Working for Christian Dior: The Insights of a 1950s Fashion Model

Working for Christian Dior is a contemporary personal reflection by Jean Dawnay, taking from her autobiography Model Girl, on her season working as a salon model for Diors Spring/Summer collection of 1950. Jean Dawnays status as one of the first household names in modelling was cemented in 1950 when she became the first Englishwoman to work for Christian Dior as a mannequin in his Paris salon. Re-christened `Caroline by the famed designer, she became the designer's muse, who embodied a quintessential sense of Englishness. She was a model following Diors acclaimed `New Look; a style of dress that revolutionised fashion in the aftermath of the lingering austerity of post war Europe, and which made him the foremost designer of the era. The designs and legacy of Christian Dior have fascinated both critics and the general public for decades. Yet, other than Diors own autobiography, Jean Dawnays insights are the only surviving first-hand account of the intricacies of daily life working at the fashion house. This unique account invites you to delve under the couture veneer and to glimpse both the man beneath and the extraordinary women who worked alongside him in this golden age of fashion. See more