Comparing and Contrasting Alexander Mcqueen and Christian Dior
mChristine Russo
Fashion Fundamentals
Final Paper
Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen
There are many designers in the fashion industry. Few make some kind of an impact on fashion but most designers rarely have any impact at all. It is truly a once in a generation that designer comes along and completely alters the fashion universe and becomes a legend. Two examples of fashion designers that are this rare are Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. Christian Dior’s life span was before mine but his great impact on the fashion industry carries on today into my lifetime. Alexander McQueen, however is someone I have lived to see develop and become one of the greatest designers of all time. Although these two designers differ in their style and aesthetic, there is always more than meets the eye and there are many similarities between these two visionaries. Christian Dior was born in 1905 in Granville, which is a small town off the coast of Normandy. Ever since he was a little boy all Christian wanted to do was work in some aspect of the arts. He was the second born of 5 children and was born into a wealthy family but Dior did not always have such an easy life. His family underwent extreme hardships such as his mother and brother both passing away in 1931. These deaths were also followed by another disaster, the collapse of his family’s firm. The only way Dior could make a living was by selling his sketches to couture houses with hopes of somehow landing a job. Many people do not know this, but Christian Dior also served in World War II for a year until France’s surrender. He then went on to assist Parisian couturier in dressing the wives of Nazi officers for the remainder of the war. After the war, France’s economy was weak and everything including clothing was in short supply. But sometimes the most beautiful things arise from the ashes of such disasters. Christian Dior believed post-war France needed a new style, and from this thought came Dior’s
Fashion Fundamentals
Final Paper
Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen
There are many designers in the fashion industry. Few make some kind of an impact on fashion but most designers rarely have any impact at all. It is truly a once in a generation that designer comes along and completely alters the fashion universe and becomes a legend. Two examples of fashion designers that are this rare are Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. Christian Dior’s life span was before mine but his great impact on the fashion industry carries on today into my lifetime. Alexander McQueen, however is someone I have lived to see develop and become one of the greatest designers of all time. Although these two designers differ in their style and aesthetic, there is always more than meets the eye and there are many similarities between these two visionaries. Christian Dior was born in 1905 in Granville, which is a small town off the coast of Normandy. Ever since he was a little boy all Christian wanted to do was work in some aspect of the arts. He was the second born of 5 children and was born into a wealthy family but Dior did not always have such an easy life. His family underwent extreme hardships such as his mother and brother both passing away in 1931. These deaths were also followed by another disaster, the collapse of his family’s firm. The only way Dior could make a living was by selling his sketches to couture houses with hopes of somehow landing a job. Many people do not know this, but Christian Dior also served in World War II for a year until France’s surrender. He then went on to assist Parisian couturier in dressing the wives of Nazi officers for the remainder of the war. After the war, France’s economy was weak and everything including clothing was in short supply. But sometimes the most beautiful things arise from the ashes of such disasters. Christian Dior believed post-war France needed a new style, and from this thought came Dior’s