In this beautifully crafted and unforgettably moving biography of Catherine Dior – sister to Christian and a Resistance hero who was brutally tortured and dispatched to Ravensbrück concentration camp – Justine Picardie reveals the hidden depths beneath the glimmering surface of haute couture.
Miss Dior is a story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal, roses and repression, and how the polished surface of fashion conceals hidden depths. It paints a portrait of the enigmatic woman behind the designer Christian Dior: his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity.
Justine Picardie's journey takes her to Occupied Paris, where Christian honed his couture skills while Catherine dedicated herself to the French Resistance, until she was captured by the Gestapo and deported to the German concentration camp of Ravensbrück. With unparalleled access to the Dior family homes and archives, Picardie's research into Catherine's courageous life shines a new light on Christian Dior's legendary work, and reveals how his enchanting 'New Look' emerged out of the shadows of his sister's suffering.
Tracing the wartime paths of the Dior siblings leads Picardie deep into other hidden histories, and different forms of resistance and sisterhood. She explores what it means to believe in beauty and hope, despite our knowledge of darkness and despair, and discovers the timeless solace of the natural world in the aftermath of devastation and destruction. The result is an exquisite and unforgettably moving book.
Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 9780571356522
Number of pages: 448
Weight: 760 g
Dimensions: 235 x 174 x 41 mm
Edition: Main
'Every single person who has experienced the loss, yearning and honourable rage of bereavement will know that this is their book. There is nothing else like it.' - Nigella Lawson, on IF THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU'Elegant . . . Coco has, in these pages, come out of hiding.' - Frances Wilson, Telegraph, on COCO CHANEL
This is a fascinating read about Catherine Dior and her experiences through WW2 and her involvement with the French Resistance as well as the fashion side with her brother and the House of Dior. Justine... More
Catherine Dior was the youngest of five Dior children and a favorite of her brother, Christian. The family lived in a home called Les Rhumbs overlooking the town of Granville on the Normandy coast of France. Her... More
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