Monsieur Dior

This week I have been busy reading "Christian Dior and I" (I am not sure about the translation). At first it was so cool, I mean, I was reading a book writting by Dior! It is divided in 4 parts:

*I am so sorry about the translation, I hope you'll understand anyway:

1. How I have achieved being Christion Dior

2. From the idea to the dress

3. A Haute Couture maison

4. The adventure of my life

He describes how everything started, his first trip to NYC and how this city impressed him a lot. He also talks a lot about models, and how he spoils them, and how everybody complains about it. Maybe it was the beginning of the top-models fame (of being so fussy). He also comments on how people even insulted him for the New Look silhouette, and how women in USA were waiting for him with banners saying No to the New Look (I know Oh my God). He also talks about the importance of the hall in wich the collections were presented and how difficult it was to sit everybody in fair sits, to avoid angers in his clients. He talks in a very friendly way about her close friend, Roger Vivier, who allows him to "dress elegant women from head to foot".

He also relates which techniques they followed to avoid cheating on his dresses, and how in USA cheating was a cool quality and it was approved -not as in Europe, where the law was more restrictive-. Life has changed so much! He was sad when models gave up their career to be wifes, hihi, thanks God that is not happening any more. He had a model who was the model for the wedding dress, every season for a long time, because as he said "she had the perfect face of a just married woman".

I totally recommend you the book, merely because it was Mr. Dior who wrote it. As literature, is not worth it, and he explains at the beginning that he is not pretending to do literature. But it is worth as a big chapter in fashion history, because his maison is one of the best fashion houses in last century. At the end maybe is too long (232 pgs.), I started reading it so fast, and maybe in some parts is a little bit tedious, but it is interesting anyway.

*Christian Dior in his childhood. This picture belongs to the book "Christian Dior y yo".

Esta semana he estado ocupado leyendo el libro "Christian Dior y yo". Al principio era muy emocionante porque realmente estuve leyendo un libro escrito por el mism�simo se�or Dior. El libro se divide en cuatro partes:

1. C�mo he llegado a ser CD

2. De la idea al vestido

3. Una casa de costura

4. La aventura de mi vida

�l describe como comenz� toda la idea de su casa de moda, su primer viaje a Nueva York, y c�mo esta ciudad caus� una gran impresi�n en �l. Tambi�n habla largo y tendido sobre las modelos, c�mo era el proceso de selecci�n, y c�mo las mimaba, y c�mo todo el mundo se quejaba por ello. Quiz�s ah� empez� la fama de las modelos de ser unas caprichosas. Tambi�n comenta c�mo muchas mujeres lo insultaron en Estados Unidos, y c�mo lo esperaban a su llegada, con pancartas que pon�an "No al New Look". Tambi�n menciona que en muchas ocasiones es m�s importante el sal�n en el que se presentaba la colecci�n que las modelos en s�, y ya apunta los problemas que ten�an a la hora de colocar a la gente en los desfiles, para que todo el mundo se sienta tratado justamente. Habla con mucho cari�o sobre Roger Vivier, el encargado de hacer los zapatos para sus colecciones, y seg�n sus propias palabras: "el que me permiti� lograr mi sue�o de vestir a las mujeres m�s elegantes de pies a cabeza".

Tambi�n relata las t�cnicas de seguimiento que realizaban para evitar el plagio de sus vestidos, y comenta tambi�n como en Estados Unidos copiar los vestidos era un tendencia muy al alza, y adem�s, se queja de que la justicia no hacia nada por evitarlo (incluso lo contrario). La vida ha cambiado tanto desde entonces! Si �l hubiera conocido Zara (hihi). �l se mostraba muy triste recordando los momentos en que modelos valiosas dejaban la carrera para dedicarse a ser esposas... y menos mal que han cambiado los tiempos, por lo menos en esto!

En general, he de deciros que este libro gustar�a a cualquier apasionado de la moda. Las 232 p�ginas se hacen muy largas por momentos, porque la literatura que aparece en el libro no es brillante ni mucho menos, pero bueno, el autor en todo momento aclara que �l no pretende hacer literatura. Es un cap�tulo imprescindible en la biblioteca de cualquiera que se interese por la historia de la moda, ya que este libro cuenta eso, la historia de una de las casas de moda m�s grandes de todos los tiempos, de mano de su creador, lo cual es todo un privilegio.