Initially an illustrator, in 1938 he trained in pattern making with Robert Piguet, going on to define his aesthetic with Lucien Lelong. When he founded his company in 1946, his silhouettes celebrated the joie de vivre of the post-war period; his visionary spirit never ceased to enhance women the world over. In the space of ten years from 1947 to 1957 – Monsieur Dior revolutionized the codes of elegance and femininity, and built an empire of unique standing.
In 1957 Christian Dior became the first French couturier to appear on the cover of the famous magazine after Elsa Schiaparelli in 1934. This cover consecrated the couturier, who in 1957 was celebrating the tenth anniversary of the New Look.