Christian Dior founded the French fashion house that staged its first couture show in 1947 as the New Look debuted.
Dior presented his first collection on 12 February 1947 at the house's Paris headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne. Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, reportedly called the silhouette a “New Look,” a phrase that became attached to the postwar style.
The designs emphasized rounded shoulders, a narrow waist and a full skirt, using far more fabric than wartime utility clothing. The collection therefore became a powerful symbol of renewed luxury, although some people criticized its extravagant use of material during postwar shortages.
The phrase New Look refers to a silhouette and a fashion moment, not to the name of Dior's first collection. Dior's debut also predates the modern use of “fashion week” as a standardized international calendar.