A black wool blouse and skirt. Possibly late 1940s to early 1950s. Front blouse has black buttons with small clasp closures down the center front. Buttons also on the sleeve cuffs. Back of the blouse is slit near the top with buttons on each shoulder. Inner blouse is not lined. Skirt has buttons down the front center and hooks and eyes to close. Inner is lined. Top: Bust 36 x Length 25 , Skirt: Waist 24.5 x 29 inches
In 1946, Christian Dior opened the eponymous couturier that has come to serve as an emblem of French luxury as well as assert the endurance of the heritage house. Dior himself trained under Lucien Lelong before debuting his 'New Look,' a postwar style of opulence that imbued a sense of elegance into the previously austere category of womenswear. As well as a nod to the dress of the Edwardian period, the hourglass cinched waists, shortened hemlines, and structured bodices associated with the contemporary feminine figure are in large part credited to Dior's emphasis of the A-line form. Liberated from the limitations of wartime rationing, Dior at times utilized over twenty yards of fabric for one garment to achieve this desired voluptuousness. Upon the sudden death of Christian Dior in 1957, the house of Dior has passed its legacy on to a slew of emerging designers, many of which have pioneered a name for themselves in their reinterpretation of the New Look; Yves Saint Laurent catalyzed his design career with a short stint as creative director, followed closely by Marc Bohan's decade long assumption of the role. Into the twenty-first century, the likes of Heidi Slimane, John Galliano, and Raf Simons have maintained the image of the empowered Dior woman through the iconic "Lady Dior'' saddlebag adored by Princess Diana, as well as expanding the empire into articulate and assertive menswear. Under the current creative direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri, explicit references to fourth wave feminism propose a modernized version of the mid-century liberated woman, though the classic allure of Dior's femininity remains unblemished by time.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Doris Raymond

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