The New Look Collection by Christian Dior - Essay Example

ment The new look collection represented a new sense of style and fabric in the year of 1947 and beyond. This revolution was brought about by Christian Dior unique sense of style that also defined his belief. My final paper is an analysis of The New Look collection by Christian Dior. The images displayed were acquired from past magazines and photos of clothes worn by women in the past. They include models and fashion poses that enable the assessment of detail and fabric. Christian Dior is celebrated for his unique sense in fashion. He majored mainly in drawing sketches. This was influenced by the fact that earlier on, he wanted to become an architect but his parents objected to this idea. He never learned how to sew using a sewing machine or even how to cut dresses. As a result, not all the sketches he produced were reproducible. Due to this, he would sometimes give a particular sketch to different teams and in the end he would select the muslin that was closest in resemblance to the picture he had in mind. Dior ensured he worked with skilled sewers who did their best to put his thoughts and style into a garment. Each of his successful pieces of drawing was not simply a mental picture but a vision of evolution in the fashion industry. Dior did not only come up with very new types of fashion, he also identified potential style that had been overlooked. He then incorporated some of these styles into a new design and opened the people’s eyes to the suitability of the style such as in the A-line. He brought significant changes to the fashion industry, especially with the new look line of fashion. His work was a combination of vision, creativity, innovation and passion for his work. In order to create the under-structure and curved stand of –away shape that is found in most of Christian Dior’s fashion, the renowned designer used boned corsets, rounded sloping shoulders, built-in petticoats and hip pads.1 All this brought a unique sense to his taste in fashion and design. In figure 1, the new H line in 1954 by Christian Dior was a slender tunic suit. It was made with a slim skirt at the bottom. It featured round shoulders and a full skirt. These new look celebrated ultra-femininity after the great wars and as a result gave a new outlook to fashion. The full skirts needed support to look good. For this to happen, they used nylon extensively to create that bouffant petticoat of net. Each particular petticoat was stiffened using wither conventional starch or very strong sugar solution.2 These petticoats portrayed a particularly impressive fullness. In figure 2, it represents the iconic fashion from the new look collection. It is the bar suit displayed in 1947 and it happens to be one of the most referred to pieces in this collection. The H line dress was one of Christian Dior’s most controversial silhouettes that experienced a lot of debates from the press.3 It pressed the bosom to create a shape that was moulded and elongated. This was found by several to be unfeminine. The dress also has rich embroidery and was worn with a golden satin coat. It was originally designed with a dark far lining. The H line dress was one of Christian Dior’s most controversial silhouettes that experienced many debates from the press. The silhouette required myriad underpinned underpinnings that were built in. it was all basically a repudiation of the 1920s ad 1930s. Dior gave this outfit a softer shape that was feminine. It was round and had a sloping shoulder-line. It was also constructed to have a narrow waist and spreading. The fashion experts advised a controlled diet for those who wished to put on this fashion due to the management of the underneath body of the garment.4 It was wasp-waisted and a hip padded design. While making a record of this unique design, Christian Dior created first notebooks which were later followed by charts. It was at this point where they included a sketch and also some technical specifications for this type as well as the quantity of the fabric used in the making of this outfit. These process enabled Dior attach prizes to this design. He used the shawl collar. As soon as this design was released, American Press immediately named it the New Look. It became a classic 1950s garment. This look brought a particular freshness to the fashion industry and very much embraced the feminine look of the1950s. In figure 3, this is an Haute couture collection autumn winter 1955/1956. It was photographed by Henry Clarke. This design represents a new standard outlook with a gray wool suit. This was a transfiguration of what was commonly denoted as a man’s suit.5 This suit is poised on the edge and was a representation of the A line. It was a transfiguration of what was commonly denoted as a man’s suit (Martin 1996). This suit is poised on the edge and was a representation of the A line. This A-line design was unique in that it was able to flatter many body types. It had narrow shoulders and a long smooth waistline. It was also designed with a flare of skirt