Christian Dior was one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. He was born in Normandy, France, heir to a fertilizer fortune. Dior attended a Catholic school, after which he established his main fashion house in 1946 with the backing of a textile magnate. Within 12 years he expanded his business to 15 countries & employed over 2,000 people. He had 3 children & was married 4 times.
Christian Dior is known mainly for the look which employed narrow shoulders, a constricted waist, an emphasized bust, & a long, wide skirt, all in striking contrast to the severity of wartime fashions. His designs represented consistent classic elegance. The New Look revolutionized women's dress & reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world after World War II. Dior spread his fashions around the world when he & his partner, Jacques Rouet, started franchises in the fashion industry. In 1953, Yves Saint-Laurent became Dior's assistant & was destined to be his successor but was reluctantly forced to leave when the time came for his military service.
Towards the end of his life Dior's life was a hectic round of injections to wake up in the morning, injections for his appetite, & further injections to sleep. His niece, who had once been his favorite relative, openly blamed Christian's Jewish manager who procured his medications, along with a collection of young men, of being part of a Jewish plot forcing him towards his death. Dior would eventulally disinherit all his family.
Dior's last companion was Jacques Benita, a young Algerian singer, who he met in 1956 & who, from that time, had to be included in all Christian's social activities. After the September collection in 1957, Dior was desperate for a rest & decided to take Benita to Montecatinia Italy, despite the warnings of his astrologer, who was against the trip. He was so infatuated with Benita that he decided to diet to try to make himself more attractive, even though Benita said this really was not necessary. Dior was a drug addict who probably died, at age 56, from a heart attack or overdose. It has never been certain. At the time of his death, Dior salons had been opened in 24 countries.The Dior firm, successively led by designers Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, continued to be a fashion leader & is now associated with a much wider range of merchandise: mens' wear, household linens, & fragrances.
He was a classic designer & a star. His life was filled of parties, exquisite things, pretty boys, & cool substances... all the things that only famous people eat, feel, & have.
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