3 min read
No one did rivalry—or put-downs—quite like Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. When referring to her sartorial opponent Elsa Schiaparelli, who had no formal training in sewing, she scathingly called her “that Italian artist who makes clothes.” When designer Paul Poiret observed Chanel wearing black and archly asked for whom she was mourning, she quipped, “For you, monsieur.” But nobody felt the whip of Chanel’s tongue more mercilessly than Christian Dior, who first strutted onto the Parisian scene in 1947 and took the fashion world by storm. Their clash of sensibilities—Chanel’s pared-back modernity versus Dior’s unapologetic romanticism—became one of fashion history’s most enduring rivalries. But what really happened between these two icons? Here’s what we know.
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Fashion couturier Christian Dior, designer of the “new look” and the “A-line,” with six of his models after a fashion parade at the Savoy Hotel, London.
When did the rivalry between Coco Chanel and Christian Dior begin?
Dior (played in the series by Ben Mendelsohn) presented his first collection in February 1947 at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. It featured a lineup of looks that were a masterclass in structured silhouettes—cinched waists, padded hips, and layer upon layer of unashamedly decadent tulle, taffeta, and silk organza. “It’s quite a revolution,” remarked Carmel Snow, the former editor in chief of the American edition of Harper’s Bazaar, at the time, dubbing this revolutionary silhouette “the new look.” Dior exploded on the fashion scene and transformed the wardrobe of the contemporary woman almost overnight, leading to a rejection of the war years’ practicality in women’s tailoring.
Chanel (Juliette Binoche), as one might suspect, had opinions. “Look how ridiculous these women are,” Chanel—who was 22 years Dior’s senior—famously declared. “[They’re] wearing clothes by a man who doesn’t know women, never had one, and dreams of being one.” Thus began a two-decade-long tiff between what would become two of the most esteemed fashion houses in the world.
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Fashion designer Coco Chanel in the early ’50s.
What did Coco Chanel and Christian Dior disagree about?
Chanel opened her first independent shop on Rue Cambon in Paris in 1910 at the age of 27. What she was doing felt revolutionary in its own right. Aimed to liberate women by emphasizing functionalism and versatility, Chanel broke with typical haute-couture styles by placing an emphasis on the functionality of sportswear and menswear, including service and military uniforms. Her skirts had no waistbands, her boxy tweed jackets had two to four outside pockets, and braided cuffs complemented military-like buttons. Her clothes were pragmatic, adaptable, masculine, and designed with realistic lifestyle applications that fostered self-reliance. Dior’s debut in 1947 (by that time, Chanel was a powerhouse fashion brand with 310 boutiques worldwide) could not have been more different.
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Barbara Goalen models a silk evening dress from Dior’s 1947 debut.
In a post–World War II world, Dior met a pent-up desire for opulence in high fashion with an exquisitely glamorous bounty of billowing tulle skirts, elongated silk gowns, and tiny wasp waists inspired by Dior’s love of the Belle Epoque. Some styles, like the famed Junon dress were reminiscent of the feathers of a peacock, frosted with iridescent beading and embroidery. Others, like the ultrafeminine Eugénie gown were composed of cascading layers of limitless tulle yardage that mimicked the blooming effect of a flower. They weren’t necessarily the most comfortable clothes to wear—some of his evening dresses weighed as much as 60 pounds—but their ability to bring fantasy to a modern world gave Dior a dominant voice in the world of fashion.
Chanel was not afraid to express her disapproval. She accused Dior of dragging women back to the 19th-century ideals of femininity—upholding notions that women were objects to be admired by men. “Dior doesn’t dress women. He upholsters them,” she was known to have said, adding that a woman sitting down in a Dior dress looked like “an old armchair.”
Dior politely refrained from publicly voicing his thoughts on Chanel. In his memoir, however, he generously wrote that Chanel’s “personality as well as her taste had style and elegant authority.”
Julia Cancilla is the social media & news editor at ELLE Decor, where she oversees the brand’s socials and covers design, pop culture, and emerging trends. She also authors the monthly ELLE Decoroscope column. Her work has appeared in Inked magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more.
Rachel Silva is a freelance writer and editor covering design, architecture, and culture. She previously served as an editor at ELLE Decor, and her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, TIME, and Veranda, among others. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, she is based in New York City.