toward the bottom. Over the completely full skirt of the out-fit, it was completed with a flared jacket. The design was able to flatter just about everyone’s body by creating a more defined waist while the total shape of it drew the eye upward. Down to the hip part, the dress hip-skimming shape was rather flattering to women with particularly larger hips. The region was then balance out with the flare that came at the hem. It was also an outfit fit to be worn by slimmer figured. This was because it created an illusion of curves. For the plus size women, it balanced out the bust. This led to the creation of the impressive shape of an hourglass. Each and every woman was free to enjoy the new sense of fashion that came with this line and feel confident while flaunting it everywhere. In figure 4, it is the y line dress, autumn/winter 1955-5; Photographed by Regina Reland. Most of the dresses made by Christian Dior had a theme that mostly related to the weather. It was an elegant evening silk dress with a strapless style of princess gown. It was designed to look like two dresses in one.6 The front skirt of this collection is short and also reaches the lower calf level. The back of the skirt has along fabric. It forms a train that elegantly sweeps across the flour. Inside the neck, the designer used stiffening bands and hem. This is so as to keep and maintain the shape of the dress from becoming distorted. At the back, this impressive dress fastens with a zip. The stability found on the off-the-shoulder neckline is achieved using the hands to shape the fabric instead of the use of any rigid under structure. The result was a fashionable and elegant design that embraced the female figure and signaled a touch of class. It was also comfortable and elegant to wear. In every aspect, this dress was fit for a wonderful evening. In figure 5, haute couture collection, autumn/winter Christian Dior is a different version of the y line dress. It is a black strapless that also sweeps across the floor. It gives a different angle of the dress’ appearance. Like the previous image in figure 4, it is also made of silk. The difference between the two is the way the shawls fall across the back.7 In this image, it leaves the shoulders and arms bear while in the previous image it covers the arms fully. This fashion was elegant and admirable. Most of the females who wore this dress appeared smart and admirable. Through this line, Dior created a new definition of fashion and had once again set the trend of fashion that most women wanted to be a part. Christian Dior brought a new sense of style to the evening attires for most women. In conclusion, Christian Dior’s work is an admirable work of design and impressive in nature. Having compared the five different images from his new look collection, it is evident that he put a lot f thought, creativity and emotion to his work. Each piece is different from the other yet stunning in its own way. Christian Dior was the most influential designer in the late 1940s and 1950s. The entered the world of fashion after serving in the World War II. His first dominating style in the world of fashion was his works and sketches of hourglass silhouettes of his voluptuous new look. Although he did not have the skills of sewing and using the thread, he started out working under a different successful firm before he considered putting up his own fashion company. Through his establishment of the Dior Company, he made a great contribution to the fashion industry and tried to bring a new sense of liberating fashion to the women after the world war. The type of fabrics and design used were a very new approach in the world of fashion. Even long after his death, Christian Dior’s work is still having a great impact in the current fashion industry. His company is still a renowned and esteemed fashion contributor and celebrities are endorsing the clothes from this line every now and then. 1. the new H line, 1954, christian dior 2. Bar suit from the new look collection, 1947. ADAGP Archives, Pars 1996, archives Christian Dior 3. Haute couture collection, autumn/winter 1955-56. Photographed by Henry Clarke 4. Y line dress, autumn/winter 1955-56. Photographed by Regina Reland. 5. haute couture collection, autumn/winter 1953 archives Christian dior References Cooper, Cynthia. "Dior: A New Look, A New Enterprise (1947–1957)." Dress 36, no. 1 (2010): 90-92. De Marly, Diana. Christian Dior. London: Batsford, 1990. De Rethy, Esmeralda, and Jean-Louis Perreau. Christian Dior: the early years 1947-1957. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001. Jones, Geoffrey G., and Véronique Pouillard. "Christian Dior: A New Look for Haute Couture." Harvard Business School case 809-159 (2009). Martin, Richard Harrison, and Harold Koda. Christian Dior. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996. Pochna, Marie France. Christian Dior: the man who made the world look new. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1996. Steele, Valerie. "Paris fashion." A Cultural History. New York-Oxford (1988). Read More