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Justine Picardie, author of Miss Dior
The book Miss Dior by author and journalist Justine Picardie centres on the story of Catherine Dior. Sister of the designer Christian, she was a florist who became a member of the French Resistance during WW2 and was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. At the end of the war, when Christian went to meet her at the station, she was so malnourished that he didn’t even recognise her. His famous ‘New Look’ launched in 1947, featured a dress created just for her and the fragrance Miss Dior was inspired by her. Here Justine tell us more about the book and to celebrate the publication, we’ve got a copy to give away to one lucky reader. Just enter the prize draw below.
How did you get the idea for writing Miss Dior?
I was interested in writing a biography of Christian Dior, and started looking in the Dior archives in Paris in 2010, when very little was known about his sister Catherine Dior, other than the fact that she was his inspiration for his first and most famous perfume, Miss Dior. But as soon as I discovered that she had been in the French Resistance, and was deported to Ravensbruck concentration camp during the Second World War, I felt that her story was incredibly important and deserved to be told.
Dior Couture Croquis collection HC PE 1949 modele Miss Dior 001; Legende: Miss Dior Robe du Soir courte Brodée de mille fleurs; Copyright: Collection Dior Heritage, Paris
The research into the historical background of the book is very impressive – did this take you a long time and where did you do your research?
The research for the book took many years, and it led me from the Dior archives in Paris to the Christian Dior museum in Granville, which was the Dior family home on the coast of Normandy. I also looked at various archives of the French Resistance, and I travelled to Germany, to research Catherine Dior’s imprisonment at Ravensbruck concentration camp and a series of three sub camps, where she was forced to work as a slave labourer. And I spent a long time going through the military archives, too, in order to understand the way in which the Gestapo operated in Paris during the Second World War, using French collaborators.
The relationship between Christian and his sister Catherine is at the core of the book and they are such a fascinating contrast – the couturier and the war resistance heroine. What do you think it was that drew them together?
The relationship between Christian and Catherine Dior was based on friendship, a shared love of flowers and gardening, and an intuitive understanding of one another. He was 12 years older than her, and very protective of her when their mother died, when Catherine was just 13 years old. But they became close friends, too, with a mutual respect and unwavering loyalty.
Famille Dior, Portrait des enfants Dior: Catherine, Bernard, Jacqueline, Christian et Raymond
Copyright: Collection Musee Christian Dior, Granville
What do you think that Christian would have thought of the House of Dior today?
I hope that Christian would approve of the House of Dior today — it truly understands and celebrates his legacy, while Maria Grazia Chiuri, as the first female creative director, has reinterpreted Dior icons, such as the Bar jacket, for the modern woman, with sensitivity as well as graceful panache.
I hope that Christian would approve of the House of Dior today — it truly understands and celebrates his legacy, while Maria Grazia Chiuri, as the first female creative director, has reinterpreted Dior icons, such as the Bar jacket, for the modern woman, with sensitivity as well as graceful panache.
Barbara Mullen wearing the “Miss Dior” dress from Christian Dior’s spring/summer 1949 collection.
Photograph by Lillian Bassman for Harper’s Bazaar (c) Estate of Lillian Bassman.
Have you started working on another book? Or is there a project that you would like to do?
I’m certainly thinking about my next book, and hoping to start writing it before too long — though I don’t want to tempt fate by talking about it yet!
We love your Greetings from the Old Rectory feed on Instagram. Please can you tell us some of your favourite spots to visit in Norfolk?
We live close to the River Waveney, which is so peaceful, and I swim there in the summer. The meandering river forms the border between Norfolk and Suffolk — and we live on the Norfolk side — but I also like visiting the Suffolk coast, which is about half an hour away from us: Southwold and Walberswick are both delightful little seaside towns. And the shingle beach at Dunwich is wild and beautiful.
Which are your 3 favourite accounts to follow on Instagram?
I’m a fan of Jo Thompson, who is a brilliant garden designer: @jothompsongarden
I also like @sarahravenperchill and @british_society. And obviously, A Little Bird, too!
Which 3 books have you loved reading most this year and/or are looking forward to reading this autumn?
I loved Juliet Nicolson’s Frostquake, Edmund de Waal’s Letters to Camondo, and Anne Sebba’s Ethel Rosenberg
What advice would you give to anybody wanting to write a book but who isn’t sure where to start?
Try to find your own, most authentic voice – don’t try to write like anyone else. And write from the heart, about a subject or a story that you find utterly compelling. And keep writing – the more you do it, the more you discover what is true to you.
Please can you tell us about any talks that you are doing for the book that our readers can join (in person/on zoom)?</ style=”text-align: left;”>You can find the details of my forthcoming talks on my Instagram account @justinepicardie
My next event is at Sevenoaks bookshop on Wednesday 15th September at 7.30pm (details at www.sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk)
Top Italian Restaurants
There’s only one thing that can ease a return from Italy, and that’s eating pasta. We’ve been doing exactly that lately and have unearthed some of London’s very best spots for it – not chi-chi, but proper neighbourhood restaurants that bring a bit of the holiday back on a plate.
La Delizia, Chelsea Manor Street
Run by Italians, La Delizia has been a Chelsea institution since 1986. Tables are packed tightly together in a jolly way inside; if it’s sunny you can eat outside the pavement where they also have heaters. The menu is classic Italian with excellent pizzas. Perhaps surprisingly for this part of town it’s also great value – spaghetti with half a lobster and a generous amount of prawns plus a glass of wine comes in at under £25.
