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Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture Hardcover – November 9, 2021

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 635 ratings

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“Remarkable” ―Hamish Bowles, Vogue

The overdue restoration of Catherine Dior's extraordinary life, from her brother's muse to Holocaust survivor


When the French designer Christian Dior presented his first collection in Paris in 1947, he changed fashion forever. Dior’s “New Look” created a striking, romantic vision of femininity, luxury, and grace, making him―and his last name―famous overnight. One woman informed Dior’s vision more than any other: his sister, Catherine, a Resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, and cultivator of rose gardens who inspired Dior’s most beloved fragrance, Miss Dior. Yet the story of Catherine’s remarkable life―so different from her famous brother’s―has never been told, until now.

Drawing on the Dior archives and extensive research, Justine Picardie’s
Miss Dior is the long-overdue restoration of Catherine Dior’s life. The siblings’ stories are profoundly intertwined: in Occupied France, as Christian honed his couture skills, Catherine dedicated herself to the Resistance, ultimately being captured by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck, the only Nazi camp solely for women. Seeking to trace Catherine’s story as well as her influence on her brother, Picardie traveled to the significant places of Catherine’s life, including Les Rhumbs, the Dior family villa with its magnificent gardens; the House of Dior in Paris; and La Colle Noire, Christian’s chateâu that he bequeathed to his sister.

Inventive and captivating, and shaped by Picardie’s own journey,
Miss Dior examines the legacy of Christian Dior, the secrets of postwar France, and the unbreakable bond between two remarkable siblings. Most important, it shines overdue recognition on a previously overlooked life, one that epitomized courage and also embodied the astonishing capacity of the human spirit to remain undimmed, even in the darkest circumstances.

Includes Black-and-White Illustrations

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From the Publisher

Praise for Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture by Justine Picardie

Miss Dior Justine Picardie Christiana Bishop

Miss Dior Justine Picardie Christiana Bishop Laird Borrelli-Persson quote

Miss Dior Justine Picardie Christiana Bishop Hamish Bowles quote

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Picardie has written a moving and impressive history of wartime politics, death camps, postwar trials, collaboration and the invigorating world of haute couture. She gets much of her Ravensbrück material from victims who left records of their experiences and made small, heartbreaking drawings and gifts to keep their spirits up. Miss Dior is a tricky book to pull off but Ms. Picardie is a sensitive, elegant writer and―hard as it is to imagine―for the most part she succeeds." ―Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal

"Picardie . . . has nearly unassailable fashion knowledge. She reconstructs with ease and confidence how fashion restored luxury to its French perch after the war."
―Ruth Peltason, Air Mail

“Extraordinary . . . The result is Netflix-worthy and the pace page-turning as Picardie presents a woman who appeals beyond the boundaries of Planet Fashion . . . Catherine’s story . . . shines―the quiet Dior who preferred flowers to fashion, the unsung heroine who survived the abuse of the Third Reich to help liberate France.”
―Jackie Annesley, The Sunday Times (UK)

“The juxtaposition of terrible shadows and dazzling light is one of the great strengths of this book . . . [Miss Dior] is a very personal, very passionate book.”
―Artemis Cooper, Times Literary Supplement

“Catherine’s story is beautifully, hauntingly told in spare and elegant prose by Picardie . . . awe-inspiring.”
―Laura Freeman, The Times (UK)

“Remarkable”
―Hamish Bowles, Vogue

“Picardie’s book is of the moment . . . celebrating an unsung hero.”
―Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue

“Moving and beautifully illustrated.”
―Christiana Bishop, New Statesman

“Picardie’s research is remarkable, her writing grabs and holds the reader tight from beginning to end . . . An exceptional discussion on France during WWII and the couture industry, [Miss Dior] is fascinating reading and will not disappoint.”
―Judith Reveal, New York Journal of Books

“Picardie taps Resistance archives and memoirs by Catherine's fellow resistants and unearths a wealth of archival photos in order to piece together her subject's experience. Catherine . . . represents exquisite grace under fire. Miss Dior is an effulgent ode to the woman and her French Resistance compatriots.”
Shelf Awareness

"Picardie interweaves a sensitive narrative of her search for Catherine as she follows the 'echoing footfall of a disappearing girl.' A well-informed rendering of dramatic times."
Kirkus Reviews

“As subtle as it is fragrant, Justine Picardie’s book casts a strong spell that lingers.”
―Benjamin Taylor, author of Here We Are and The Hue and Cry at Our House

