Christian Dior

Original catalogue to the Paris exhibition and a core part of the blockbuster retrospective at the V&A. It was in 1947 that Christian Dior presented his first collection and heralded the birth of a new fashion silhouette for women. After the austerity of the war years, the cinched waistlines, full skirts and soft shoulders of the New Look came to embody a revival of Parisian luxury. Paris regained its place as the global capital of fashion and the name of Dior became a synonym for haute couture. For this book, published to mark the 70th anniversary of the House of Dior, seventy of the most memorable looks created Christian Dior and his successors – Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri – have been specially selected and photographed in fascinating detail. These wonderful designs are also featured in sketches, runway shots and fashion shoots by the world’s greatest fashion photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard