A Waft of Miss Dior in Moscow

In Defense of Haute Couture in the Soviet Fashion Scene

Abstract

This study will illustrate the cultural background and implications behind the first Dior show in 1959 in the post-Stalin Soviet Union, led by Nikita Khruschev, and argue how Dior was the ideal candidate to transform the Soviet fashion scene compared to other Western fashion brands. On the surface, one may presume that the economic nature of the socialist state and Khrushchev inviting Dior, one of the most exclusive, capitalist brands to this day, contradict each other. In response to such a misconception, I will defend how the show in fact suited the host’s grander plan: paving the way for the “Thaw” of Russia in the period between 1955 and 1964, after Stalin’s death. Christian Dior, the father of postwar French couture, strived to revive the glory of French fashion before WWII. His artistic vision had shaped the Soviet fashion scene and inspired its numerous designers even before the show. I will also clarify misunderstandings that Dior had ties with the Nazi regime and that his ultra-feminine aesthetics in “New Look” conflicted with feminism. Overall, both the media and the Soviet public welcomed the show with enthusiasm. The journalists from the U.S. were especially in favor of Western influence, which changed the previously conservative standards of Soviet fashion.