In what year did Christian Dior die?

Christian Dior died in 1957. He died on 24 October 1957, aged 52, while visiting the spa town of Montecatini Terme in Tuscany, Italy. Contemporary accounts and biographical summaries describe the cause as a fatal heart attack.

Dior had founded his own fashion house in 1946 with the backing of businessman Marcel Boussac. His first collection, presented in Paris in February 1947, introduced the rounded shoulders, narrow waist and full skirts later celebrated as the “New Look.” The collection restored Parisian couture’s international prominence after the Second World War.

A common mix-up is confusing Dior’s death with the end of his influence. The house continued under a succession of designers, beginning with the 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent. Dior’s short career as an independent couturier lasted just over a decade, but his name became one of fashion’s most enduring brands.