Explain How Diors New Look Embraced Both Historicism And...

Explain how Dior’s New Look embraced both historicism and modernism. Your essay must include specific reference to at least two collections and key cultural contexts of post -war France. 1. Introduction A well-known designer in the fashion industry, Christian Dior is known to create very unique and distinctive women wear, especially for creating a collection that became an important moment in the modern-day fashion. Even people with little interest in fashion, when asked about the 1950s womenswear trends, are likely to talk about hourglass figures, big skirts and tiny waists. Editor of American Harper’s Bazaar, Carmel Snow, immediately took to the first collection of Dior â€Å"Corolle† exclaiming â€Å"it’s quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your†¦show more content†¦Bills were passed for rationing of materials such as silk and wool used to make parachutes and uniforms for soldiers. Women’s skirts had to be made within a limited number of yards. Most of the dresses were shapeless, more masculine as women started working in factories and pants became popular (Olds, 2001). 2.2 The Debut On February 12, 1947, Christian Dior, a 42 years old largely unknown couturier launched his collection. Before the debut of this collection, he only had meagre success in the fashion industry but on that day he made history. With his debut collection, Dior created whimsical designs which celebrated sensuality and decadence, reminiscent of Russian Ballet and Belle Époque (Mcauley, 2017). Dior essentially incorporated the historical look where corsets were utilised to accentuate womanly figure, something that had been forgotten due to the war (Oeltjenbruns, 2014). 2.3 The Collections The New Look consisted of various collections such as Corolle, Huit and Tulip. During the day, the broad and squared shoulders were substituted by raglan sleeves while in the evening, they were replaced by bustier. Loose-fitting style was considered a thing of the past and the latest design accentuated the structure of the breasts (Pujalet-Plaà  , n.d.). The waist was fitted and at times was belted and the length of the skirt was also increased. Dior regardless of the expected rationing of materials used a lot of yards in constructing the skirts. The length of the skirt