Christian Dior

Christian Dior (January 21, 1905 – October 24, 1957), born in Granville, was an influential French fashion designer.

Related Topics:
January 21 - 1905 - October 24 - 1957 - Granville - French - Fashion designer

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Christian Dior was the heir to a fertilizer fortune and educated for the diplomatic service at the École des Sciences Politiques in Paris. He then began working in the fashion industry.

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In 1946, backed by textile magnate Marcel Boussac, he established his main house of couture in Paris. In twelve years he expanded his business to 15 countries and employed over 2,000 people.

Related Topics:
1946 - Marcel Boussac - Couture - Paris

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Dior is known mainly for the 1947 "New Look" which employed narrow shoulders, constricted waist, emphasized bust, and long, wide skirt. His designs represented consistent classic elegance, stressing the feminine look. The New Look revolutionized women's dress and reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world. Dior spread his fashions around the world when he and his partner, Jaques Rouet, started liscensing agreements in the fashion industry. In 1953 Yves Saint-Laurent became his assistant.

Related Topics:
1947 - New Look - Feminine - Yves Saint-Laurent

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The plump Dior, who suffered from heart trouble, reportedly died of a heart attack while undergoing a weight-loss cure at the spa in Montecatini, Italy, in an effort to make himself more desirable to his young North African lover, singer Jacques Benita; the death reportedly occurred in the lobby of the Hotel Pace after an after-dinner canasta game. "", the 2005 memoirs of Paris socialite Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé, however, suggest that the fashion designer actually died of a heart attack after a too strenuous evening spent with two young men.

Related Topics:
Montecatini - Italy - North African - Jacques Benita - Hotel Pace - Canasta - Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé

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At the time of his death, Dior salons had been opened in 24 countries. The Dior firm?successively led by designers Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre, and John Galliano?continued to be a fashion leader and was associated with a much wider range of merchandise, including menswear and household linens

Related Topics:
Yves Saint Laurent - Marc Bohan - Gianfranco Ferre - John Galliano

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