Cold Open

It’s late in the evening of February 12th, 1947, inside a newly opened fashion house in Paris, France.

42-year-old fashion designer Christian Dior checks his watch, his foot tapping nervously on the floor. A seamstress rushes by, a dress draped over her arm. Across the room, a model calls out, unsure what she should be wearing.

Two months ago, Christian opened his first fashion house in Paris. Since then, Parisian society has been waiting for this day, eager to see what designs he would unveil. And in less than five minutes, the room will be packed. But many of the preparations for Christian’s debut collection are coming down to the last moment.

As a worker tacks down the velvet carpet, Christian notices the edge on the other side curling upward.

Without hesitation, he grabs a hammer and drops to one knee, fixing the problem himself. With that done, Christian rises and then moves to the front window.

He pulls back the curtain. And outside, a crowd stretches down the street. There must be more than 200 people, and the fashion house only has seating for barely half of them. But it’s too late to do anything about that now.

So, Christian turns back to the room and stops in front of the first model.

She spins slowly, her floor-length dress catching the light. Christian smiles. It’s exactly what he hoped for—boldly feminine and unmistakably elegant. He kisses the model on both cheeks and takes one final look around the room. The circle of chairs. The open space for the models to present his clothes. Everything is ready.

So, Christian nods toward the door. The time has come to show the world what he’s been working on.

Over the next two hours, Christian Dior will do more than just unveil his first fashion collection. The elegance and optimism of his designs will capture the imagination of women all across the world. Coming less than two years after the end of World War II, Christian will point the fashion industry firmly toward a brighter future. What women wear will never be the same again after his “New Look” debuts on February 12th, 1947.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is February 12th, 1947: Dior Unveils the New Look.

Act One: A Design For Life

It’s June 1931 in an art gallery in Paris, 16 years before Christian Dior’s debut collection.

26-year-old Christian rests his chin on his hand, tilting his head from side to side as his eyes study every inch of the surrealist painting hanging before him. It’s by a rising talent from Spain named Salvador Dali.

As an art dealer, Christian is used to encountering new works and making quick judgments about their value. But this painting resists easy classification. Titled The Persistence of Memory, it features four clocks sagging and melting across a barren landscape. It’s strange, provocative, and impossible to ignore. The longer Christian looks at it, the more it pulls him in.

Born into a wealthy family, Christian grew up immersed in the art, theater, and music of Paris. And when it came time to choose a career, Christian wanted to pursue his creative passions. His parents, though, had other ideas. They wanted him to be a diplomat or to go into the family’s fertilizer business.

But Christian refused to give up on his dream, and in 1928, his parents eventually agreed to fund his first art gallery. They had one condition—Christian could not put the family name above the door. To do so, they believed, would be undignified.

So after teaming up with his close friend Pierre Colle, Christian’s gallery became a popular new destination for art lovers in Paris. But the success didn't last long. Soon, the Great Depression swept through Europe, and the art market collapsed.

Christian wasn’t the only one in the Dior family hit hard by this economic downturn. Christian’s father lost a fortune investing in real estate. His mother died after a sudden illness, and his brother was institutionalized. So now, the pressure is on. If his art business doesn’t improve, Christian and his entire family might be left with nothing.

So he can’t afford too many risky purchases. This Dali painting is undeniably strange, and its unusual style might not find a buyer. Still, Christian can’t stop staring at it, so he decides to take a chance. He agrees to display The Persistence of Memory, and his gamble pays off. Withinly on weeks, a New York art dealer buys Dali’s new work, and Christian’s share of the sale keeps the gallery open for a while longer.

But selling one painting isn’t enough. With few other works selling, Christian and Pierre soon resume operating at a loss, and after a few more months of barely getting by, they sadly decide to close the gallery.

This loss devastates Christian. Now penniless, he is reduced to sleeping on the floors of friends’ apartments. And it quickly gets worse. He’s soon diagnosed with tuberculosis, and fears that he will follow his mother to an early grave.

But his friends rally around him. They pay for his recovery in a hospital outside the city. With little to do there but rest, Christian picks up a pen and paper and begins to sketch. He finds he has a talent for drawing women’s clothes, and soon he's spending every spare minute with his sketchbook, immersing himself in his new artistic outlet.

When he’s fully recovered, Christian returns to Paris. But he no longer has any intention of working as an art dealer. Instead, using his sketches as proof of his ability, in 1937, he secures a job as a designer at a leading Paris fashion house. He works tirelessly on his craft, completing sketch after sketch, learning from other designers while honing his own style.

Before long, Christian Dior becomes a familiar name in fashion circles. Luxury magazines describe him as a rising talent, someone who might one day rival the established fashion houses.

But Christian can’t take the risk of opening his own business again just yet. He is now the primary breadwinner for his family, and starting his own fashion house will mean gambling everything. So, he waits, building up his skills and resources, until he’s sure he’s finally ready.

But just when Christian will begin to believe he can step out on his own, disaster will intervene. World War II will break out, and in June 1940, German troops will march into Paris. Over the next four years, Christian will have to put his fashion dreams away because the war will cost him far more than just his ambitions.

Act Two: From Horror To Beauty

It’s May 28th, 1945, at a train station in Paris, five years after German troops occupied the French capital.

