A Girl In Dior Chapter Summary

The graphic novel I chose to read this summer was Girl In Dior, by Annie Goetzinger. Aside from two graphic novels I read in elementary school, Drama and Smile, both written by Raina Telgemeier, this was the first graphic novel I had read in quite some time. I enjoyed reading Goetzinger’s novel. Girl In Dior was a very different book in comparison to anything I had read in the past. Goetzinger was able to give her readers a view of what the post-war fashion industry was like in France. The reader followed journalist, Clara Nohant, as she wrote her first article, which was focused on a controversial clothing collection released by fashion designer, Christian Dior. Goetzinger’s images were what made this book spectacular. All of her illustrations were incredibly detailed and filled with vibrant colors. It was evident that she had both an understanding and appreciation for what the women of this time period wore, and that she was passionate about sharing her story through her pictures. I was also very interested in reading this novel, since I had just completed my U.S. History project on a similar theme. I studied the extent to which World War Ⅰ and the Women’s Suffrage
Movement acted as turning points in women’s fashion. Goetzinger’s novel is set after World War II; yet, I was able to draw many parallels to my research. In the story, Clara follows Dior as he designs elegant dresses and skirts with hemlines, many of which fell below the ankle. This was seen, by some, as being anti-woman’s suffrage and anti-equality, as women across the world had been fighting for freedoms, which included the ability to wear skirts and dresses above the knee. Dior believed that longer styles where couture; yet, women’s rights protesters carried signs with slogans such as “Mr. Dior we abhor dresses to the floor.” They felt the long dresses were a step backwards for their freedoms. I was also excited about my selection of this book because I take French as my foreign language and Goetzinger is a French writer.
Throughout the story, there were many untranslated French phrases that, thankfully, I was able to understand. The creative elements that went into this story are very important. Goetzinger clearly had a story to tell and expressing a novel about fashion through images was incredibly clever. Goetzinger not only describes the immaculate and sophisticated clothes that Dior designed; but, she is also able to show them to the reader through her drawings. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, and I believe reading a graphic novel, which is something different from what I would normally chose, has expanded my understanding of what makes a work of literature valuable and
strong.