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Model Barbara Goalen wears Dior, photographed by John French in London in 1954

Amid the austerity of post-war Britain, Christian Dior’s decadent and sensuous designs were perfect for glamour-deprived high society.

The French designer, an Anglophile, thought nothing of using 80 yards of fabric for a suit — even though clothes rationing did not end until 1949.

Dior showed his first extravagant fairytale collection in Paris 1947 and his ‘New Look’ was born, the biggest fashion revolution of the century. 

Suddenly a feminine silhouette was back in vogue; soft shoulders, nipped-in waists, full skirts — along with beading, embroidery and silk.

Now, dresses worn by some of the world’s most glamorous women including, famously, a young Princess Margaret, are all part of a breathtaking new exhibition, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, which opens at London’s V&A Museum on Saturday and runs until July.

It traces the impact of the couturier, and the six artistic directors who have succeeded him — Dior himself died of a heart attack in 1957. Here, Beth Hale reveals the stories behind some of the iconic frocks on show.

The creation fit for a princess   

She called it her ‘favourite dress of all’.

And in the flesh, the fabulous fairytale gown Princess Margaret wore to mark her 21st birthday — both her birthday party in August 1951 and portraits — is indeed a dress of dreams.

While the diaphanous skirt is not quite as voluminous as photographs suggest and the colour an off-white rather than the lighter, brighter colour of the famous Cecil Beaton photographs, the dress is the kind of flouncing, bare-shouldered perfection that little girls imagine when they dream of princesses (although Margaret’s father George VI was rumoured to have disapproved of it).

Royal Portrait of Princess Margaret on her 21st birthday by Cecil Beaton in a dress designed by Christian Dior, part of the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition at the London attraction which runs from February 2 to 14 July

The differences are not due to any deterioration in fabric, but rather that the colour version of the portrait was actually painted.

Even in the Fifties photographers were not averse to a little creative license.

With a waist of miniature proportions (no measurement is provided, but it has to be less than 20 inches), the gown shows quite how petite the princess was.

Margaret’s son, Lord Snowdon, was at the V&A gala dinner to celebrate the exhibition and gave a toast, recalling how surprised he was to find his mother’s dress in the show. He said: ‘I had never seen it before and couldn’t believe that it has survived all these years and been conserved.

‘Interestingly, the Cecil Beaton photograph of her shows the dress looking white when in reality it is between cream and beige. It was moving to see the dress that she wore all those years ago with its tiny waist and extraordinary lines, typical of Dior who made such a genius contribution to fashion.’

Princess Diana arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Diana was attending the Museum's 1996 Costume Insitute gala, a tribute to the achievements of designer Christian Dior

Lord Snowdon, whose wife Serena was dressed in Dior, added: ‘This is an important exhibition for Britain, with an Anglophile designer who showed such elegance and eloquence in fashion design.’

Dior admired Princess Margaret’s style, describing her as ‘so very charming’.

‘She was a real fairy princess, delicate, graceful, exquisite,’ he would later write. In 1957, Dior presented the princess with a signed silk scarf in appreciation of her support, while she was a loyal customer for years.

Gown almost too daring for Diana 

It was 1996 and Princess Diana walked into the biggest event on the fashion industry calendar in a dress that was at once ravishing and racy.

So racy, in fact, Diana very nearly didn’t wear the dress to New York’s Met Gala for fear Prince William, then 14, wouldn’t like it being so revealing.

Brit John Galliano had just been appointed creative director at the fashion house, and designed the dress for Diana before turning his mind to his first collection.

A navy silk slip dress, with lace straps and edging, it had more than a hint of the boudoir about it and was a bold choice from Diana, who was then 35.

She stopped the fashion crowd dead in their tracks, Liz Tilberis, editor of Harper’s Bazaar, would later write.

A statement look for every star  

From Margot Fonteyn to Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson, the house of Dior has dressed stars in abundance.

At the start they were drawn to the designer’s famed Bar suit — part of his 1947 ‘Corolle’ collection. 

Crafted from shantung silk, crepe wool and taffeta, it has become one of the brand’s most iconic pieces.

Dior’s successors have continued to dress the brightest stars, including Natalie Portman in Hollywood last year (left) and Nicole Kidman in a beaded gown at Cannes (right)

Ballet dancer Dame Margot Fonteyn was one of Christian Dior’s early muses and the exhibition features two dresses she wore, including a 1950 evening gown named ‘Debussy’, made of silk satin with hundreds of dragonfly sequins.

Dior’s successors have continued to dress the brightest stars, including Natalie Portman in Hollywood last year. 

Naomi Campbell pictured in Dior in 1997

There’s also the silk confection Jennifer Lawrence wore to a film premiere in September 2017, a beaded gown worn by Nicole Kidman in Cannes — and many more.

Fashion firebrands who kept his name alive   

A string of illustrious names followed in Dior’s footsteps.

First came a 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent, whose early designs were so strikingly similar to his illustrious predecessor that when he sent them to French Elle magazine, the then editor thought it was Dior playing tricks.

Next came Marc Bohan — he assumed the helm until 1989.

Italian Gianfranco Ferré became the first non-French artistic director, until 1996 when controversial Brit John Galliano took over — supermodel Naomi Campbell is pictured in one of his typically flamboyant designs in 1997.

His reign came to a rather ignominious end when he was sacked in 2011, paving the way for Raf Simons and finally Maria Grazia Chiuri, the second Italian and first woman, appointed in July 2016.

Anglophile and his blue-blooded fans   

Christian Dior first visited the UK in 1926 and was something of an Anglophile. He admired the grandeur of Britain’s great stately homes and gardens, as well as British-designed ocean liners, roast beef and Savile Row suits.

Dior’s chic little black suits of the 1940s and 1950s were beloved by the British aristocracy, and muses Nancy Mitford and Margot Fonteyn both ordered his 1947 ‘Daisy’ suit.

Mitford wrote to her sister Diana Mosley later that year, of Dior’s second collection: ‘Now I’m nearly 50 I’ve decided to choose a style and stick to it and I choose Dior’s present collection. Simply, to my mind, perfect.’

Christian Dior (left) became an Anglophile after visiting Britain in 1926 and his suits were beloved by the British aristocracy 

Charlize Theron has been the face of J'Adore by Dior since 2004

‘I adore the English,’ Dior wrote in his memoir.

‘I love English traditions, English politeness, English architecture, I even love English cooking!

'I dote on Yorkshire pudding, mince pies, stuffed chicken, and above all I worship the English breakfast of tea, porridge, eggs and bacon.’

Sweet smell of success    

A clever marketer, Christian Dior was a fashion pioneer in more than one respect: he launched a perfume line in 1947, the very same year of his first collection.

He very quickly created lipsticks, introduced hats, shoes and even stockings — wanting to provide a ‘one-stop’ service for his well-heeled clients.

Latterly, Dior’s perfumes have had a gold theme.

In 1999, the fashion house launched J’Adore, a perfume celebrating Christian Dior’s love of glimmering gold.

Since 2004, the face of J’Adore has been actress Charlize Theron.

The Hollywood beauty has appeared on screen and in print in a series of ever-more dazzling gold gowns, several of which are on display at the V&A.

They include fashion designer John Galliano’s J’Adore dress from 2008, which was adorned with sequins and Swarovski crystals.