This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first showing of a full-scale collection by fashion designer Christian Dior outside France — not in London or New York as might be expected, but in Sydney, Australia.
In July 1948, David Jones presented 50 Dior designs at a gala dinner at its Sydney store. Only a year earlier Dior had introduced the Corolle line — a collection that would re-establish Paris as the centre of international style after the disruptions of World War II. Dior's revolutionary design, characterised by a below-mid-calf length full-skirt, low neckline and small waist, was quickly termed the New Look by the American fashion media.
The New Look's emphasis on busts and waists was received rapturously. After nearly a decade of shoulder pads and short straight skirts, women around the world were hungry for the glamour and feminine luxury of Dior's fashions. (Having enjoyed years of uninterrupted gazing at women's legs, men were decidedly more ambivalent about the descending hemlines.) Given the international fascination with the New Look in 1948, David Jones performed a remarkable coup indeed.
Following its Sydney debut, the New Look became rapidly popular in Australia, where French high fashion had been held in the highest esteem for decades. According to fashion historian Danielle Whitfield, many Australian women maintained a belief, fostered by local magazines such as the Australian Women's Weekly, 'in the importance of Paris as the centre of style'.
Dior's designs provided a definitive break from the austerity of World War II. The war had severely disrupted the international and local fashion industries. Occupied Europe was forced to discontinue its fashion exports, while rationing and regulations restricted the availability of fabric locally. The shortage of material for dressmaking due to government restrictions meant most Australian women spent the war attired in the 'austerity suit' — a short, straight skirt, and a jacket with no more than two pockets and four buttons.
The drop in output by the European fashion industry and local austerity measures led in turn to a drastic reduction in advertising in Australia. Paper shortages also meant women's and fashion magazines were forced to reduce their number of pages and to print on paper of inferior quality.
As paper, fabric, and colour film became gradually available after the war, the new French styles became a point of focus for thousands of Australian women. Their desire to both peruse and dress