Miss Dior
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1949, Trompe l'œil line
Born into a family of five children, Christian Dior forged a special bond with the youngest, Catherine.
In 1947, Christian Dior launched his very first collection, characterized by the New Look. The same year he launched his first perfume, Miss Dior, as a tribute to his youngest sister Catherine, whom he was particularly fond of.
Catherine Dior’s fate was tragically linked to the Second World War. She lived with her father in the south of France, near Cannes, where she joined a resistance network in 1941 and was responsible for transmitting reports to London. However she was arrested in July 1944 and deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She was released at the end of the war.
As a tribute to her courage, she received several emblematic medals, including the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour.
Her unconditional love for flowers led to her rebirth. Catherine became a “flower representative”, delivering flowers in Paris and sending fresh flowers all over the world.
“Miss Dior was born of those Provençal evenings filled with fireflies when green jasmine serves as a counterpoint to the melody of the night and the earth…”
Since 1947 Miss Dior and its collection of fragrances has been one of the House’s iconic perfumes.
Christian Dior also named several designs in his collections “Miss Dior”. This tradition was perpetuated by the Artistic Directors who succeeded him.
The Miss Dior design in the Spring-Summer 1949 collection was a true tribute to Catherine Dior’s passion for flowers, which in this instance were hand-embroidered by the house of Barbier.
© Laziz Hamani ; © Collection Musée Christian Dior, Granville ; © Collection Christian Dior Parfums ; © Association Willy Maywald/ADAGP, Paris 2022 ; © Antoine Kralik ; © ELLE France/Jean Chevalier
