Unveiled as the ‘Corolle’ line on 12 February 1947, Dior’s first-ever collection for Spring/Summer became one of the most pivotal moments in dress history.

Dubbed ‘The New Look’ by fashion journalists, the collection symbolised a return to historicised romanticism and femininity in dress, following the strict fabric regulations and rationing of war time.

The look, exemplified in the ‘Bar Suit’ of the collection, laid emphasis on the curves of the female form, nipping in at the waist and flowing out at the hips in a peplum, over full, large skirts that waved goodbye to the straight, utilitarian lines of the wartime silhouette.

But – gender roles following the war were a contentious issue, and the New Look sharply divided female opinion.

For some, the line symbolised a return to Belle Epoque visions of subservient femininity, with its corseting and seemingly impractical wide skirts. Chanel, in particular, denounced Dior for creating such a cumbersome ensemble, saying “How, dressed in ‘that thing’, could they come and go, live or anything?” Protestors in Chicago held up slogans that read: “Mr. Dior, we abhor dresses to the floor”. Others, meanwhile, deemed it tasteless for a designer to offer a dress that required such large yardage of fabric so soon after the end of rationing, and street vendors were reported to have torn the dresses off models in the streets of Paris.

Oppulence, femininity and feminism: celebrating 70 years of Christian Dior