phenomenon was underway; they applauded and bought into it. From
now on, they too would have their say in the fashion world. A year
after her legendary comeback, the great Coco, now restored to her old
reputation, reconquered the rest of her empire. Soft jackets with no
interlining, wonderfully managed sleeves, silk blouses, gold chains,
wrap-over skirts, quilted shoulder bags leaving the hands free, flat
shoes with a bar across and a black toe to shorten the foot, jewel-like
buttons on jackets and false buttons cascading down the front of the
garment … plus a thousand other original ideas which have today
been eagerly adopted by the general public. The ‘Chanel Look’, as it
was christened by the English-speaking press, swept across both sides
of the Atlantic. It was a landslide victory.

1984 Creation of Christina Onassis’s bridal gown. Launch of the eau de toilette Eau Sauvage
Extreme. 1984-85 Autumn-Winter haute couture collection: Klimt et Pollock.
1985 April: Bernard Arnault, chairman of the Financiere Agache Group, main shareholder,
is appointed chairman and managing director of the Christian Dior Company. Launch
of the perfume Poison, worldwide best-seller. Grand Ball at the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte.
1986 First presentation of the haute fourrure collection by Frederic Castet in China.
1987 To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the House of Christian Dior, a retrospective
is held at the Musee des Arts de la Mode, Hommage a Christian Dior 1947—1957. An
important book titled Dior is published by les Editions du Regard.
1988 The couture and perfume activities, divided in 1968 when Parfums Christian Dior
was sold to Moet-Hennessy, are brought back together within the same group. Second De
d’Or awarded to Marc Bohan for his 1988—89 Autumn-Winter haute couture collection.
1989 Gianfranco Ferre succeeds Marc Bohan. He is appointed designer of the Christian
Dior Haute Couture, Haute Fourrure, Women’s Ready-to-Wear and Fur Collections.
Gianfranco Ferre also sets all the trends and directives for the Christian Dior women’s
designs. In July his first haute couture collection, 1989—90 Autumn-Winter, Ascot-Cecil
Beaton, is honoured by the De d’Or. 23 October: presentation of the first 1990 Spring-
Summer women’s ready-to-wear collection designed by Gianfranco Ferre. Opening of the
Christian Dior Boutique in Hawaii.
1990 The Group Christian Dior, a holding company resulting from the interests successively
acquired from the capital of LVMH, is now the largest luxury group in the world
(excluding the car industry), highly positioned economically as well as in terms of brand
image. Opening of the New York and Los Angeles Christian Dior boutiques.
1991 4 December: Christian Dior is quoted at the Paris Stock Exchange. The Christian
Dior Group reaches a turnover of over 22 billion francs. Couture alone generates a volume
of over 6 million francs. Launch of the perfume Dune: a grand ball is given at the castle of
Vaux-le-Vicomte.
1992 Patrick Lavoix is appointed artistic director of Christian Dior Monsieur. Relaunch of
the perfume Miss Dior. 3 July: presentation of the first 1993 Spring-Summer men’s ready-towear
collection: Paris tout simplement, Dior naturellement (Quite simply Paris, naturally Dior).
1993 Launch of the perfume Tendre Poison.
1994 July: an important retrospective, Christian Dior: the magic of fashion, is held at the
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia.

1958 Marc Bohan is appointed artistic director of Christian Dior London. Yves Saint
Laurent presents his first collection, 1958 Spring-Summer: Trapeze (Trapezium) line
(inspired by the Florentine era and the Renaissance).
1959 12 to 16 June: first presentation in Moscow of the Christian Dior haute couture
collection, designed by Yves Saint Laurent.
1960 Yves Saint Laurent designs Olivia de Havilland’s gown for the Academy Awards
ceremony. Yves Saint Laurent leaves Christian Dior. He is succeeded by Marc Bohan, who
becomes Christian Dior’s artistic director and designs the haute couture collections.
1961 Marc Bohan presents his first collection, the 1961 Spring-Summer haute couture
collection: Slim Look (garden dresses, printed chiffon on taffeta background). Elizabeth
Taylor orders twelve gowns.
1964 Marc Bohan designs costumes for the theatre, opera, ballet and cinema. He dresses
Juliette Greco for her show at the Olympia Theatre, Annie Girardot for the Arthur Miller
play After the fall and Marie Bell in Madame Princesse by Felicien Marceau.
1965 Mr Manteau, in charge of the haute fourrure collections since 1957, introduces
colours into furs and creates the first bronze-tinted green coat.
1966 Launch of the men’s eau de toilette Eau Sauvage.
1967 11 September: presentation of the first collection of Christian Dior women’s readyto-
wear, Miss Dior, designed by Philippe Guibourge. Creation of the Baby Dior line. Marc
Bohan designs the wedding and coronation dress for the Empress Farah Diba and the gowns
worn by her ladies-in-waiting. 1967 Spring-Summer haute couture collection: Safari line.
1968 Frederic Castet becomes responsible for Haute Fourrure at Christian Dior Paris.
Marc Bohan designs the costumes for the Joseph Losey film Ceremonies Secretes.
1969 Launch of the first Christian Dior make-up range.
1970 Creation of the Christian Dior Monsieur line, directed by Marc Bohan. Marc Bohan
designs Brigitte Bardot’s costumes for L’Ours et la Poupee by Michel Deville. 1970 Spring-
Summer haute couture collection: Maxi line (Russian-inspired).
1972 Launch of the perfume Diorella.
1973 Creation of the ready-to-wear furs collection by Frederic Castet. Launch of Hydra-
Dior, the first range of skin-care products.
1975 Inspired by the retrospective exhibition at the Grand Palais, Marc Bohan designs his
1975 Spring-Summer haute couture collection: on a Pointilliste theme.
1976 Marc Bohan designs the Queen of Sweden’s bridal gown.
1977 Celebration of Christian Dior’s thirtieth anniversary at the Lido de Paris.
1979 Launch of the perfume Dioressence.
1980 Gerard Penneroux is appointed designer of the Christian Dior Monsieur line.
1981 On the occasion of the marriage of HRH the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana
Spencer, 29 July, Marc Bohan designs dresses for Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess
Alexandra of Yugoslavia and Mrs Pamela Hicks, Lord Mountbatten’s niece.
1983 The De d’Or is awarded to Marc Bohan for his 1983 Spring-Summer haute couture collection. Dominique Morlotti replaces Gerard Penneroux and is appointed designer of the
Christian Dior Monsieur line and director of the men’s design studio.

