10/13/2020

Gold
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Gold
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From the shine..
Christian Dior founded his fashion house in October 1946 and presented his first collection on 12 February 1947, which immediately made him famous. The success can be called historical today; Dior has since been considered the inventor of the "New Look". What many people are less aware of is that Dior, as soon as it founded its fashion house, felt the desire to register its "Société des Parfums Christian Dior". It was registered as early as March 1947.
The clever Christian Dior considered perfume to be indispensable for a fashion house and commissioned perfumer Paul Vacher to develop a first fragrance.
One source of inspiration for" Miss Dior " was in Grasse, where Dior had close relatives.
Paul Vacher combined roses, jasmine and gardenias from Grasse with galbanum from Persia and contrasted them with a strong portion of oakmoss and labdanum.
For the presentation of the Dior collection, the entire fashion house on Avenue Montaigne was decorated with flowers and "Miss Dior" was sprayed.
In the post-war period the green chypre chord of "Miss Dior" was a real speciality. The aldehydes used in the composition and the green tones on a slightly animalistic basis were new in this combination and so completely different from the powdery, heavy perfumes that were popular at that time.
Paul Vacher had already made a name for himself with "Le Galion" (founded 1936). Dior and Vacher knew the style-defining perfume "Chypre" by Coty from 1917 and were both enthusiastic about the composition. That's why they created a modern Chypre, younger and fresher than its idol through galbanum and gardenia, a perfume for women who had regained their freedom.
The green chypre became the olfactory reflection of the New Look: houndstooth, narrow waist, grey and white, swinging, wide skirts. Both the perfume and the silhouette of the diorama were unmistakable, immediately recognizable.
Dior left nothing to chance.
Always fascinated by antiquity, he chose the amphora as the form for "Miss Dior", but he was not the first fashion designer to be enthusiastic about this classic form (see Lucien Lelong 1936 or "Femme" by Rochas 1943).
The amphora is reminiscent of the shapes of the female body, which the couturier knew how to dress in such a flattering way.
The name "Miss Dior" also symbolises femininity. It was chosen as a tribute from Christian Dior to his sister Catherine, who was a German prisoner of war and opened a flower shop in Grasse after the war.
In an interview in 1955 Dior said about his first perfume :
"Like alchemists, we searched for the Stone of Wisdom... and then Miss Dior was born. The perfume was inspired by evenings in Provence, where fireflies are in the sky and where green jasmine plays the counterpart to the melody of night and earth. Because, you know, for a perfume to remain, it must first have lived for a long time in the hearts of those who invented it. "( my translation from French).
And " Miss Dior " today?
It exists as Eau de Toilette under the name " L'Originale" and I still find the fragrance (although carefully reformulated) perfect and beautiful!
Experiences of beauty are a gift. Only where a perfume is beautiful and not just functional can I feel good. By experiencing a fragrance like "Miss Dior"
experiences of beauty could implant themselves in my soul.
In the world of perfume there is always beauty to discover. Whoever moves from mere consumption to conscious smelling and feeling can experience a deep dimension that nourishes the soul, true to Hilde Domin's motto: "We eat the bread, but we live by the shine"
Merci, Christian Dior !
More about Dior and its perfumes :
Christian Dior : Esprit de Parfums
Musée International de la Parfumerie Grasse
Edition Silvana Éditoriale
The clever Christian Dior considered perfume to be indispensable for a fashion house and commissioned perfumer Paul Vacher to develop a first fragrance.
One source of inspiration for" Miss Dior " was in Grasse, where Dior had close relatives.
Paul Vacher combined roses, jasmine and gardenias from Grasse with galbanum from Persia and contrasted them with a strong portion of oakmoss and labdanum.
For the presentation of the Dior collection, the entire fashion house on Avenue Montaigne was decorated with flowers and "Miss Dior" was sprayed.
In the post-war period the green chypre chord of "Miss Dior" was a real speciality. The aldehydes used in the composition and the green tones on a slightly animalistic basis were new in this combination and so completely different from the powdery, heavy perfumes that were popular at that time.
Paul Vacher had already made a name for himself with "Le Galion" (founded 1936). Dior and Vacher knew the style-defining perfume "Chypre" by Coty from 1917 and were both enthusiastic about the composition. That's why they created a modern Chypre, younger and fresher than its idol through galbanum and gardenia, a perfume for women who had regained their freedom.
The green chypre became the olfactory reflection of the New Look: houndstooth, narrow waist, grey and white, swinging, wide skirts. Both the perfume and the silhouette of the diorama were unmistakable, immediately recognizable.
Dior left nothing to chance.
Always fascinated by antiquity, he chose the amphora as the form for "Miss Dior", but he was not the first fashion designer to be enthusiastic about this classic form (see Lucien Lelong 1936 or "Femme" by Rochas 1943).
The amphora is reminiscent of the shapes of the female body, which the couturier knew how to dress in such a flattering way.
The name "Miss Dior" also symbolises femininity. It was chosen as a tribute from Christian Dior to his sister Catherine, who was a German prisoner of war and opened a flower shop in Grasse after the war.
In an interview in 1955 Dior said about his first perfume :
"Like alchemists, we searched for the Stone of Wisdom... and then Miss Dior was born. The perfume was inspired by evenings in Provence, where fireflies are in the sky and where green jasmine plays the counterpart to the melody of night and earth. Because, you know, for a perfume to remain, it must first have lived for a long time in the hearts of those who invented it. "( my translation from French).
And " Miss Dior " today?
It exists as Eau de Toilette under the name " L'Originale" and I still find the fragrance (although carefully reformulated) perfect and beautiful!
Experiences of beauty are a gift. Only where a perfume is beautiful and not just functional can I feel good. By experiencing a fragrance like "Miss Dior"
experiences of beauty could implant themselves in my soul.
In the world of perfume there is always beauty to discover. Whoever moves from mere consumption to conscious smelling and feeling can experience a deep dimension that nourishes the soul, true to Hilde Domin's motto: "We eat the bread, but we live by the shine"
Merci, Christian Dior !
More about Dior and its perfumes :
Christian Dior : Esprit de Parfums
Musée International de la Parfumerie Grasse
Edition Silvana Éditoriale
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