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Dreaming of Dior - Every Dress Tells a Story
by Charlotte Smith with Grant Cowan
Atria Books
ISBN 978-1-4391-8755-5
Published April 2010 - Hardcover - 292 pages - $25.00

I always say "you've either got style or you haven't".  But, you can learn what style is all about.  And nothing says "style" like the Dior name.  However, I also believe that style should not be dictated by the "fashion" houses or by "fashion people".  There is such a thing as individual style.  Now to this book!  The house of Dior has always been known for its elegance and grace, but for most of us, having a Dior creation is just a dream, or for that matter, any other "name" creation.  Charlotte Smith's godmother gave her collection of bought, donated, and collected clothes spanning 250 years to Charlotte.  The collection so enthralled her that Charlotte's life changed.  Her appreciation and understanding of the history and "stories" behind every garment is fascinating.  Charlotte's put together this delightful book of clothes with their stories, accompanied by glorious illustrations by Grant Cowan.  Most of the dresses are pure elegance, and some are quite lavish but fun.  Godmother Doris had special dresses of her own which were acquired by carefully planning how to pay for them.  The stories are a delightful step into another era and are the dreams-come-true kind we all have.  However, these dresses and stories are not all about Doris herself, they're from others who dared to dress up and dream, and some stories are quite charming, like the one about a 1920s "short dress" and the lady revealing some leg while boarding a trolley in San Francisco.  Some of the dresses featured are from the likes of 1911, 1970 (mini skirt), and 1840 and some are from Ungaro, Jean Patou, Guy Laroche, or even Balenciaga.  Some are even home-made creations.  There's also a serious amount of name-dropping from Charlotte, which I didn't find too obnoxious.  Some of my favorite dresses (if only I had a decent figure, a lot of money, and an active social life...) are on these pages: 35, 67, 149, and 287.
Conclusion - A beautiful walk down Memory Lane as well as a fashion bug's delight.  Gorgeous.