In 1946, France was in the doldrums. The war, the humiliation of German occupation and the rationing of all essential products had turned the City of Lights into a gray and sad reflection of its glorious past. It was at this darkest of moments that Christian Dior, then a young designer for Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong, met Marcel Boussac, France's textile king and the country's most powerful industrialist. Boussac offered to set up Dior in business, a lease came due at 28-30 Avenue Montaigne — still the Dior headquarters — and the young designer consulted his mystic who fell into a trance and cried out "It will be extraordinary. Your house will revolutionize fashion."<P>And so it did when, in 1947, Christian Dior presented his first collection. Women were finally given back their femininity, narrow waists, high and prominent busts, long skirts and even fabulous evening dresses made up of seemingly endless meters of luxurious cloth embroidered and beaded by Lesage. Carmel Snow, the American fashion doyenne, announced "Christian, it's a completely new look, " and under this banner the world's fashion press heralded the return of haute couture. This beautiful, oversize, limited edition book is based entirely on documents in first decade of the great house's activity when Christian Dior personally supervised every detail of his enterprise, created a team of devoted collaborators and a large atelier of adoring seamstress, designed his still used gray and white interior, created the Dior boutique and the popular perfumes: "Miss Dior, " "Eau Fraiche" and "Diorissimo." He not only drew every dress himself, but controlled every stitch and pleat, personally fitted most of his clients includingthe Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, the Rothschilds and the Empress of Japan. Until his death at an early age, in 1957, the modest, shy and unassuming Christian Dior was adored by everybody whose life he touched from the richest and most fashionable

This volume tells the story of the House of Dior from the initial collection in 1947, to Dior's death in 1957. Belgian princess De R<'e>thy and fashion historian and researcher Perreau present a detailed history of the first decade of the house's activity when Dior personally supervised every detail and created a team of devoted collaborators and seamstresses. They also discuss the people who developed the boutique and the perfumes, publicity and sales strategies, Dior's relationships with famous clients, and his distinctive fashion vocabulary. Extensively illustrated with 100 color and b&w photographs and drawings. Oversize: 10.5x14<">.
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Esmeralda De Rethy is a royal Belgian princess, niece of the present King. Her mother Princess Lilian of Belgium, was one Christian Dior's first clients and knew everybody in the house by first name. She studied law before becoming a journalist in Paris, where she interviewed everybody from Moshe Dayan to Donald Trump for French magazines and newspapers. A renowned conservationist, she is head of the King Leopold III Fund for the Exploration and Conservation of Nature.

Jean Louis Perreau is a fashion historian and researcher living in Paris.