The House of Christian Dior started in 1947, when Normandy-born designer Christian Dior opened his own company after working with Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong. The direction he took his own label changed the direction of mid-century fashion, in particular, with his post World War II "New Look", which elevated Dior to the status of one of the most famous French designers in history. The New Look (a term coined by then Harper's Bazaar Editor-in-Chief Carmel Snow) encompassed voluptuous silhouettes with boned, bustier bodices and skirts that flared out from the waist, finished with a hem that flattered any woman's calves. And it set the world on fire, as the New Look refused to grow old, still finding itself in modern-day fashion.

The house’s success continued even after Dior’s death in 1957, changing hands from Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Bill Gaytten, Raf Simons, and now, as the first woman to lead the house, Maria Grazia Chiuri.