Recognizing one of the most dramatic chapters in the history of haute couture, The New Look is a television series created by Todd A. Kesler, and starring Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior and Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel. It dramatizes the very different paths of these designers during World War II, and Dior’s post-war triumph.
This week, the VFG celebrates what Vogue called at the time “the most legible fashion change in over a decade”. On February 12, 1947, Dior presented “Corolle”, his debut collection of 90 garments. It featured rounded shoulders, a cinched waist and a very full, below-the-calf-length skirt. It was not tentative, rather it was a full-blown statement of the designer’s vision and artistry. It came to be known by the term coined by Carmel Snow, “The New Look”.
“The opening of Christian Dior’s new Paris couture house,” Vogue noted in April of 1947, “not only presented an extraordinarily beautiful collection; it gave the French couture a new assurance in its own abilities … Here—once again—things were done on a grand scale.”
This week, look for fashions that display New Look characteristics such as fit-and-flare silhouettes, corseted waists, soft shoulders, full skirts and luxurious fabrics, along with accessories to match. Visit our forums to see the whole New Look parade.
