The ABC's of Christian Dior!

Hi friends and fellow bloggers!

On a weekly basis I’m going to introduce in alphabetical order a lesson on the history of fashion, the way Christian Dior saw it. I received a wonderful book for my birthday from my sister-in-law on this topic and being a fashion connoisseur I thought it would be great fun to pass along this timeless information. It will help you be better informed when you have doubts or questions about how and what to wear.

Beginning with the letter ‘A’ all the way to ‘Z’ I will chronicle the book for you complete with images from our graphic design people. Everyone was excited about the project and it was added to the ever growing list of things to do.

So let's start with a brief history of Christian Dior whom I'm quite sure everyone has heard of but don’t know too much about or how his fashion empire started.

Christian Dior was born January 21, 1905 in Granville, France to a family whose fortune came from manufactured fertilizer. His parents wanted him to be a diplomat but Dior only wanted to be involved in the arts, mostly fashion, but sketching as well. To make money he sold his fashion sketches for 10 cents each and at one point he owned a gallery where he sold works from Pablo Picasso and other contemporary artists of the time.

After a family financial disaster that resulted in his father losing his fertilizer business Dior was forced to close the gallery and was then forced to join the French Army and served from 1940 -42. After his military service he joined the fashion house of Lucien LeLong where Dior was one of the primary fashion designers for the remainder of World War II.

It wasn't until 1947 that Dior presented his first collection that was featured in Harper's Bazaar Magazine. His first fashion collection was backed by Marcell Boussac a cotton fabric industrialist and multi-millionaire.

The death of Christian Dior remains a mystery, even today. Dior was vacationing in Italy in October of 1957 when he died unexpectedly. Some reports say that he died of a heart attack after choking on a fish bone. Time magazine's obituary stated that he died of a heart attack after playing a game of cards. However, the Paris socialite and Dior acquaintance Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Rédé stated in his memoirs that contemporary rumor had it that the fashion designer succumbed to a heart attack after a strenuous sexual encounter. Some even think that he died because of a seizure.

There you have it! Next week I'll start with the letter A and work through the alphabet Christian Dior style. This will be fun and all of us will learn a lot about how and why we dress the way we do.

Jennifer