Miss Dior portrays a woman who has too long stood hidden in the shadow of her famous brother, Christian. While full of import for them both, Catherine Dior’s kinship with the great fashion designer may well have been her least noteworthy trait. A fighter in the French Resistance, a survivor of the Ravensbrück death camp, and a creator of the rose gardens that inspired the fragrance Miss Dior, she is an inspiring, unforgettable figure, worthy of Picardie’s inspiring, unforgettable prose. ” ―Caroline Weber, author of Proust’s Duchess and Queen of Fashion

About the Author

Justine Picardie is the author of several books, including her critically acclaimed memoir, If the Spirit Moves You: Life and Love After Death, and the international bestseller Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life. She is a contributing editor to Harper’s Bazaar UK, having previously been its editor-in-chief. She was formerly an investigative journalist for The Sunday Times, a columnist for The Telegraph, editor of the Observer Magazine, and features director of Vogue.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux (November 9, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374210357
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374210359
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 1.56 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 635 ratings

About the author

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Justine Picardie
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Justine Picardie is the author of four books, including her critically acclaimed memoir If the Spirit Moves You and her most recent novel, Daphne. The former features director of British Vogue and editor of the Observer magazine, she is currently a fashion columnist for the Sunday Telegraph, and also writes for several other newspapers and magazines, including Harper's Bazaar and the Times of London. She lives in London with her two sons.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
635 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and interesting. They appreciate the author's fascinating insight into couture. However, some readers feel the story is boring and confusing, with too much background information and filler chapters. Additionally, they feel the characterization is limited to Catherine Dior.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

12 customers mention "Writing quality"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They appreciate the author's insight into couture and fashion history. The book is described as a poetic and entertaining biography that takes readers on a fascinating journey through fashion history.

"...with thorough research, so you'll learn so much, but it's written beautifully and takes you into the emotion of human behavior...." Read more

"...and most heartbreakingly, Catherine, to be a masterful and entertaining biography." Read more

"...concentration camps, I would never have read it, but the author did a good job focusing on how this women and others like her, who one wouldn't..." Read more

"...But the author provides a fascinating and somewhat horrifying insight into the couture industry of Paris and how it thrived during the German..." Read more

3 customers mention "Research quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's research quality. However, some areas lack clarity.

"This book is packed with thorough research, so you'll learn so much, but it's written beautifully and takes you into the emotion of human behavior...." Read more

"I read this book with great interest! Very well researched and written it tells a story of both Ms. Dior and other Bragg resistance fighters...." Read more

"...A flower rose from the ice and ashes. It is well researched and yet there are huge areas of vagueness and silence...." Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the story boring and confusing. They feel the background story is too long, making it seem depressing and like filler.

"...All things considered this is a dark and somewhat depressing read...." Read more

"...Chapters go on as of filler for a page count...." Read more

"It was ok, sort of interesting, but not that engaging, I've read more interesting books on WW2." Read more

"Hardcover book seemed old. The story was boring and confusing. Sorry I bought it." Read more

3 customers mention "Characterization"0 positive3 negative

Customers dislike the characterization. They say the book is well-written, but it's only tangentially about Catherine Dior.

"The book is well written however it is only tangentially about Catherine Dior...." Read more

"...The reader does learn about this period of time but little about Catherine Dior." Read more

