5 Inventions by Christian Dior

Spoiler: It's not just clothing.

NEW LOOK

In 1947, as Europe began to recover from five years of war, Christian Dior created a silhouette that would go down in history as the New Look. This, without a doubt, was his greatest invention and a significant contribution to global fashion. The name wasn't coined by Dior himself but by American journalist and editor Carmel Snow in her review of Dior's first collection. Dior never intended to spark a revolution; he merely wanted women in post-war Europe to "look beautiful again." The wartime fashion seemed too unflattering to him: massive foam shoulders, baggy knee-length skirts, and large platform shoes. Dior believed that this type of clothing did not highlight the advantages of the female figure. Having spent his childhood on the northwestern coast of France surrounded by his mother and her friends, who dressed in luxurious Edwardian-era gowns, he knew from an early age that a woman's beauty was enhanced by a cinched waist, a full-length skirt, corsets, and wide-brimmed hats. Thanks to the New Look, women once again began to wear dresses with open shoulders and wasp waists, and Dior gained worldwide recognition.

BAR JACKET

One of Christian Dior's major inventions is the famous Bar Jacket, cropped with a peplum frill at the waistline. Dior believed that such a wardrobe item was essential for every woman visiting hotel cocktail bars, hence the name. Typically, the Bar Jacket was made from satin or silk fabric, complemented by round satin buttons. Dior suggested pairing it with slim trousers or his signature pencil skirt.

PENCIL SKIRT

An integral part of Christian Dior's famous silhouette is the elegant pencil skirt, slightly below the knee in length. Created by Dior to emphasize the seductive curves of a woman's body, it is still considered a standard of elegance and style. The couturier proposed wearing it with the Bar Jacket or a fitted top.

FULL SKIRT WITH A NARROW WAIST

The long, floor-length full skirt, gathered at the waist with crinolines on the hips, remains a signature element of the New Look and Christian Dior fashion. Sometimes these skirts required over 40 meters of fabric and weighed several kilograms, drawing fierce criticism from Dior's colleagues. Coco Chanel once remarked, "Dior doesn't dress women; he upholsters them." However, these skirts, which were suggested to be worn with high heels and fitted, low-cut tops, were highly popular among women and were in great demand. Interestingly, thanks to their unique design, the skirts maintained their stiff shape even when stored on a hanger.

MISS DIOR

Christian Dior quickly proved himself not only as a master of women's fashion but also as a successful entrepreneur by being the first to license his brand. Beyond designing clothing, he took an interest in other aspects of the business, including the production of women's perfumes. The first perfume from the house of Christian Dior was created in the same year, 1947, as the famous collection that inaugurated the New Look style, and it was named Miss Dior. "I created this perfume to envelop every woman in the scent of passion and to see my dresses in this bottle," said Christian Dior. The chypre fragrance, created by two renowned Parisian perfumers, Jean Carles and Paul Vacher, went down in history and remains one of the best-selling perfumes in the world.