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Loving Women vs. The Shape of Women
NEWSLETTER
1/22/20262 min read
Dior loved women.
That’s been said in a multitude of ways. By him. By admirers and fans of his work.
If you’re not that familiar with Dior’s work, here's a really quick and dirty crash course.
Dior is most well known for the “New Look” – a silhouette that emphasizes a small waist and full skirts.
The New Look became popular in the late 40s and was a style that offered women the chance to “return to femininity” after the end of the second world war.
During this era Coco Channel was pushing a completely different silhouette – loose fitting boxy trousers, skirts, and jackets that prioritized comfort.
Dior was pushing a return to the past, while Channel was pushing towards modernizing women.
Some quotes from Dior describe how he saw women:
After women, flowers are the most lovely thing God has given the world.
I create so that each and every woman is the most beautiful
My dream? To make women happier and more beautiful.
Of course this is just a itty-bitty snapshots of a person. He did say other things in his life (of course).
But from this little snapshot, does it feel like he loved women?
It’s pretty clear what I think. I’m leading you down a direct path filled with my very strong feelings.
There’s a difference between loving women and loving the shape of a woman’s body. Any designer that has gained their prominence from a silhouette that demanded femininity come in a specific shape sends me spinning (women come in many different shapes!).
Dior’s dresses were unarguably gorgeous. And it was a different time when women were considered a different class of people (ugh), but it still ticks me off 80 years later because it actually depicts how I feel most fashion still shows up (or doesn’t) for women.
I have big, humpback whale sized, doubts that brands are truly designing with a love, or even consideration, for women.
I think about my own design process. I start with a reflection on what I feel like I’m missing in a type of clothing AND what I’ve heard from other women. “Ugh, my clothing never has pockets” or “My favorite dress doesn’t fit me right now, I’m wondering if I should get rid of it even though I love it”.
Never do I start my design process with “how can I make women look beautiful in this”. It’s not a woman’s job to look beautiful. I’d like her to feel beautiful in what I create, among other feelings, but her fashion isn’t about how she appears to other people. It’s about how she appears to herself.
Most women’s clothing brands today aren’t made for her. They are made for people that are looking at her.
This view of women is so ingrained in fashion I struggle to articulate it in words. At its core, it’s more of a feeling. It’s the feeling I get when I walk into a store and start thumbing through pieces. It’s the feeling of not being considered.
I’m wondering if you frequently have that feeling as you start combing through racks of clothing. As you stare at the clothes and try to find something that fits what you’re looking for. As you try to find pieces that fit your aesthetic, are made in comfortable fabrics, will actually fit your body, and have usable features like pockets. Do you feel unconsidered?
Because you deserve to be.
