Justine Picardie’s New Book Chronicles the Extraordinary Life of Catherine Dior

A Holocaust survivor and seeker of beauty in all things, Catherine Dior, the sister of designer Christian Dior, was the epitome of the timeless elegance and fierce femininity that the Dior woman represents.

Multi-dimensional, Catherine embodied both strength in her French Resistance fighting and Holocaust survival, and softness in the passion for gardening she shared with her mother. Very much like the roses she grew, which would later become the inspiration for Dior’s iconic fragrance, Miss Dior, or, "the scent of love," as claimed by Christian himself, Catherine led a beautiful life worthy of telling.

"It is truly the scent of love, because there is so much tenderness in his love for his sister, and protectiveness," Picardie said of the rose-infused scent.

Embarking on a journey to trace the journey of the Dior family, Picardie cultivated her book by drawing upon Catherine's story of unwavering hope, and creative rebirth. 

"Sitting in the place that was associated with so much beauty, and this vision of beauty that made [Christian Dior] famous in the aftermath of the second world war, I thought, how could so much beauty emerge out of the horror and the ugliness of the war that had affected the woman he loved most in the world, his sister Catherine?"

 In hopes of capturing the close relationship between Catherine and Christian despite their very different and often challenging lives, Justine Picardie’s, Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture details the interconnected upbringing of the two children.

Though they shared a comfortable childhood at their family villa, Les Rhums, Catherine and Christian soon diverged in passions. As Christian delved deep into his incomparable fashion design skills, Catherine became involved in the Resistance, eventually getting captured by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck—the only concentration camp created exclusively for women.

Telling of her time in the concentration camp, and her recovery in post-war France, Picardie’s book focuses on Catherine's remarkable bravery, and aims to illustrate the unbreakable bond between the two siblings that would become Christian's biggest soundboard for his Dior vision.

"The flower woman [Christian] speaks of is his own sister, Catherine," the author says. "So for me, what became a kind of obsession, and a quest, and an odyssey, was to try and go to all the places where Christian and Catherine lived together."

Released earlier this month, Miss Dior, A Story of Courage and Couture gives fashion lovers an inside look into the first true Dior-woman.

The perfect example of how beauty can grow from heartache, Catherine Dior's unshakeable courage stands as a framework for one of the most timeless fashion houses ever developed.