The Dior Bar Jacket
A jacket to dream about, the Dior Bar
The Dior Bar Jacket is a timeless piece that revolutionized women’s fashion when introduced in 1947. Renowned for its nipped-in waist, padded hips, and elegant peplum, it epitomizes Dior’s “New Look” silhouette. The jacket’s tailored structure and refined details elevate any outfit, making it a symbol of feminine sophistication and classic Parisian style. Whether worn as part of a suit or styled separately, the Bar Jacket remains an iconic garment that continues to inspire contemporary fashion.
For the 1947 Spring/Summer Haute Couture collection shown at 30 Avenue Montaigne, attendees were apprehensive. The war was just ending, and women were eager and interested in discovering the latest collections. Christian Dior, a new and exciting designer residing at that address had something to say. In the show, there were many lovely frocks for day or evening, entertaining at home or out at an event, but the most memorable ensemble consisted of a simple white jacket and black skirt. But oh what a jacket! Made of sumptuous off-white silk shantung with princess seams, simple shoulders and a peaked lapel. Its closure was five covered buttons and created a waist women dream about (with the help of stiff corsetry underneath). Dior named this look “The Bar” because the structure in the ensemble did not allow for casual sitting, a woman must stand at the “Bar” for the full effect! The structured jacket had a full hemline that was three times the length of the tiny waist and padded at the hips to give emphasis to the model’s womanly curves. The black matte crepe skirt had five meters of fabric pleated in it (which was an unheard of extravagance in the post war economy) and hit at the right point between the model’s knees and ankles. The bar suit was born and the entire show was declared “Dior’s New Look'' by journalist Carmen Snow. That iconic silhouette Dior created has been shown by the various creative directors at the famous fashion house from Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Ginafranco Ferrer, John Galliano, Raf Simons and to this day you can still see a version of it with every collection shown by the current director, Maria Gratzia Churi. We are looking forward to seeing Jonathan Anderson’s version this fall. No matter what the creative director does to accessorize the jacket, it will always be Dior’s Bar. It is a classic!
The Victoria and Albert has an original suit and you can see the curator describing the suit in this video:
Haute Couture is a very special process, all made by hand to exact measurements of the wearer. You can see a video about the process creating a Bar Coat in red here:
Dior - Couture Bar Coat in Red
In 2017, in Paris, I was able to attend the Musee des Arts Decoratifs exhibit of the Dior archives, and the very first display was the iconic bar suit. You can watch a movie about building the exhibit here:
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Dior exhibit Musee des Arts Decoratifs
For more on the Bar:
https://www.vogue.com/article/christian-dior-bar-jacket-a-brief-history