Book: Miss Dior

While researching Christian Dior, journalist Justine Picardie discovered the heroic past of his sister, Catherine Dior. A cherished inspiration to the couturier, she joined the ranks of the Resistance in 1940 within one of its first networks in France. Over the next four years, the young woman took part in the underground movement against the occupation, first in Provence and then in Paris. She was arrested in 1944 after being informed on, and then transferred to the Gestapo's infamous Parisian annex at rue de la Pompe — a veritable passageway to hell. There, Catherine Dior was tortured over a long period of time before being deported to Ravensbrück. Through Miss Dior — as Catherine was nicknamed — Justine Picardie retraces the destiny of the French women who resisted at the risk of their own lives. The strikingly frank storytelling offers a dizzying dive into the world of Parisian fashion as it fell into the hands of the enemy and was often worn by collaborationist idols. An illustrated essay including photographs by Cecil Beaton, Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Doisneau, Willy Maywald and André Zucca.