Dior's Iconic 'New Look'

It defined style and changed the history of fashion: the iconic Dior 'New Look.' After the Second World War and the couture scandal in Paris, people were in desperate need of a new look, quite literally. Christian Dior who had previously worked at couturier Lucien Lelong's fashion house was the man to reinvent fashion and played on a new feminine silhouette.

It was Chanel who abolished the corset and brought in a more masculine form of dress by using the flexible jersey material favoured by men. Yet Dior wanted to make women feel feminine and sexy again, especially after the depressing war years. In February 1947, he launched his iconic collection in Paris showing dresses that highlighted the waist and upper body beautifully. Women were amazed and immediately wanted this new kind of dress which allowed skirts to billow romantically out at the waist. It was pretty yet revolutionary. Harpers Bazaar's Carmel Snow coined the phrase 'New Look,' in her monthly magazine column and established the term that would define Dior's design aesthetic.

From actresses like Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Lauren Bacall to the everyday women living in cities; the Dior look was copied by mass production companies as well as magazines who couldn't get enough of it. It brought back femininity, romance and most importantly Fashion! Paris was re-established as the most stylish city in the world and the press from America and Britain once again were lured back to the biannual fashion weeks. Dior sadly died 10 years later, even though his impact on fashion was one of greatness and importance. Long live the 'New Look.'