Story of a house: Christian Dior

An amazing talent

Born in 1905, Christian Dior would have been 100 this year. His house has become the standard-bearer of French fashion around the globe; and the man himself almost single-handedly established haute couture’s pedigree. In 1946, he founded his house and launched the New Look, whose incredible popularity lasted well beyond the designer’s disappearance in 1957. The Dior style has carried on since then, thanks to talented designers like Englishman John Galliano. In charge of women’s fashion since 1996, he has managed to revisit the label’s codes with a visionary spirit and a pinch of eccentricity. Hedi Slimane has been artistic director of the Dior Homme line since 2000.

Miss Dior, the first fragrance

Christian Dior’s first perfume was released in 1947. It was Miss Dior, a classic chypré, with green and floral accents. Launched at the height of the New Look, its thoroughbred fragrance and pared-down lines made it a truly haute couture scent. Miss Dior also inspired the house’s most recent launch, Miss Dior Cherie. Chypré, fruity and airy, it too sings the praises of the New Look’s code of elegance. Among their shared facets: the bow around the neck, and the very fashionable pied de poule pattern.

Dior and fragance

Dior and fragrance is a fabulous love story… and a success story too. Among the house’s classic creations, we should mention Eau Sauvage. A men’s scent created in 1966 by Edmond Roudnitska, it revolutionized the perfume world thanks to hedione, a stunningly fresh jasmine-like note. Almost 40 years later, it’s still a bestseller. In 1985, Dior launched Poison: a provocative and powerful name for a juice that is every bit as much so (tuberose, amber, spice). Then came Tendre Poison (1994, greener), Hypnotic Poison (1998, amber, wood, spice) and, more recently, Pure Poison (2004, gently floral). Fahrenheit, a woody floral launched in 1988 is another big hit. Its wood-and-violet note transformed the world of men’s fragrance. Among Dior’s other hits are J’adore (1999), a sparkling fruity-floral in an amphora-shaped bottle with generous curves, and Dior Addict, a sensual Oriental in which vanilla is wed to Night Queen, a provocative flower.