak of World War I. Also called the Gilded Age, it was a time when the arts flourished. Clothing styles reflected an interest in the exotic, in other cultures, and changes brought by new technology. War weary Europeans looked back to the turn of the last century with a nostalgia for past joie de vivre when their world was colored by optimism and prosperity. Christian Dior Background Christian Dior was born in 1905 in Granville, Normandy in a home flanked by trees with a view of the English Channel. His father owned a successful fertilizer business. Young Christian was a quiet boy who loved nature. The Dior family moved to Paris during the last years of the Bell Epoque. Christian attended the University of Sciences Politique in order to fulfill his father's political ambitions.

But the young man was soon drawn into a bohemian lifestyle, attracted to the arts and the avante guarde. Financial backing by his father allowed Christian to open an art gallery. When the Great Depression ruined the economy Christian was forced to close the gallery and sell the artwork at a loss. A broke and essentially homeless Dior (the loss of his apartment made him dependent on friends) contracted tuberculosis, a life threatening disease that put him in a sanatorium for a year. At the suggestion of a friend, Christian took up drawing and eventually sold sketches to magazines and couture houses. His artwork interested Robert Piguet, a Swiss fashion designer at the couture house of Lucien Lelong. Dior had found his calling, working in the fashion industry. But the war and the invasion of France put his career on hold. After being mobilized for a short time for land work in the south of France, Dior returned to Paris and to the diminished fashion industry. Apparently, Dior passed information gleaned from the wives of Nazi bigwigs to his sister who was in the resistance. His sister was captured and hauled off to Ravensbruck. Dior used his position to help in her release.

He later honored her by naming a perfume Miss Dior. Shortly after World War II, Dior leaned that the famous textile designer, Marcel Boussac wanted to revitalize the House of Philippe de Gaston. In an April 1946 meeting with Boussac, Dior described the public's need for a new post war style. He wanted to return to the luxury of the Belle Epoque but with designs based on a new simplicity created by exquisite craft. Impressed, Boussac provided the financial backing for Dior to open his own design firm. Advertisement Source The New Look Takes the World By Storm On the morning of February 12, 1947, Maison Christian Dior introduced his Corelle collection to a war weary society. Dulled by years of austerity, people hungered for something new and fresh. When the much publicized show opened at 10:30 AM to a packed house, a collective gasp met models clad in unprecedented swaths of fabric. A society used to simple boxy shapes, short skirts, and a military look gobbled up the extravagant sweep of Dior's Corelle line.

In a time when hemlines brushed just below the knee, Dior's skirts fell to 14 inches above the floor. Following a time when the government restricted the amount of fabric used to produce garments, Dior's full skirts were reminiscent of mid 19th century crinolines. Tiny, corset cinched waistlines, full busts, padded hips, and soft shoulder lines created a revolutionary new female form. The show closed to a standing ovation. Doir's designs made the cover of Life Magazine. Press releases turned him into an instant celebrity. Princesses and movie stars snatched up dresses in a frenzy of unfettered hedonism. For a society starved of snazz, the Corelle line was a romantic change of perspective, introducing a fashion renaissance. Within hours, the contents of women's wardrobes became obsolete. Carmell Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar exclaimed that Dior offered fashion with a "new look." The phrase, picked up by Reuters, christened the legendary new line. Advertisement Evita Peron in Dior circa 1950 | Source Not All Approved Not everyone appreciated the bold new style.

Critics objected to the extravagant use of materials in a time of coal shortages. The high cost of haute couture seemed decadent when Parisians stood in bread lines. Women who had gained a measure of independence during the war years looked on the antebellum silhouette as frivolous. Women used to wearing trousers objected to whalebone corsets and layers of tulle slips or crinolines to maintain an hourglass figure. But the New Look was everywhere, from haute couture to the swing skirts paired with bobby socks and saddle oxfords worn by American teenagers. He designed the costumes worn by Marlene Dietrich in the movie Stage Fright. The famous Hollywood costume designer Edith Head based her creations for Grace Kelly in the film Rear Window the new style. Dior dress from a 1955/56 collection was worn in the famous Richard Avedon photo "Dorlina With Elephants" | Source From Dior's 1951's Oval line. | Source Dior changes the Fashion Industry Before Dior, a couturier gradually introduced new fashion trends. New collections were slightly different each season with designs based on the look of the previous season.

