La Révolution du New Look
Christian Dior Museum
Granville France
12th
February 1947. Avenue Montaigne, Paris.
A Spring/Summer
show by a new French designer.
Life Magazine
reported ‘New French designer is surprise success at first showing’.
Carmel
Snow, editor of Harper’s Bazaar, wrote to Monsieur Dior; ‘Your
dresses have such a new look!’
This show
made it impossible for American buyers to ignore the Paris shows.
US Vogue,
April 1947, remarked that the construction and cut of the New Look was a great
boon to those who were not entirely happy with what nature had handed out to
them.
Bar was one
of seven afternoon suits shown that day. It was named
after the bar in the Hôtel Plaza Athénee and reflected Diors wish to embrace the
post war era, whilst combining a look back at turn of the century Paris and its
fashions. The suit sold in 1947 for equivalent of £2400, compared to £6500 for
a HC suit now (my figures, given for comparison purposes only). Pierre Cardin
was a young member of the work room in 1947. He was sent by Dior to buy sheets
of cotton wool used as padding in the construction of the jackets. Allegedly
Dior took a hammer to a mannequin form to sculpt it into the shape he desired.
Subsequently Stockman, the manufacturers, created mannequins for him to his
specific requirements. Miss Dior perfume
was launched in 1947 and gave its fragrance to the salons, its amphora shaped
bottle as curvy as the New Look.
This
exhibition is beautifully staged and contains the usual breathtaking collection
of Dior garments. I especially liked the wonderfully evocative tableau of that
day in Avenue Montaigne.
Clothes from contemporary designers were used to dress mannequins to provide an
‘audience’ at the NL show. All were perfectly accessorised with hats, bags, shoes
and jewels to give a black and white snapshot of the salon on the day that Bar
had its first walk. A photograph shows preparations for the S/S 1947 show. A seamstress
kneels in front of a model wearing ‘Soiree’ making final adjustments, while a
seated Dior and entourage watch. Step ladders and a vacuum cleaner lie about
and the chairs are in disarray. Next day during the show the room is packed. Photos
show the audience sitting on chairs, standing in corners, looking over people’s
shoulders. There is a huge flower arrangement on the mantelpiece. More than one
notebook is open and poised. No catwalk, the models walked round amongst the chairs.
Largely women with a few men. Most ladies wore small veiled hats, gloves and
furs and pearls and skirts just on the knee. Exactly what would become the Old
Look by the end of the show. How lucky we are to be able to see photographs of
it all. The pictures were taken by Pat English, a photographer from Life
magazine. She had been a model before she became a photographer..this surely
helped her in her work that day.
Two painted
silhouettes on the glass of one case compared the differences between OL and
NL. vis;
Old Look; medium
size hat. Discrete bust line.
Broad
shoulders. Skirt narrow and short, 40 cm from the ground.
Platform
shoes.
New Look; large hats worn towards the front of the head.
Natural
shoulders, moulded bust.
Wasp waist.
Rounded hips. Very full skirt, hem 30/36 cm off ground.
High heeled
shoes.
Hollywood
was represented by actress Rita Hayworth. Dior had shown ‘Soirée’ at the S/S
1947 show. An evening dress from the Corolle line, navy taffeta with black
point d’esprit tulle. Miss Hayworth had one in beige with white spots, which
she wore to a ‘Gilda ‘gala. (Gilda was a film noir from 1946 that starred RH).
She bought twelve Dior outfits at this time and there was an example on display
of a suit she had purchased. Black with a hip length belted jacket with pom pom
details on hem, jacket edge and cuffs. Original magazines open in the case
showed how the world at the time had seen her in the clothes.
The Museum
presents the whole story of Dior clothes. Not just finished articles, but toiles showing
how a jacket is constructed. An interactive display showed pieces of a pattern that were presented like
a jigsaw assembling itself and the finished coat is there beside you to see in
all its glory.
The
information at the museum gives us glimpses into Dior the man. In the 30’s and
40’s he had worked as a theatrical and cinema designer. He enjoyed using
historical references…. the wasp waist of Belle Époque; and dance imagery; the
fullness of fabric allowing skirts to swirl... just as a ballet costume would.
A tiny case
in a corner held two dolls. One in a grey blue silk cocktail frock and the
other in a coatdress of sand coloured georgette crêpe. Both dolls have designer
labels in their dresses as they are couture garments made by the House. These Mademoiselles
are Christmas presents given in 1949 by Dior to the daughters of a friend.
As I left,
not having read about the Plaza Athénee reference at that point, I asked a member of staff… Why Bar? Why was
it named that?
She told me
that ‘Bar’ is an outfit to wear to go out socially, for example to visit a bar.
Then she added
that some French speakers think the name has something to do with fish….bar is
the French for bass.
And in
understanding that sentence, I realised that doing my French homework had been
worth it after all…
Museum and
Garden Christian Dior
Villa les
Rhumbs
1 Rue
d’Estouteville.
50400
Granville
France
www.
Musee-dior-granville.com
musee@museechristiandior.fr
With my very grateful thanks to Musée Christian Dior for permission to
use these photographs.
