Last updated on October 3rd, 2024 at 12:58 pm

• The 1947 ‘New Look’ by Christan Dior
• Dior’s New Look Wasn’t New
• Dior’s ‘Bar’ Suit-What Came First, Shawl or Notched Collar
• Why Was Dior’s New Look Controversial
• Interesting Fact About Dior’s Use of Waspies in the New Look Dresses
• How to Create Dior’s New Look Silhouette with Proper Undergarments
• Vintage-inspired lingerie from Pip & Pantalaimon for the New Look silhouette
• Channeling Dior’s New Look with a Vintage-Inspired Outfit
• How to Wear Dior’s New Look: Vintage Inspired Outfit for Fall

Fall, my favourite season, is finally upon us, the perfect time to dust off my 1940s suits with matching hats and weather-appropriate gloves. As I was carefully packing my summer vintage wardrobe into Tyvec covers, you can find out how to properly store vintage in my article; ‘How to Store Vintage Clothes Like a Pro‘, and unpacking fall ensembles, I was daydreaming about Dior’s ‘Bar’ suit being part of my vintage collection. “Dream on, Dominique.” Since the chances of me ever owning the original Dior suit from 1947 are rather slim, I came up with plan B, and that’s how the idea for; Dior’s New Look: Vintage-Inspired Outfit for Fall, post came about.

I will show you how to create the New Look silhouette with a vintage-inspired jacket and skirt from my favourite contemporary brand, Son de Flor, as well as proper foundation garments and a corset to achieve the 1950s supermodel Dovima-like waist.

DISCLOSURE: I am a part of an affiliate program, which means that I may earn a commission when you buy a product through the links on this post. This commission helps to keep my website alive, and for that, I am grateful to you! Shopping through my affiliate links won’t cost you any extra money. Please note that all opinions expressed on this website are mine, and I only endorse the products I genuinely love.

The 1947 ‘New Look’ by Christan Dior

Christian Dior is undoubtedly one of my favourite haute couture designers of the late 1940s and 1950s. His spring collection of 1947 will forever be known as The New Look, a name attributed to Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, as she said at the end of Dior’s first collection “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your dresses have such a new look!”

Full skirts in sumptuous fabrics, and perfectly tailored, fitted jackets creating the illusion of a tiny wasp-like waist are my ideal of beauty, female sensuality, and sexuality.

I designed clothes for flower-like women, clothes with rounded shoulders, full feminine busts, and willowy waists above enormous spreading skirts. I wanted my dresses to be constructed like buildings, molded to the curves of the female form, stylizing its shape.

Christian Dior

To me, Dior’s creations from that era will always be synonymous with the perfect silhouette and immaculate workmanship so apparent in the tailoring of all his glorious designs. Australians shared the opinion as in the spring of 1948, David Jones, a department store in Sydney, organised a fashion parade of fifty Christian Dior creations, the first complete Dior collection to be shown outside Paris. So it comes as no surprise that 70 years later the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia hosted an exhibition entitled The House of Dior: Seventy Years Of Haute Couture.

In 1946, Christian Dior, a former employee of couturier Lucien Lelong, joined forces with the influential “king of cotton,” Marcel Boussac, a prominent figure in France and owner of the Boussac Group. Together, they established the House of Dior as a limited liability company for a whopping ninety-nine years, with a capital of 5 million French francs – an extraordinary amount for a haute couture firm at the time. Initially, Dior employed eighty-five skilled individuals across three workrooms, thanks to his partnership with Boussac, one of the richest men in France. Dior’s team included some of the best talents from Lelong’s staff, who took charge of managing the workshops and sales at Dior.¹

It was in 1946 that I moved into 30 Avenue Montaigne. This delightful house then had enogh elegant rooms and salons, sufficient nooks and crannies to contain all eightyfive of us.

Christian Dior, Dior by Dior, 1958

On February 12, 1947, Dior unveiled his first collection, introducing new lines named Corolle and En 8 at the prestigious 30 Avenue Montaigne.

Dior’s New Look Wasn’t New

One of the standout pieces, and my absolute favourite, was the ‘Bar’ suit, featuring a full skirt made of black Boussac fabric, made by no other than Pierre Cardin, and a fitted jacket, which caught the attention of Carmel Snow, who famously dubbed it the “New Look.” This was a significant moment, as even though other couture designers like Lelong, Fath, and Mainbocher had showcased similar wasp-waisted silhouettes with long skirts in the late 1930s, Dior’s creation made a lasting impact.