The sudden, sweeping changes embraced by Maison Christian Dior was unprecedented. He became the darling of the press and an international celebrity. Critics thought him a fame seeker and publicity hound, addicted to drama and attention. In 1948, Christian Dior New York brought his products to the ready-to-wear market using fabrics that worked well for machine production and incorporated America's taste for more casual styles. Wholesale fashion companies were able to purchase Dior designs and produce them for the mass market. Dior also received royalties for each garment. In 1950, Dior earned half the profits of the entire Parisian couture industry. By 1957, Maison Christian Dior offered licensing in 87 countries that offered Dior's label on stockings, handbags, make-up, and perfumes. From Dior's 1956 Arrow line. | Source Dior's Later Designs Each new collection was named for an overall theme. Lines like "Evol" and "ZigZag" featured asymmetrical hemlines and bustles. 1950s "Oblique" and "Vertical" lines showed narrow skirts that fell to mid calf and featured a looser bodice with big sleeves.

1951's "Long" line offered a Princess look whose long lines featured high waists and spencer jackets. "Oval" highlighted oval necklines, oval sleeves, and rounded hips. 1952 introduced the "Sinuous" and "Profile" lines which included shirtwaists and cocktail outfits. Pleated crepe dresses were shown with matching cardigans in sugar almond colors. 1953"s "Tulip" took inspiration from the natural world with large floral prints and a higher hemline. 1954 and 55's "H" line and 1955's "A" and "Y" lines used letters of the alphabet to describe garment shapes. The "Y' line accentuated broad shoulders and bust that tapered to a narrow skirt. High standing collars completed the look. The "Arrow" line of 1956 featured high waistlines worn with belts and short swing jackets. Dior's last collection, the "Spindle" line surprised all with a loose fit showing no waistline with a relaxed and casual elegance. Called the sack dress by many, the look was continued the following year after his death.

The Legend Lives On Despite his influence, Christian Dior ran his couture house for a mere 10 years. On October 29, 1957, Dior suffered a fatal heart attack at an Italian resort. The windows of Maison Christian Dior were festooned in black and nearly buried under mountains of flowers left by mourners. In Dior's honor, floral tributes were laid along the route to the Arc de Triomphe. The man may have died, taken too soon, but Maison Christian Dior lives on as does his legend. The administration of Maison Christian Dior passed into the hands of Yves Saint Laurent. More from 2011's Moscow Exhibition | Source Advertisement 1950s fashion | Contact 1950s fashion 1950s fashion was massively shaped by Christian Dior’s “New Look” silhouette which was introduced in 1947. The New Look broke free from the wartime austerity look, women wanted to dress feminine and have a little luxury and they were given it. The cheap materials and skinny cuts of the 1940s were passed over for voluminous dresses made of beautiful plush materials.

Instead of the leggy wartime look, the New Look emphasized the bust and hips, creating an hourglass figure. By the early 1950s this had evolved into swing skirts with petticoats and hourglass shaping dresses. The hourglass silhouette and the full skirt were married together perfectly in the 1950s prom dress. Whether it was sweet and simple, ornate or a sea of chiffon bigger than a doorway, the prom dress was the occasion dress. See our Prom-Perfect dress post. Prom dresses and petticoats were all puffed up thanks to the wonder that is the petticoat. Petticoats are available in all lengths and colours. A bright or multicolored petticoat is the perfect accessory to jazz up a simple swing dress. Variations of the prom dress had spagetti straps, small sleeves and halternecks. The Halterneck became increasingly popular after Marilyn’s famous “Seven-Year Itch scene”. Nice teens dressed preppy in slacks and shirts or like Sandra Dee in swing, pencil or poodle skirts with pretty jumpers or twin sets and hair tied back in a pony tail.

More rebellious teens would emulate their favourite stars like James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. The rock ‘n’ roll brought rock and rockabilly fashion to life. Helped along by B-Movie fashion and cult stars like Bettie Page, it was the look of the 1950s rebel. The Pencil skirt continued to be popular, with the waist nipped in further. The pencil dress morphed into the Chanel-inspired sheath dress which nipped in at the waist and hugged the hips. The more provocative wiggle dress was so tight it was given its name by the way women had to walk when they wore one. Dior Dior’s 1947 New Look inspired most of the high fashion of the 1950s. It featured a tailored, pleated jacket with a nipped waist and a peplum (a small skirt emphasizing a narrow waist and wide hips) that flared out into a mid-calf length, full skirt made up of several folds. Throughout the 1950s Dior experimented with lots of different silhouttes, many still featuring the hourglass shape and nipped in waist.

