Look inside Patrick Demarchelier’s new book for Dior

Patrick Demarchelier is responsible for some of fashion’s most celebrated images, shooting every top model and pop icon under the sun. With a résumé that spans 30-odd years and most of the world’s biggest fashion publications, it’s unsurprising that Demarchelier has forged a close relationship with infamous French fashion house Christian Dior. Renowned for continuously reinventing the popular silhouette of women’s clothing, Dior’s fashion story has now been traced by Demarchelier in Dior: New Couture. Out now, the book is comprised of new and exclusive photos of some of the brand’s most memorable pieces, captured with the photographer's textbook intimacy against an array of striking French backdrops. The book follows on from Demarchelier’s previous collaborative work, Dior Couture, which was published in 2011.  

Notable images in the new book include a photo of a curve-accentuating dress from the Corolle line (the groundbreaking 1947 Dior collection dubbed “The New Look”) and a luminous John Galliano gown from Couture SS99 captured in beautiful, eerie light, as well as a range of compositions featuring garments by current creative director Raf Simons. Since taking over in 2012, Simons had brought a sense of modernity to Dior while still acknowledging its history – in last week’s Pre-AW14 show, he paid homage to the classic Bar shape, reimaging it into a bomber jacket. The Belgian designer has collaborated with Demarchelier in the past – at last year’s AW13 Couture show, he used backstage photos taken by Demarchelier and other iconic photographers to form a unique ever-changing backdrop for the subsequent show. In Dior: New Couture, Demarchelier highlights Simons’s interest in playing with modernity and tradition: an elegant white pannier gown from Couture AW14 is photographed in an opulent 18th century mirrored room, while a more modern dress covered in reflective tribal-inspired bands is shot against a stark urban road.

Dior New Couture is published by Rizzoli and out now.