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.

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!

Understanding the legend that is Dior...

Marie France Pochna did an amazing job descriptively detailing the extraordinary life of Christian Dior. As if to be a proverbial fly on wall witnessing some of the most fascinating moments which shaped his life, the author transports you back into Dior's somewhat exciting formative years. His numerous interactions with many notable persons like Jacques Cocteau, Balenciaga, wealthy industrialists, princesses, and artists alike, are literally brought to life through the magnificent narration of Nadia May. I honestly have to say... I learned so much more about Dior "the man" from this title, more than any other Dior biography I've read thus far.

It really was a pleasure to listen to... Even if your not into historical fashion narratives or autobiographies, this is a title that delivers on both, exciting information and engaging content!!!...I highly recommend it 👍 👌 😀

Another aspect of Dior

I was surprised to get the inside description of Mr. Dior, such a different man than the gentle, meek one I had imagined. Enjoyable book - although it popped my fantasy a bit by introducing the ruthlessness and stress of the fashion business.

Excellent Audio Reading by Narrator.

The material was well researched and very informative about the fashion industry business from a bygone era. The narrator did an excellent job of reading and pronouncing the French names and locations. I would not mind listening to Nadia May again in the future.

excellent read.

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

inspirational

loved this book! I had no idea how such a gentle man, shared his love for beauty and inspired the world

Brilliant picture of a genius who reinvented French fashion

Deeply researched and engaging- this biography goes beyond Dior the designer to Dior the man. But more, it takes us to the heart of the elegant subtle art form of couture -and helps us see how this made “ frenchness” so desired the world around.