Christian Dior lived the American dream. From the first timehe set foot in New York, the legendary designer had a specialrelationship with the United States, and he may even be moreimportant in America than in France. With the introduction of theNew Look, Dior quickly became American fashion?s ultimate agentprovocateur, playing on the country?s appetite for newness and forFrench savoir-faire. In one gesture, he had given women a whole newshape. Dior?s long, voluminous skirts were more extravagant andfeminine than anything seen in fashion for decades. From theoutset, Dior said that his client would be ?The most elegant womanin the world,? which quickly proved to be true, dressing Americanstyle icons such as Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, andElizabeth Taylor. Dior?s New Look expressed the longing for fantasyand relief of a culture that had been crippled by war. ?It was asuccess only because it reflected the mood of the times,? saysDior, ?a mood that sought refuge from the mechanical and impersonalin return to tradition.? The sweeping folds and the overtlyfeminine, nipped-in waists arrived precisely when women cravedluxury and femininity the most. What followed were detaileddrawings of the elaborate foundations, accordion pleats andwhale-boned corselets reinforcing Dior?s great skirts and snugjackets. In many ways the Dior brand would come to be defined asmuch by the American press and consumer as it was by the feminineand romantic taste of the designer himself. AUTHOR: Kate Betts is acontributing editor at Time magazine and until this year was alsothe editor of Time Style & Design, a special supplement to themagazine. Previously, Betts was the editor in chief of Harper"sBazaar and the fashion news director of Vogue. Betts began hercareer in Paris where she was a reporter and later a bureau chiefof Women"s Wear Daily. She is the author of the forthcoming bookEveryday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style. A graduate ofPrinceton University, Betts resides in New York City with herhusband and two children. 70 illustrations
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