A few months ago, I visited the "Golden Age of Couture" collection at the First. The exhibit showcased Dior's "New Look". In 1947, Dior opened his couture house in Paris, and he became an instant success. His work embraced feminine characteristics--sloping shoulders, cinched wastes, and full busts--and defied the masculine, wartime look of his predecessors. From this time until Dior's death is known as "the Golden Age" of couture, for Dior's work influenced many other designers like Paris's Cristobal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, and Pierre Balmain, and his influence spread even to London's Hardy Amies, Charles Creed, and Norman Hartnell.
Dior's "Zemire" is exemplary of his "New Look". The version displayed in this particular exhibit was made in 1954 for Lady Sekers, the wife of a British textile manufacturer, from man made fabric, Cellulose acetate. The skirt is line with layers of silk and netting in order to achieve the full-hipped feel desired by Dior. One can see the difference between the wartime attire and Dior's postwar garb through the tiny, accentuated waste, the curved, sloping shoulders, and the length of the skirt.
This particular piece stuck out to me because of the obvious innovative characteristics created by Dior. Pieces like this one changed the fashion industry forever.
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