Louise Wallenberg: Christian Dior 1905-1957

Lecture notes from October 10, 2007

In the beginning of the lecture we were shown the Dior dress from the 1950. It was the S-shaped long and soft-figured dress with the influences of 19th Century. Then we were shown the photograph by Richard Avedon - A Lady in the middle of Elephants. The power of the image, the brand discourse, the history of a brand... the phenomenon of Christian Dior.

Film and fashion also were told to become together in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" from 1961. There is this narrative-function in fashion and in different films.

Then we were shown the photo of Grace Kelly wearing a big ball-dress with naked shoulders in front of some stairs.

John Galliano was the head of Dior design until 2006. In 2005 he had a couture-show that was inspired from the new look of 1950's. He also made famous lesbian scenes in advertising. New Look was launched in 1947 in New York. New Look - New York, interesting... Dior was influenced by la belle epoque in the beginning of the 20th Century Paris. His many works and importance in fashion history is now presented in Granville in Dior Museum, in France (http://www.musee-dior-granville.com). Therefore we can always relate clothes to history and ask ourselves - what do clothes say about our time?

Though, Dior was no revolutionist, and according to Yunija Kawamura, by whom I am influenced now, after having listened her two lectures very recently, but about three months later after this Dior-lecture by Louise Wallenberg, we can even say that no-one is a genius. No-one is born a genius, they become one - with hard work and help of the team, the network they have. More about Christian Dior - he never showed up in public, in press or gave interviews. He had another person for that, some lady called Susan/Susanne...

Despite no academic is willing to say that Dior was a revolutionist - John Galliano thinks that. In the film we watched "Christian Dior - A Man Behind the Myth", Galliano says that Dior most of all loved to dress a woman. He was fascinated by the proportions, body, ideality and femininity. He loved Dress. He was a dress-architect.