Towards the late 50s, designers started to stray from the structure of 1950s silhouettes opting for fashion that would free women from the restrictive hourglass silhouette. The waistless Sack dress was born and would be one of the inspirations for the corset-free dresses of the 1960s. Breakfast at Tiffany’s famous Givenchy black dress also had its roots in the straight empire–line shift dress of the late 50s. Slacks became popular amongst women but thanks to Audrey Heburn the more feminine pedal pushers and capri pants matched with ballet pumps became chic daywear. The 1950s was the era of Marilyn Monroe and the Hollywood Goddess, where stars and the women who emulated them dressed in dazzling luxury — opulent dresses in rich fabrics matched with jewels and polished hair and makeup. Without the restrictions of the 1940s, material and dresses came in bolder and brighter fabrics. Florals and stripes were popular patterns and shimmering lame, chiffon and netting became popular party dress materials. Accessories In the era of fashion excess, a beautiful dress was not enough.

It was worn with a petticoat, lined tights, short gloves/long for evening and pearls or jewels. A hat and heels completed the look and ladies were kept warm in fur stoles and coats and trapeze /swing coats which were the only big enough to cover a large petticoat. 1000+ images about Dior: "New Look" on Pinterest | Dior gown, Black wool and Fashion history The New Look was introduced by Christian Dior in 1947, to a great success. The press were the ones who gave Dior's new silhouettes after WWII 'The New Look'. See More Fashions of the 1950's: The "New Look" Dior's 1947 Collection Begins the Revolution The war was over, the boys were home, the restrictions were lifted, and the economy was reviving. It was time. In February 1947, Christian Dior introduced the first major postwar collection, called the "Carolle Line" (16), but soon dubbed the "New Look" by American journalists in Life Magazine.

Dior, along with every moderately fashion-conscious female of the times, was long wearied of the harsh Utility style clothes and their masculine quality. With his lavishly soft, purposefully elegant line, Dior did away with wartime fashions and began the flood of radical changes that were to follow. In a single movement he created one of the most distinct looks of the century. What was the "New Look?" The "New Look" is most recognizable by its curvy shape and line, a far cry from its immediate predecessors. The desired look was a womanly hourglass figure, with a tiny waist, full hips, and a plentiful bust. Shoulders were no longer squared, but rounded and natural. Jackets were pinched in at the waist, and dresses had darts to accommodate the fabric increase from small waist to large chest and hips. Skirts were mid calf and full, flowing with layers of nylon petticoats. The freedom and grandeur of the skirts gave both a glamorous feeling and appearance. Variations on skirt line and length emerged as the decade progressed, and encompassed a great variety of styles. Women were adorned with hats, gloves, shoes, and purses; all the accessories to match.

One of his more famous designs in the New Look line was "The Bar," pictured below (16) The idea was to be an image, have a presence, and simply glow with feminine elegance and beauty. What made it so appealing? Aesthetic sensibilities inevitably must take a backseat in times of crisis. So of course women found the wartime styles oppressive, restricting both their stylistic tastes and feminine inclinations. The New Look quickly became an iconographic symbol of youth and beauty, as well as a herald for a hopeful and promising future. Without the constant economical oppressions of war, the American public was learning the beautiful art of spending money on themselves. The overtones of frivolity in Dior's and many others' styles became socially accepted, even if not publicly acknowledged. Dior himself was quoted in saying, "Novelty is the very essence of the fashion trade." (1, p. 40) The Trickle-Down Effect Obviously, not every woman of the fifties could glide around in a brand-new formal Dior ball gown. This was particularly true in America, where the haute couture styles found on the streets of Paris had never been physically tangible.

Despite the obvious price barriers, (Dior's gowns ranged from $300-$2400), they were clearly of little practical use in everyday life. For evening and formal affairs, a Dior would be totally acceptable; as would a comparable copy. Dior's designs were a conception, a model, an ideal to be strived for and sought after. He must be given credit for the vision of feminine grace and elegance that the majority of fifties styles came to strive for. But what about the average American housewife? Sears Catalogues from the era are an authentic indication of everyday style. The trickle-down effect of Dior's New Look style is distinct and marked all the way through the end of the decade. The most common adaptation was the shirtwaist dress, which showed the desired hourglass shape, but was more practical than formalwear. Advertisement for classic shirtwaist dress (9, p. 8) 1940s Fashion: The Decade Captured In 40 Incredible Pictures Despite the hardships of WWII, the 1940s were still a brilliant decade for style. We highlight the key moments for 1940s fashion in 40 stunning images. 1.