I have been following American fashion pages pretty closely and they read like a foreign language now. They are all talking about wasp waists and corsets, and this season is supposed to be striking for its glitter and masses of jewellery and bustles and things. It’s supposed to be the most extravagant season for a long time. While here you don’t even get people bothering about cheap frocks-factory girls go to work in slacks.

A Mass Observation Report for 1939-1940

Dior’s ‘Bar’ Suit-What Came First, Shawl or Notched Collar

There has been much dispute amongst vintage Dior aficionados about the original shape of the collar on the 1947 Bar suit. I hope we can finally put this matter to rest since I found the original drawing that shows a notched collar on this glorious ivory jacket fastened with five buttons. A photograph taken by Serge Balkin for Vogue, in April 1947 of a model in a Bar suit adorned with a shawl collar, clearly shows that the jacket had six buttons which proves that there were several variations of the iconic suit.

The iconic photograph of Renee Barton wearing a version of Dior’s first collection suit, featuring the notched collar and an open front, was taken by Willy Maywald in 1957 on the streets of Paris. This suit is believed to have been made in 1955 for Dior’s lecture at Sorbonne.

During the 1947 spring-summer fashion show, Dior showed the ‘Bar’ suit with a shawl collar variation.

While Dior implemented many notched collars into his designs, he was very fond of shawl collars and curved necklines. He believed that the shawl collar was especially effective in complementing the curvaceous forms he meticulously crafted at the shoulders and hips in his designs. This attention to detail and emphasis on the interplay between garment elements demonstrated Dior’s dedication to creating truly harmonious and elegant pieces.

The notched collars on my 1940s suits are a timeless representation of that era, while the round collars on the 1950s jackets embody a different kind of elegance. If you asked me which I prefer, I would reply with no hesitation that I’m very fond of both.

Why Was Dior’s New Look Controversial

The debut of Christian Dior’s New Look in 1947 sparked a fashion revolution that elicited a wide spectrum of reactions. While some applauded its opulent and elegant aesthetic, others criticized its impracticality and restrictions. The New Look’s defining features, such as nipped-in waists and full skirts, were viewed as constraining and unsuitable for the active, modern woman. However, many were enamoured by its romanticized and ultra-feminine silhouette, which marked a departure from the utilitarian styles of the wartime era. Gradually, the New Look gained widespread acceptance and altered the prevailing image of women, ushering in an era that favoured a more delicate and refined femininity.

During the war, fabric restrictions limited the production of garments. For an in-depth look at this topic, you can read my article on the CC41 Utility Clothing Scheme in Britain. Due to these restrictions, dresses and skirts barely covered the knees. The introduction of the New Look in fashion was controversial, as it was perceived as indecent by some women due to ongoing post-war fabric shortages. In the USA, thousands of women joined the ‘Little Below the Knee Club’ and publicly shortened their long skirts in protest of Dior’s perceived wastefulness.

They argued that the design restricted movement and was uncomfortable to wear (how would they even know? Are we to believe that all the Club members could afford French haute couture?), and increased the cost of clothing due to the use of extra fabric (I can understand that). American fashion designers also joined the critics, with sportswear designer Bonnie Cashin expressing concern that the New Look distorted the female form and disregarded women’s practical needs. Jo Copeland, another American sportswear designer, announced in 1947 that she would no longer travel to Paris for inspiration due to these concerns. ²

In my opinion, cutting a perfect vintage skirt seemed like a truly wasteful act.

With a band playing old-time songs and half its members dressed in grandmother’s clothes, women of the Little Below the Knee Club stopped downtown traffic here today with a parade proclaiming long skirts old-fashioned and impractical.

The New York Times, Aug. 24, 1947

Interesting Fact About Dior’s Use of Waspies in the New Look Dresses

In 1956, Alison Settle highlighted in the Observer that the new fashion trends necessitated strong figure control. This led to a widespread need for women to pursue dieting. While legislative controls may have impacted diet pills containing thyroid extract, this era saw a proliferation of diet fads centred around various gimmicks and so-called wonder foods, including molasses, yoghurts, and liquorice. ³

Interestingly, the 1950s craze for miracle pills might have started with the need for a slimmer figure but it certainly didn’t stop there. In 1955, Miltown (the feel-better pill), the favourite tranquillizer of (depressed) American housewives became widely available, and thanks to its prolific advertisement promised to help with almost any problem, from depression to insomnia, and anxiety to weight control.

