This year the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary French couturier Christian Dior will be celbrated with a series of events, kicking off in May in Normandy. The main event will be a major exhibition at his childhood home in Granville – which has been turned into a museum – which will runs from 15 May to 25 September.

Christian Dior was born on 21 January 1905 in Granville, on the northwest coast of France. He started his career as a gallery owner, and spent time with famous friends like legendary actress Marlene Dietrich and composer Francis Poulenc. In 1946 he opened his fashion house on the exclusive Avenue Montaigne in Paris and died of a heart attack only a decade later, in 1957, at the age of 52. In that brief time, however, Dior managed to leave his indelible imprint on the fashion world.

His first collection earned him rave reviews and compelled Carmel Snow, the then editor-in-chief of the US Harper’s Bazaar magazine, to speak of the “New Look”. Dior had made it onto the fashion map.

Last week the fashion house put a number of representative Dior creations on display, including the 1947 Bar suit, which symbolized the New Look, and the long skirts that sparked major controversy in a post-war France suffering from shortages. The Dior look was completed by fitted waists and slim shoulders.

Pierre Cardin and former Dior assistant Andre Levasseur, both witnesses to Dior’s meteoric rise, attended the news conference at the Dior headquarters last week to help unveil the celebrations. Cardin was Dior’s first employee and worked with him for three years. “With him, I learned what true elegance was. Without him, I would not be Pierre Cardin,” he said.

Dior’s creative director, John Galliano, said in a statement: “He is still very much present. I wish I could have met him, and sometimes I still ask for his advice. I think we would have had a lot in common.”

Click Here: Samon Rugby Shop