Carmel Snow coined “New Look” for Christian Dior’s 1947 fashion collection.
Snow was the influential editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, an American fashion magazine. After seeing Dior’s debut haute couture collection in Paris, she reportedly described its rounded shoulders, cinched waist, and full skirts as a “new look.” The phrase quickly became the collection’s lasting popular name.
Dior himself called the collection “Corolle,” referring to the shape of a flower’s petals. The designs contrasted sharply with the squared silhouettes and fabric restrictions associated with wartime clothing. Their generous use of cloth helped make the collection visually dramatic, although it also attracted criticism during the postwar period.
Carmel Snow is sometimes confused with Diana Vreeland, another major American fashion editor. Vreeland later became editor-in-chief of Vogue, but Snow is the editor traditionally credited with naming Dior’s breakthrough style.