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GIRL IN DIOR, Annie Goetzinger’s homage to high fashion’s greatest designer, ties a fictional model’s life into the historical beginnings of the Dior house of fashion. Whether or not the reader is familiar with the House Dior and its designs --- classical feminine themes, perfumes, sharp contours and sharper profiles --- or the man who represent it all, the name is certainly recognizable. Dior represents all that is high fashion --- especially Parisian high fashion --- and Christian Dior founded all that with the release of his first collection in 1947.

"Having only read this book, I can say I have a much greater respect for Dior, his brand, his art, and his unflinching genius."

Goetzinger gives her readers an intimate and clever look into the life in the post-war French fashion industry. The reader follows Clara Nohant, a young journalist en route to her first article. Little do we know that her first article is on the very first Christian Dior collection release, to be remembered as the very first contemporary fashion show. This is a moment in fashion history much written about, ranging from the many angles it was reported by the media to the socialites and celebrities present, and remembered most widely for the shockwave of controversy that followed.

Much like any of the most successfully lasting works in history, Dior’s survived the test of time, most notably due to his controversial hemline lengths. Hemlines falling below the ankle were seen as backward and anti-suffrage and anti-women’s rights by audiences worldwide --- not to mention the excess of fabric Dior used on most of his skirts, while the bulk of Europe was still recovering from the war. Such extravagant gowns were attacked as elitist and added insult to injury.

As told to us by Nohant, this may have served to only draw more attention to the designer and the mystique of his character. Unhindered by criticism, Dior spent the next 10 years, until his sudden and tragic death in 1957, creating new collections season after season. Nohant recounts the family inside the Dior household as a loving community succeeding in brilliance together.

Goetzinger’s art and narrative cleverly weave a biography, delivered by a narrator whose naiveté rivals our own at the start of this book. Lovingly illustrated --- and even more lovingly constructed --- the narrative expresses the importance of Christian Dior and why he deserves to be well-remembered. Having only read this book, I can say I have a much greater respect for Dior, his brand, his art, and his unflinching genius.

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