Joan Crawford, 1940s Check out Joan Crawford’s shoulder pads and decadent jewels above – now we know where Joan Collins got her Dynasty inspo from. A perfectly-tailored peplum finishes off her sharp look. Power dressing at its very best, she was an unforgettable 1940s fashion icon. Joan Crawford 2. Christian Dior’s new look, 1947 When it comes to 1940s fashion, Dior’s groundbreaking new silhouette redefined women’s post-war style and revived France’s fashion industry after a difficult few years. The collection – featuring gorgeous full skirts and waist-cinching jackets – was Dior’s first and became forever known as the ‘New Look’ after Harper’s editor Carmel Snow said in 1947: ‘It’s such a new look!’ Imagine if every designer could knock together something like this for their debut… Christian Dior’s new look 3. Ava Gardner, 1944 Ava Gardner was one of the decade’s most successful (and beautiful) actresses.

Here she is in 1944, showcasing the beauty of a belted waist and a chic neckerchief; a key 1940s fashion trend. Ava Gardner 4. Bette Davis, 1943 An original 1940s fashion pin-up, Bette Davis works a blue gown in this seductive shot, taken in 1943. Bette Davis 5. Doris Day, 1948 Doris Day shows us how to work the nautical trend during the filming of Romance On The High Seas in 1948. Remind us to drape our blazer over our shoulders on our next boat trip… Doris Day 6. Rita Hayworth, 1940 The actress embraces androgynous style in a pair of wide-legged trousers and monochrome flats in 1940. Our new workwear wardrobe = sorted. Rita Hayworth 7. Katharine Hepburn, 1940 Katharine rocks a gingham dress and cinched-in waist on the set of The Philadelphia Story in 1940.

Note the Peter Pan collar, a 1940s fashion trend that still resonates today. Katharine Hepburn 8. Joan Crawford, 1946 Joan does it again. Here she shows us how to work floral prints with some seriously statement jewels. Joan Crawford Über-embellishment and major cocktail jewels made Barbara Stanwyck look like a total screen goddess in 1941. Barbara Stanwyck 12. Rita Hayworth, 1946 This famous black satin gown from Rita Hayworth’s striptease scene in Gilda set tongues wagging in 1946. Rita Hayworth 13. Ingrid Bergman, 1942 We’d wear those block-heeled sandals today. Check out the flawless Ingrid Bergman working a perfect ‘jet set’ look in Casablanca. Ingrid Bergman 14. Bette Davis, 1940s Bette Davis knew how to clash her brights right, topping off her look off with a slick of red lipstick. Bette Davis 15. Rita Hayworth, 1940s Here’s our Ibiza style inspiration sorted.

Rita Hayworth works a printed bikini, huge sun hat and peep-toe heels. If only we looked this put-together by the pool. Rita Hayworth 16. Ladies in Paris, 1947 These midi-length skirts couldn’t be more on trend for AW16. Have French women EVER been out of style? Ladies in Paris 17. Swimsuit competition, Paris, 1949 Check out those ruffles! These Parisian girls certainly knew how to push boundaries when they showcased the latest swimsuit trends way back in 1949. We could totally see Rihanna in the suit on the far right. A swimwear competition in Paris 18. Christian Dior model, 1947 Has a fur coat ever looked so glamorous? This lady seems to have predicted exactly how we want our winter layers to look, 60 years into the future. How clever. A Christian Dior model 19. Ava Gardner, 1940s More monochrome. A first hint of statement prints. You can’t go wrong with a 1940s tea dress. Ava Gardner 20.

Betty Hutton, 1945 Betty rocks a halterneck bikini, wrap skirt and wedges with a turban-style headband. No wonder she’s smiling – she looks hot. Betty Hutton 21. Ann Sheridan, 1942 Ann works the metallics trend in this decadent high-neck gown. We could totally see this on the red carpet at next year’s Oscars. Ann Sheridan 22. Reard fashion show, 1946 Bikini briefs in the forties were HUGE (quite literally) and always teamed with an, ahem, on-point structured top. These gorgeous models perfect their catwalk struts at the Reard show in 1946. MPU 02

Question: Who introduced the 'New Look' in women's fashion in February 1947 ?
Answer: CHRISTIAN DIOR