40-year-old fashion designer Christian Dior pushes his way onto a crowded platform as a steam train pulls into the station. The locomotive grinds to a halt, and Christian cranes his neck, trying to see over the heads of his fellow Parisians. The train’s arrival has been anticipated for days, and emotions are running high. Today, dozens of former concentration camp prisoners are returning home—and Christian’s sister, Catherine, is one of them.

During the long German occupation, Catherine was a member of the French Resistance. She operated out of Paris, transmitting coded radio reports on enemy activity to Britain. But her secret war ended when she was arrested by the Gestapo. Christian was devastated. Desperate to save his sister, he drew on every connection he had. Parisian fashion houses still did brisk business supplying dresses to the wives and mistresses of Nazi officers, and Christian tried to call in favors from his influential clients.

But his efforts to secure Catherine’s release failed. She was tortured and was eventually deported to Ravensbrück, in Northern Germany, the Nazis’ largest concentration camp for women. After this, Christian could only keep his head down, hope that the Gestapo did not come for him too, and pray that his sister would survive.

Against all odds, she did. And now, Nazi Germany has fallen, Adolf Hitler is dead, and the surviving victims of his regime are finally being freed.

The train doors open amid a cloud of steam. Christian walks the length of the platform, scanning faces pressed against the carriage windows. He recognizes no one. He moves past family after family as they tearfully reunite. Couples embrace, holding each other tightly. But Catherine is nowhere to be seen.

Then, when an emaciated woman blocks his way, Christian steps around her, too. But he freezes when he hears her say his name. Christian’s heart lurches. He thought this frail woman was in her fifties. But looking closer, he sees that it’s his 28-year-old sister. Christian immediately throws his coat around Catherine’s shoulders and gathers her into his arms.

Back at his apartment, Christian prepares a meal to mark his sister’s return. But Catherine can only manage a few spoonfuls. Christian talks eagerly about the liberation of France and how different Paris feels now that the war is over. But Catherine is so weak she can barely follow her brother’s words.

Over the following months, under Christian’s care, Catherine slowly regains her strength—and with his sister at his side, Christian finds renewed purpose in his work. She becomes his muse, the model in his sketches, the inspiration for his ideas. Her presence rekindles his ambition of starting his own business—but he is all too aware that the aftermath of war is not the best time to open a new fashion house. Luxury clothing is not a priority while so many people are still rebuilding their lives.

But then, a year after the war ends, Christian receives an unexpected proposal. A wealthy businessman asks Christian to revive his struggling pre-war fashion house. It’s a tempting offer, but Christian refuses—he's still set on starting something entirely new. So, he makes a counterproposal: he asks the businessman to finance a new fashion house—one that bears Christian’s own name. Impressed by Christian’s ambition, the businessman agrees. He also offers one piece of advice—Christian should not copy his contemporaries. His new enterprise must stand apart from the rest.

During the war, clothing was practical. There were strict regulations rationing fabric, leading to simplified designs, narrow hemlines, and the removal of any unnecessary details like pleats and cuffs. Even now peace has come, rationing remains in effect, and fashion still seems stuck in wartime.

So with Catherine’s encouragement, Christian works up a series of designs with a radical new style. He focuses on accentuating the feminine form, using the shape of an hourglass as inspiration. He designs large billowy dresses that pull into narrow waists, then flare again at the bust.

And Christian’s vision extends beyond clothing, too. Inspired by Catherine’s love for growing flowers, he creates his first perfume, naming it Miss Dior after his courageous sister. He tells her that when their fashion house is ready for the public, he will fill the rooms with the beautiful scent.

A few months later, in December 1946, Christian will open the doors of his fashion house for the first time. Two months after that, he’ll present his first clothing collection to the world. And in so doing, Christian won’t just finally achieve his dream; he will change the world of fashion forever.

Act Three: The New Look

It’s February 12th, 1947, in Paris, France, two months after the opening of Christian Dior’s fashion house.

As the last model glides from the center of the room, the audience erupts. Applause crashes against the walls as guests leap to their feet. Christian feels a rush of emotion. He bows his head and presses his hands over his ears, overwhelmed and needing a moment to steady himself.

The atmosphere has been electric from the moment the first dress appeared, with audible gasps greeting each design. Now, as the show comes to an end, a flushed Christian rises and accepts a bouquet of flowers. At the back of the room, he catches sight of his sister, Catherine. They share a proud smile.

Then, Christian says a few words to the assembled guests. He explains that his collection is his attempt to move on from the horrors of war. And he hopes that the world is ready to move on with him.

He soon finds that they are. The reviews exceed his wildest expectations. In Harper’s Bazaar, a fashion critic describes Christian’s collection as the “New Look”, and this name spreads quickly. Soon, everyone is talking about Dior’s New Look—and Christian even adopts the phrase himself.

But not everyone is a fan of this new style. Some detractors find it too extravagant for a time of austerity. Others consider the cuts too revealing and provocative. A few Dior customers are even attacked in the street by angry demonstrators trying to tear their dresses.

But for most people, Christian’s elegant, feminine style will mark a welcome end to the shapeless, utilitarian look of the war years. And soon, Christian Dior will become synonymous with high fashion, and the business bearing his name will shape the way the world dresses for decades to come. But none of its collections will ever be as famous or as influential as the very first—the New Look that Christian Dior revealed in Paris on February 12th, 1947.

Outro

Next on History Daily. February 13th, 1920. A consortium of baseball team owners creates the first successful national league for Black players.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Edited by Scott Reeves.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.