Cherry Marshall, a former model, vividly recounted the use of waspies, a type of corset, to tightly constrict the waist to fit into the fashionable New Look dresses of the era. She emphasized the restrictive nature of the garment, explaining how it physically prevented her from consuming food properly, as it limited the passage of food to her stomach. Despite the challenges, Marshall achieved significant professional success and garnered widespread recognition as Miss Susan Small, renowned for possessing the smallest waist in London.

How to Create Dior’s New Look Silhouette with Proper Undergarments

I always stress the importance of wearing the right foundation garments under true vintage and vintage-style clothing, and this time is no exception. In fact, it’s even more crucial than ever. I wanted to show you what I wore under my New Look-inspired outfit, but unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. Instead, I’m sharing a photo from a couple of years ago, wearing the same authentic Merry-Go-Round bra from 1947 paired with an Orchard corset to create the wasp-like silhouette.

If you want to go to the extreme, you can add hip padding but it’s unnecessary when you wear an A-line skirt.

Vintage-inspired lingerie from Pip & Pantalaimon for the New Look silhouette

Pip & Pantalaimon is a vintage-inspired lingerie brand that places a strong emphasis on utilizing authentic vintage machinery and construction methods to produce faithful reproductions of vintage undergarments. This is complemented by the incorporation of modern shapewear fabrics, ensuring not only authenticity but also exceptional comfort for the wearer. I’m in awe of their corselettes and high-wasted knickers and I’m not the only one as their limited-edition pieces sell out as fast as Ladurée’s macaroons.

Channeling Dior’s New Look with a Vintage-Inspired Outfit

For my Dior’s New Look vintage-inspired outfit for fall, I chose a beautiful 100% linen Elizabeth jacket adorned with a classic Peter Pan collar, puffed sleeves and lovely peplum-like waistline detail which I paired with the Classic skirt in the same Royal Grape colour from the new collection of my favourite vintage-inspired brand, Son de Flor.

You might find it surprising that I opted for a colour so contradictory to the ‘Bar’ suit, but I don’t wear white or ecru, it’s simply not me, and one should always stay true to oneself. Also, this particular outfit I chose for the article, is an interpretation of Dior’s New Look, not its exact copy. I wanted to focus on the fitted jacket that emphasised my waist and the length and volume of the skirt, although I should have worn two petty coats instead of one.

My favourite 1940s hat, even though very different in shape to the one shown during Dior’s 1947 fashion show, goes perfectly with my New Look-inspired ensemble. The Edwardian Memery boots are certainly from the wrong era, but I love adding an element of surprise, don’t you?

The purse, which I’m sure you’ve seen before in many of my pictures because I carry it a lot, is from the late 1950s or early 1960s, and the belt is from the late 1940s.

Here are a few beautiful hats I found on Etsy which will help you complete Dior’s New Look-inspired outfit.

How to Wear Dior’s New Look: Vintage Inspired Outfit for Fall

As you can see in the example above, finding Dior’s New Look: a vintage-inspired outfit for fall doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Whether you prefer to wear the same colours that Christian Dior introduced in his 1947 collection, or experiment with what suits you best, the Son de Flor brand has you covered as the Elizabeth jacket also comes in black and so does the classic skirt. You might also like their Peplum jacket in tweel linen perfect for channelling Dior’s New Look.

Tips for Creating a Dior New Look Vintage-Inspired Outfit for Fall:

• Choose a well-fitted jacket with a peplum for a classic silhouette
• Pair the jacket with a long A-line skirt to capture the iconic New Look style
• Consider wearing two petticoats for maximum volume, although one can suffice. Ensure that the length of the petticoat matches the skirt length without being visible
• Proper foundation garments are essential for achieving the Dior New Look silhouette
• Use a corset or waspie to create a small waist and enhance the Dior New Look silhouette
• Complete the outfit with a hat to capture the essence of the New Look style

Source:

1. Pouillard, V. (2021). Paris to New York: The Transatlantic Fashion Industry in the Twentieth Century   ↩︎
2. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox saturdayeveningpost.com ↩︎
3. Dyhouse, K. (2011). Glamour: Women, History, Feminism. ↩︎