"This book is not about Catherine, she is sprinkled in every other chapter...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2022
    This book is packed with thorough research, so you'll learn so much, but it's written beautifully and takes you into the emotion of human behavior. Though it was absolutely heartbreaking to read the accounts of the atrocities of WW2, it showed the power of the human spirit. I couldn't put this book down and would highly recommend it!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2022
    Catherine Dior was a very private person which makes this book all the more remarkable because the author did a tremendous amount of research on her life, her work as a spy for the French resistance and her subsequent journey through the hell of Nazi concentration camps and its aftermath on her body and soul. I devoured this books as did my mother. We both found the mixture of haute couture, the Dior family, including Christian and most heartbreakingly, Catherine, to be a masterful and entertaining biography.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
    I was surprised at this book. I expected to read about life in France, the fashion world, etc. It did talk about her brother, Christian, but was mostly about her, a young woman with tremendous courage. She was in two concentration camps and suffered unspeakable hardships and seems to have come through it with an appreciation for simple things in life and not particularly bitter. If I had known it was about concentration camps, I would never have read it, but the author did a good job focusing on how this women and others like her, who one wouldn't expect to even live through those experiences, actually came through as strong women. It really is hard to believe it happened to women like them or to anyone for that matter.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
    The story of Catherine Dior (much loved by brother Christian) is amazing: how she fought the war as a Resistant, was interned, and came out stronger than ever. Retiring to the south of France after the war to grow roses and peonies, she said “Aime la vie,” love life.” The perfume, Miss Dior was created for her and named after here.e
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2021
    This exhaustively research biography is seriously hampered by the fact that Catherine Dior never wrote about her own life nor did she speak of it. She preferred anonymity. And she died before the author began writing this biography. But the author provides a fascinating and somewhat horrifying insight into the couture industry of Paris and how it thrived during the German occupation and the years that followed. All things considered this is a dark and somewhat depressing read. But certainly respectable and it stands as a testament to the writers diligent research and dedication. I would highly recommend this book to those who want to know what life was like in Paris during World War II.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2022
    I heard about this book listening to Dressed and had to have it. What a fascinating journey though fashion history and through the life of a woman whose story has been told very little. If you love Dior and or fashion history you must purchase this for your collection.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2021
    The book is well written however it is only tangentially about Catherine Dior. She appears at most on every fourth page, although while reading the book it felt like every 12th page. The best part of the book is parts drawn from Christian Dior's autobiography the worst is the detailed descriptions that appear throughout the book of the horrors visited on those, like Catherine, who were captured and tortured by the Nazi's. The horrific descriptions stayed with me several days later. I wanted to read about a woman who was part of the life of Christian Dior, NOT the horrors of the Nazis. I admit that perspective of how traumatized the French were by the Germans and their occupation informed the joy of Dior's "New Look," so I can see why it was included. However, there are other ways for an author to get there. The images in general could have been far better. Postage stamp size images should have been spread over more pages so they could have been larger and visible. The lengthy description of Dior's Miss Dior dress was accompanied by only a black and white image, whereas the image does appear in color in recent exhibition catalogs. I gave this book two stars because the author is a good writer. I'd really love to read a story about Catherine Dior, which this was not. She is a ghost on the pages, which admittedly may be all that the author could tease out about her from the remaining written records. Perhaps better would have been a nice long article about her.
    20 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022
    I read this book with great interest! Very well researched and written it tells a story of both Ms. Dior and other Bragg resistance fighters. It also tells of the horror brought on by collaborators. Important book.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Shelby
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
    Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2023
    What a good book! Definitely a long read but a good one
  • Eduardo takaioshi Nakamura
    5.0 out of 5 stars Adorei a compra
    Reviewed in Brazil on December 24, 2022
    Chegou em perfeito estado novo como no anuncio , entrega rapido adorei a compra
  • Annelie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spännande historieskildring
    Reviewed in Sweden on December 25, 2024
    Vacker och spännande historisk bok
  • Amazon Kunde
    4.0 out of 5 stars Das Buch ist schön. Leider ist das Band drum herum beschädigt.
    Reviewed in Germany on January 26, 2022
    Ich dachte das Buch kommt in einer Folie. So wie das Gucci Buch. Damit es nicht beschädigt wird. Ist aber leider nicht so. Das Buch an sich ist im guten Zustand. Wollte den Verkäufer kontaktieren, leider finde ich diese Funktion hier nicht. Werde es glaub ich neu kaufen und dieses zurückschicken. Schade. Sollte ein geschenkt werden.
    Customer image
    Amazon Kunde
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Das Buch ist schön. Leider ist das Band drum herum beschädigt.

    Reviewed in Germany on January 26, 2022
    Ich dachte das Buch kommt in einer Folie. So wie das Gucci Buch. Damit es nicht beschädigt wird. Ist aber leider nicht so. Das Buch an sich ist im guten Zustand. Wollte den Verkäufer kontaktieren, leider finde ich diese Funktion hier nicht. Werde es glaub ich neu kaufen und dieses zurückschicken. Schade. Sollte ein geschenkt werden.
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  • gilly cox
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning detail. Excellent book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2021
    The amount of detail throughout all chapters of this book is both surprising and incredible. Informative, enlightening, engaging and inevitably heart wrenching in so many ways. I couldn't leave this alone. I had to keep reading which is testament to this author's impressive skills of engaging the reader from start to finish. It will intrigue, inform and certainly delight all those who venture into its fascinating stories, as indeed there are many. Miss Dior has been my daily go to perfume for decades and what a privilege to now know the complexities of the life of its impressive namesake.