1952 Founding of Christian Dior Models Ltd in London. 1952 Spring-Summer collection:
Sinueuse (Sinuous) line (blousons and sweaters). 1952—53 Autumn-Winter collection: Profilee
(Profile) line (shapely waists and curves).
1953 Founding of the Christian Dior Delman Company, manufacturing made-to-measure
shoes designed by Roger Vivier. 1953 Spring-Summer collection: Tulipe (Tulip) line (fuller
bust, slender hips). 1953—54 Autumn-Winter collection: Vivante (Alive) line (inspired by the
Eiffel Tower and the domes of Paris; nicknamed the Shock Look in England, because the
skirts are shortened to 16 inches, about 40 cm, above the ground).
1954 Opening of Christian Dior Ltd in London. The House of Christian Dior Paris
employs a thousand people and is located in five buildings, with twenty-eight workrooms.
1954 Spring-Summer collection: Muguet (Lily-of-the-valley) line (volume of hat, bust and skirt).
1954—55 Autumn-Winter collection: H-line (the Flat Look, nicknamed the String Bean line).
1955 Opening of the boutique at the corner of rue Francois 1er. Opening of the
Gifts—Tableware department. 3 August: a lecture by Christian Dior at the Sorbonne titled
Aesthetics of fashion’ before 4000 students. ‘Doesn’t fashion unite the two spirits of geometry
and fineness?’, he said. Yves Saint Laurent, young winner of the wool design contest, for which
Christian Dior was a member of the jury in 1953, is engaged to work at the studio. He
becomes the only assistant Christian Dior ever had. Christian Dior designs Olivia de
Havilland’s wedding dress. 1955 Spring-Summer collection: A-line (a contrast of waisted shapes
with diagonals). 1955 Autumn-Winter collection: Y-line (simplicity and length).
1956 Fourteen dresses made for Ava Gardner for the film The little hut by Mark Robson.
Twenty-five thousand customers pass through the Christian Dior salons in a single season.
Publication by Amiot-Dumont of Christian Dior’s memoirs Christian Dior et Moi. Launch of
the perfume Diorissimo. 1956 Spring-Summer collection: Fleche (Arrow) line (slenderised
and feminine). 1956—57 Autumn-Winter collection: Aimant (Magnet) line (rounded shapes).
1957 4 March: Christian Dior appears on the cover of Time Magazine. The House of
Christian Dior alone accounts for over 55 per cent of French haute couture exports and
employs 1300 people. 1957 Spring-Summer collection: Libre (Free) line (free waist, volumes
and lengths). 1957—58 Autumn-Winter collection: Fuseau (Spindle) line (a curvy, streamlined
look). 24 October: Christian Dior is struck down by a heart attack. Yves Saint Laurent
takes over as artistic director of the house. November to December: David Jones, in association
with the Australian Women’s Weekly, presents a complete Christian Dior Show in
Australia. Eighty-three spectacular original Christian Dior creations are presented by seven
Dior mannequins.

it may not have seemed so at the time, but this cruel blow of fate was
the means by which Christian Dior eventually came into his own.
Granted, he lived through some dark years in the meantime, scouring
the small ads for jobs, and as we would say today, ‘of no fixed address’ —
which meant staying with friends and doing a moonlight flit, eating every
second day, and winding up with tuberculosis. But at the end of it all, he
was to recover the abilities he had let slip. One day, when he was in the
depths of despondency after failing to get any of a number of jobs, a friend
working in couture suggested he try sketching some designs. When they
found favour, Dior applied himself further and took lessons, but his drawings
already possessed a strange ability to capture life and movement, so
that you could almost imagine the woman wearing the garment. After selling
his designs all over the place for two years, he was taken on as a designer
by Piguet. At that moment came the outbreak of the Second World War.
This was a new trial to bear, though he was not the only one. Dior sought
safety with his family in Callian, in the Var. When he returned to Paris, he
found that his old job with Piguet had been filled, but was taken on by
Lucien Lelong. There, gradually, the creative artist blossomed, and he
began to chafe at playing a subordinate role. Dior was forty. When he
looked around him, he saw all his friends were successes. Berard was the
toast of Parisian high society, and Pierre Balmain, his fellow disciple at
L e l o n g , had just made a s p l a s h by launching his own c o u t u r e h o u s e . It was
high time to leave the nest.