The lavishly illustrated, sparkling portrait of the pioneering arbiter of style, the creator of the New Look, with an introduction by John Galliano. Christian Dior, the legendary French fashion designer, caused a worldwide sensation in 1947, in a Paris still groping to recover from the devastations of wartime occupation. Reintroducing the flowing, ankle-length skirt, Dior gave women back their long-lost sense of freedom, femininity, and joie de vivre. Dior"s collection with its pinched waste and generous folds of fabric was dubbed the "New Look" by the press, especially the American fashion journalists. Dior was crowned "The King of Fashion," and he immediately reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world. With elegance, precision, and impeccable research, Marie-France Pochna recreates this one-of-a-kind world of glamour and luxury and situates Dior"s fairy-tale career in the rich tapestry of Paris cultural life.