Christian Dior

The Man Who Made the World Look New

By: Marie-France Pochna

Narrated by: Nadia May

Christian Dior's career, a veritable fairy tale, is set in a rich tapestry of Paris cultural life before, during, and after the war. Much of Dior's daily inspiration emanated from the world of the intellectual and artistic elite, in which he moved with such people as Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc, Henry Sauguet, Jean Cocteau, and Raoul Dufy.

Born at the end of an era in which luxury seemed reserved only for the happy few, Dior again revolutionized the world of fashion by introducing, in the early 1950s, "ready-to-wear" in his Dior Boutique. Until then, couturiers had worked essentially if not exclusively for the very rich and famous. With his boutique, Dior brought high fashion to the world at large. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the "New Look", New York's Metropolitan Museum mounted a major Dior retrospective in the winter of 1996-97.

Translated from the French by Joanna Savill.

©1994 Editions Flammarion; 1996 Arcade Publishing, Inc. (P)1997 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"An elegantly written, sparkling portrait." (Publishers Weekly)

Interesting, history and fashion

First, the voice of Nadia May makes you want to sit straight and look elegant while absorbing this piece of history mixed with the story of an icon and the description of a man.
Loved every minute of it

The BEST Performance!

Not only is the book detailed and interesting, the performance is perfection! Accents, voices, and energy were excellent, this performer can tell a story!

Beautiful and personal story of M. Dior. I just finished the book by his sister but have not read his autobiography. I feel these three will give a well rounded and accurate portrayal of the man and his life. Very well researched and written.

Fun for Beginners but Fluff for Everyone Else

What did you like best about Christian Dior? What did you like least?

I love biographies, which this technically was, and it was a breezy listen. That being said, it glossed over his personal life, how his childhood influenced his adult life, and the context of the economics/society/culture of France over which he had such a profound influence.

Would you be willing to try another book from Marie-France Pochna? Why or why not?

Probably not, unless it were a travel book. Apparently she has quite a travel service to Paris, though this hasn't been independently verified. I have a feeling it was written more as a PR book than a true academic or journalistic exercise.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I liked how animated she was, but at times it seemed rather fluffy.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, but only on an online streaming service or for free.

Any additional comments?

Those looking for more serious but still fun reads should look for Beautiful Fall (on audible) or Gods & Kings (also Audible). I've read them, not audibled them. But they're great.

How they told the story

Very good book. It was a great adventure and a history lesson of the times.

Dior, a true legend

I've always wanted to know about the life of Christian Dior, this a great start

An amazing look at Dior

I have read several books on Dior but this is by far the best one yet! Narrator is great!

excellent read.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this, a bonus. The research was excellent. Job well done.