Christian Dior was born in 1905 to affluent parents in the fertilizer business in Granville, Normandy. Christian's parents always hoped he would go into diplomacy, pushing him toward that field of study. After completing his degree in 1928, he moved to Paris and opened a modest art gallery to pursue his lifelong passion. His father's business failed, forcing him to sell the gallery where Picassos and Max Jacobs could be found. While this was unfortunate for him, it was good news for the art world.
After relocating to Paris and finding himself unemployed, Christian Dior worked in the 1930s as a model designer at Lucien Long's fashion house, where he and Pierre Balmain would become the house's primary designers. In 1945, it was finally decided to set up on its own, supported by Marcel Boussac, a wealthy cotton producer. It would be in December 1946 when he would eventually open his boutique, and in February of the following year, he would present his first collection, Corolle. This is the moment when the legend of the New Look begins to take shape.
In the midst of what is still remembered as Europe's worst war, the austere and reflective spirit that gave birth to the New Look emerged. Christian Dior gambled on voluptuousness and emphasized feminine forms when all clothing brands relied on austerity and conservative forms. The collection was called "Corolle" (corolla), a flower, because of the flowing and ethereal shapes they created. The waistlines of the clothes in the collection were tight, making curves and round shapes.
