LA MAISON DE COUTURE A new book reveals how interior design was a central pillar of Christian Dior’s aesthetic world
Christian Dior’s decorative surroundings were as important to him as his own designs, according to a new book
When Christian Dior introduced his New Look in 1947, his elegant, extravagant designs brought a sense of luxury and freshness to the drab austerity of post-war Europe. It marked the start of a new era for couture and made him instantly famous. ‘A golden age seemed to have come again,’ Dior later wrote. ‘War had passed out of sight, and there were no other wars on the horizon. What did the weight of my sumptuous materials, my heavy velvets and brocades matter?’ This decadent aesthetic extended to his surroundings. A new book examines Dior’s relationship with his two interior decorators, Victor Grandpierre and Georges Geffroy. Both understood fashion – Geffroy had worked for Jean Patou in the 1930s while Grandpierre had been a fashion photographer – and they helped Dior bring his brand to life, performing tasks including designing perfume bottles and transforming the company’s headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne.
The interiors harked back to France’s brightest periods, conjuring up the Enlightenment and the 19th-century belle époque, as well as another grand chapter in the nation’s history, the Empire. This was partly a homage to beauty, but it was also a statement of intent – it signalled that Dior stood for the continuity of high culture and fine craftsmanship. The wealth of Aubusson carpets, Louis XVI furniture and opulent passementerie promised a return to the country’s former glory and the end of the privations associated with the Occupation. Through his careful attention to every detail of his company aesthetic, Dior was fashioning his own renaissance; one that was romantic, nostalgic and incredibly chic. To step through the doors of Dior was to step into a fairy tale – it’s easy to see how, for the rest of the world, it was love at first sight. ‘Dior and his Decorators: Victor Grandpierre, Georges Geffroy, and the New Look’ by Maureen Footer (£50, Vendome Press) is out now.