The Parisian fashion house had a worldwide reputation, thanks to the unparalleled success of Christian Dior’s postwar silhouette, full of dazzling femininity, which he called La Ligne Corolle and which Carmel Snow, editor of the American Harper’s Bazaar, had named the “New Look.” In just one collection, Dior’s international fame was secured and, when a painfully shy Saint Laurent arrived at the house eight years later, Dior was already widely recognized and the most famous and financially successful couturier in the world.

Under the ownership of Marcel Boussac, then the richest man in France, the company had a staff of about 1,000 people and 27 ateliers, while it was responsible for almost half of all haute couture exports to America. Members of royal families, the biggest Hollywood stars, and the best-dressed women from around the world sought to be dressed by Monsieur Dior. His enviable client list—When, as an apprentice, he passed through the sacred doors of number 30 Avenue Montaigne on his first day of work, Saint Laurent set in motion the important process of learning how to run a successful haute couture house from the lowest to the highest position.