Christian Dior lived the American dream. From the first time
he set foot in New York, the legendary designer had a special
relationship with the United States, and he may even be more
important in America than in France. With the introduction of the
New Look, Dior quickly became American fashion?s ultimate agent
provocateur, playing on the country?s appetite for newness and for
French savoir-faire. In one gesture, he had given women a whole new
shape. Dior?s long, voluminous skirts were more extravagant and
feminine than anything seen in fashion for decades. From the
outset, Dior said that his client would be ?The most elegant woman
in the world,? which quickly proved to be true, dressing American
style icons such as Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, and
Elizabeth Taylor. Dior?s New Look expressed the longing for fantasy
and relief of a culture that had been crippled by war. ?It was a
success only because it reflected the mood of the times,? says
Dior, ?a mood that sought refuge from the mechanical and impersonal
in return to tradition.? The sweeping folds and the overtly
feminine, nipped-in waists arrived precisely when women craved
luxury and femininity the most. What followed were detailed
drawings of the elaborate foundations, accordion pleats and
whale-boned corselets reinforcing Dior?s great skirts and snug
jackets. In many ways the Dior brand would come to be defined as
much by the American press and consumer as it was by the feminine
and romantic taste of the designer himself. AUTHOR: Kate Betts is a
contributing editor at Time magazine and until this year was also
the editor of Time Style Design, a special supplement to the
magazine. Previously, Betts was the editor in chief of Harper''s
Bazaar and the fashion news director of Vogue. Betts began her
career in Paris where she was a reporter and later a bureau chief
of Women''s Wear Daily. She is the author of the forthcoming book
Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style. A graduate of
Princeton University, Betts resides in New York City with her
husband and two children. 70 illustrations
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