Every time a very attractive woman walks past me, it’s the fragrance that gets my head turning. Fairs and local markets are always booming with fragrance booths, and trust me, they smell amazing. Some of the locals even concoct their own blend, which makes their fragrance really personal.
But when it comes to perfumes…
I have no idea about it because, honestly, I am not a perfume girl. A bottle of perfume would last me months to a year, and it does not really bother me as long as deodorant exists. But what I really am is a history geek. A huge history nerd, and an espionage story is straight up my alley.
So, what is this espionage story about?
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The Woman behind ‘Miss Dior’
Catherine Dior, also known as Ginette Dior, the youngest sister of Christian Dior himself, was more than just a muse for Miss Dior fragrances.
She was born in Granville, Manche, France, to Maurice Dior and Madeleine Dior on August 2nd, 1917. She was a farmer and supported her family during difficult times. She began to grow green beans as well as peas. She moved to Paris with her brother, Christian, who was 12 years her senior, before the onset of World War II. When the war started, they moved to the south of France and continued their farming activities.
Things were never the same for Catherine again.
Catherine was a French Resistance fighter during the Second World War. Her service to the French Resistance was linked to her friendship with George Papillault, Baron des Charbonneries, who was a member of F2. He was a married man and a father of three, but that did not stop Catherine from falling in love with him.
Catherine later joined F2 as a courier and an intelligence gatherer. Her job was often regarded as dangerous and important. Her work in the Resistance was mainly along the front lines, gathering intelligence from the Germans’ movements along the Mediterranean coast and the southern part of France.
She used the Paris apartment that belonged to her brother as a hotspot for underground meetings. Her involvement in the Resistance led to her arrest in the city by the Gestapo, Germany’s secret state police. She was brutally tortured, captured, and deported to Nazi concentration camps: Ravensbrück, Torgau, Abteroda and Markkleeberg in 1945. Yet she survived the harsh conditions and later returned to Paris. She was awarded several medals for her bravery during the war. She received the Legion of Honour, the Croix de Guerre, the Combatant’s Cross and the King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom.
After her rescue, she was reunited with her family and confined herself to her privacy.
How did it all start? Christian’s Tribute to Catherine
Despite their 12-year age gap, Christian really loved and respected his youngest sister.
Christian created Miss Dior in 1947. “Make me a fragrance that smells like love”, was what Dior asked Jean Charles and Paul Vacher. The scent was created from the sweet fragrance of gardenia, galbanum, bergamot, carnation, iris, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, rose, and narcissus.
Monsieur Christian Dior’s muse and colleague, Mitzah Bricard, saw Catherine and would often call her ‘Miss Dior’, and that’s how he decided that his fragrance would forever be called Miss Dior. Befitting, if you ask me.
The scent made its debut in February 1947 along with the ‘New Look’ couture collection. The most fascinating part of this debut was that the collection was in a room scented with Miss Dior perfume. Catherine was Christian’s muse, but the fragrance was what was left of his late mother’s garden. Lily of the Valley scent was the most prominent in the fragrance as well.
Miss Dior and its Legacy
What was most intriguing was that Miss Dior, for many, is just another luxury scent that everyone needed to have in their collection, but little do we know about the fascinating history and brilliance that came with it. The love and respect a brother has for a sister turned into a lifelong form of admiration that millions of people are also engaged in. Miss Dior has gone on to have many versions.
Miss Dior Chérie Eau de Parfum was launched in 2005. It was developed by Christine Nagel under the direction of John Galliano. The launch was to celebrate the centenary of Dior’s birthday.
A flanker of Miss Dior Chérie, called Miss Dior Chérie L’Eau, was launched in 2009, under the direction of Francois Demachy, who was the in- house perfumer. There are almost 11 core foundations and distinct formula variations of Miss Dior
Catherine’s story remains hidden from history books. Her contributions were unknown to the common folk
Catherine was not all about the glitz and glamour of the fashion world, like her brother. She retired to Callian, Provence and tended her own garden and was heavily invested in flower cultivation. She continued to preserve her beloved brother’s story, which was the most honourable thing. She enjoyed her privacy and her quiet life until she died in the year 1999, at the age of 90.
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