The House of Christian Dior has recently launched a new book entitled “Monsieur Dior Once Upon A Time” by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni.

As the  chapters unfold, archive document and a wealth of testimonies from people who knew Dior, such as actresses Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich, recount the birth of the couture house and its spectacular development from 1947 to 1957, painting an intimate and vivid portrait of its founder. It starts with the store of Christian Dior’s first couture show on February 12th, 1947.

It is the account of a discreet gentleman whom everyone called “Monsieur Dior”. We discover him as a man of refinement and determination, as fascinated by couture as he was by art, via tales from faithful clients, in-house models, employees from the time and great actresses. It is also a story of symbols, such as the lily of the valet, Dior’s favorite flower which he likes to pin to his lapel, or the color grey, the soft shade that reminded him of his house in Grainville.

Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is a Paris-based writer and journalist who specializes in fashion, cinema and interiors. After working at Andy Warhol’s studio and Interview Magazine in New York, she moved to Paris in 1989. For 8 years, she was the European arts editor for WWD and W. In 1999, she became American Harper’s Bazaar‘s European editor for 5 years. Presently, Fraser-Cavassoni writes for most Vogues, the Telegraph Magazine and the Financial Times.