Christian Dior

“Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest.”

“We were emerging from the period of war, of uniforms, of women-soldiers built like boxers. I drew women-flowers, soft shoulders, fine waists like liana and wide skirts like corolla.”

“On vacation, you can wear all the colorful and casual clothing that you like, but you must always be elegant.”

“Bright reds - scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson or cherry - are very cheerful and youthful. There is certainly a red for everyone.”

“Haute couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he gives us.”

“I wanted to be considered a good craftsman. I wanted my dresses to be constructed like buildings, molded to the curves of the female form, stylizing its shape.”

“Finally, everything that has been part of my life, whether I wanted it to or not, has expressed itself in my dresses.”

“Colour is what gives jewels their worth. They light up and enhance the face. Nothing is more elegant than a black skirt and sweater worn with a sparkling multi-stoned necklace.”

“A dress is a piece of ephemeral architecture, designed to enhance the proportions of the female body.”

“A country, a style or an epoch are interesting only for the idea behind them.”

“Deep in every heart slumbers a dream, and the couturier knows it: every woman is a princess.”

“Women are most fascinating between the ages of 35 and 40 after they have won a few races and know how to pace themselves. Since few women ever pass 40, maximum fascination can continue indef...”

“Without foundations, there can be no fashion.”

“A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.”

“The detail is as important as the essential is. When it is inadequate, it destroys the whole outfit.”

“In a machine age, dressmaking is one of the last refuges of the human, the personal, the inimitable.”

“White is pure and simple and matches with everything.”

“From his very first works, it was clear that Henri Sauguet would bring spontaneity, romance, and a nonacademic approach back to modern music.”

“The tones of gray, pale turquoise and pink will prevail.”

“You can wear black at any time. You can wear it at any age. You may wear it for almost any occasion; a 'little black frock' is essential to a woman's wardrobe.”