Named after the Tuscan region of the same name. Supplies are very carefully sourced – there are wines that have never been represented before in the UK as well as salumi and olive oil that is straight from the Maremma. This results in a short menu that is utterly delicious – we recommend the squid ink tagliatelle with clams and tomatoes, and the hazelnut gelato with caramel. With its crumbling terracotta plaster wall the feel here is infinitely welcoming with an open kitchen, beautiful flowers (grown around the corner by our co-founder Daisy Garnett) and friendly staff.
Italo, Bonnington Square, Vauxhall
Part of the reason we can’t recreate the taste of things we’ve eaten on holiday are the ingredients: supermarket tomatoes just aren’t the same. The delicacies at Italo will bring you a lot closer. Start with a Campari spritz and an olive at the striped chairs outside to get you in the mood. Then go into the deli and buy everything you need to whip up a feast at home – prosciutto crudo and burrata for antipasti and pasta, seasonal veggies and jars of Seggiano pesto (the best!) to follow.
Artusi, Bellenden Road, Peckham
Artusi has struck a winning formula with its 3-courses for £25 on Sundays. The set menu includes 2 options – we chose the grilled nectarines with ricotta and rocket to start, followed by Italian sausage and broccoli Casarecce and a jewel-coloured grape sorbet to finish. The modern surroundings are more Peckham than Palermo, but the food and warm buzz are transportive. Pasta portions are generous.
Some friends of ours love this restaurant so much they named their baby after it – a story Italians would surely appreciate. The house speciality is pasta and gnocchi of which there’s plenty of choice from regions all over the country. Escape to Sardinia with the Sardinian “gnocchetti” Malloreddus pasta with Italian sausage, saffron, basil, tomato and Pecorino Sardo or head to the Marche region with tagliatelle with slow-cooked beef, pork and chicken ragoût. As well as the food, the fact that it is family run and occupies a corner position with bright windows and white linen curtains make it an irresistible neighbourhood haunt.
New Season Clogs
The gorgeous clogs at Hermes we coveted last spring, have influenced their very own more affordable, high street versions and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Great to wear with dresses as the weather gets colder, you can even wear them with a pair of socks.
Wooden Sole Clogs,
Thalie Leather Clogs,
Bronx Leather Clogs,
Leather Clogs,
Husband Clogs,
Studded Mule Clogs, £46 from Zara
Flash 75 Black Leather Mules,
Gizeles Buckle Detailed Close Toed Clogs,
Pilar Leather Mule Platforms,
Jean Floral Applique Leather Clogs,
Bamboo Buckle Leather Clogs,
Gucci inspired Embroidered Knits
We’re very into this season’s embroidered knits from Gucci. Without quite the budget, we’ve tracked down some similar pieces that are slightly easier on the purse strings.
Cotton cable knit embroidered cardigan, £45 from Per Una at M&S
Flowers knit cardigan, £49.99 from Mango
Cable knit Yarrow jumper, £220 from Anthropologie x Meadows
Bennett floral-embroidered cardigan, £350 from Shrimps
Union embroidered knitted sweater, £323 from LoveShackFancy
Pre-loved floral embroidered knitted cardigan, £110 from Vout Vintage at Selfridges
Annalise blue knitted jumper, £175 from RIXO
Embroidered knit cardigan, £27.99 from Zara
Cormio hand-embroidered knit, £440 from Koibird
Floral embroidery knit cardigan, £75 from & Other Stories
Reena tank top, £95 from Boden
Floral embroidered knitted jumper, £1250 from Gucci
Two interiors auctions you won’t want to miss
We love a good auction – especially the chance to learn the history behind a piece – and there are two coming up that have really caught our eye.
First up is the contents of Jasper Conran’s home at New Wardour Castle in Wiltshire which will come to auction at Christie’s on 14th September complemented by an online-only sale from 1st to the 21st September. You can also view the collection at the King Street Galleries from 6th to 13th September. Conran’s passion for English country living was honed at his various residences including Walpole House in Chiswick, Flemings Hall in Suffolk, Ben House in Somerset and most recently New Wardour Castle. As he is now on the move to a new home once more, he has decided to sell most of the items. From paintings to chandeliers, gilt mirrors to porcelain imari vases, the stock is grand and high end but there are also more modern items too such as Robert Kime lamps and an English tole ‘Golden Oak’ eight light chandelier by Cox London. Conran’s eye is honed so although the collection is big, you really get a sense of his vision and style.
Secondly on November 16th is the contents of Weston Hall by auctioneers Dreweatts, the home of the Sitwell family and their ancestors for over 300 years. On sale will be art works, furniture, ceramics, silver, military and books from the maze of principle rooms and nine attics. Probably the most famous member of the family is Dame Edith Sitwell, writer, fashion muse and friend of Noel Coward, Cecil Beaton and Evelyn Waugh, all part of the Bright Young Things set in the 1920s. On sale will be a selection of her clothes and jewels, including a feather-trimmed hat that she wore for a sitting with Cecil Beaton and a silk brocade gown in black, pink and green that she wore to the premier of the musical My Fair Lady in 1965. Also of note is an ebonised oak four-poster bed incorporating decorative George III needle work hangings. The bed was housed in a bedroom particularly favoured by Edith Sitwell on her visits and according to the family, ‘It was on the grand bed that Edith could be found, while visiting the family at Weston Hall. She would sit regally in bed propped up by so many pillows, her head adorned by some sort of turban and on a blue tray, she would write her poetry.’ It’s an eclectic sale, reflecting the tastes and lives of many generations – and all the richer for it. Don’t miss!
