Miss Dior is a 1947 perfume released by

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...

Fragrance

Miss Dior dates to 1947, shortly after the Christian Dior fashion line debuted its acclaimed New Look collection. The fragrance's name was a tribute to the designer's sister, French resistance fighter

Catherine Dior Ginette Dior (2 August 1917 – 17 June 2008), better known as Catherine Dior, was a French Resistance fighter during World War II. Involved with the Franco-Polish intelligence unit F2 from November 1941, she was arrested in Paris in July 1944 by ...

, familiarly known as Miss Dior. The perfume, a floral

chypre Chypre () is the name of a family (or ''concept'') of perfumes that are characterised by an accord composed of citrus top note (perfumery), notes, a middle centered on labdanum, cistus labdanum, and a mossy-animalic set of basenotes derived from oa ...

with leather and

galbanum Galbanum is an aromatic gum resin and a product of certain umbelliferous Persian plant species in the genus '' Ferula'', chiefly '' Ferula gummosa'' (synonym ''F. galbaniflua'') and '' Ferula rubricaulis''. Galbanum-yielding plants grow plentif ...

notes, was created by

Paul Vacher Paul Vacher () (1902 – 1975) was a French perfumer. Vacher created Le Galion fragrances, trademarked in 1936. He worked at Guerlain, among other perfume houses. He is best known for his parts in the creations of Miss Dior for Christian Dior in 1 ...

and

Jean Carles Jean Carles (12 January 1892 – 8 July 1966) was a French perfumer who worked in Roure Bertrand Fils et Justin Duppont in Grasse (now part of Givaudan) in the early 20th century. He was the founder of the Roure Perfumery School () and served as ...

. Other notes included mandarin, gardenia and bergamot as the top notes; jasmine, narcissus, neroli and rose in the heart notes; and patchouli, oak and sandalwood as the base notes. The original Miss Dior glass bottle was etched with a houndstooth print.

Other versions and reformulations

Miss Dior Chérie Miss Dior Chérie was a fragrance created by Christine Nagel for Christian Dior. At the time John Galliano served as Dior’s fashion designer and creative director, overseeing Nagel’s development of the unusual, youth-oriented strawberry-and ...

Eau de Parfum was launched in 2005 as a flanker to Miss Dior (perfumery's term for a sequel or spinoff), with the intention to draw a younger audience. It was developed by Christine Nagel with the objective to create something “audacious, impertinent, and gourmand”. Miss Dior Chérie most prominently featured unconventional strawberry and caramelized popcorn notes, though it also had a popular patchouli fraction reminiscent of

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

’s 2001 hit

Coco Mademoiselle Coco Mademoiselle is a women's perfume by French fashion house Chanel, introduced in 2001 for younger consumers. The fragrance was created by Jacques Polge, the nose of Chanel from 1978 to 2015. Coco Mademoiselle le Film In 2006, Chanel laun ...

, as well as mandarin, violet, jasmine, and musk. ''Elle'' also noted it had an antecedent in Thierry Mugler Angel (1992), which popularized sweet, food-like fragrances. In 2009, after appointing

François Demachy François Demachy is a French perfumer. He trained at . He was succeeded as Dior's House Perfumer by Francis Kurkdjian, but he remained a perfumer under the LVMH umbrella brands. Biography Born in Cannes, Demarchy has lived almost all his life i ...

to serve as an in-house perfumer, Dior released a flanker to Miss Dior Chérie called Miss Dior Chérie L’Eau, signed by Demachy. ''

British Vogue ''British Vogue'' (stylised in all caps) is the British edition of the American Fashion journalism, fashion magazine Vogue (magazine), Vogue. The magazine was launched in 1916 by Condé Nast, linking together fashion and high society.König A ...

'' described this perfume as a “sparkling and distinctive floral scent blended with notes of tangy yet spicy bitter orange, Gardenia and white musks”. In 2010, Dior released an

eau de toilette Eau de toilette (, meaning "grooming water") is a lightly scented perfume. It is also referred to as aromatic waters and has a high alcohol content. It is usually applied directly to the skin after bathing or shaving. It is traditionally composed ...

version of Miss Dior Chérie, which also advertised additional floral notes as a twist on the original. In 2011, Miss Dior and Miss Dior Chérie (eau de parfum) underwent significant changes. Miss Dior was revised and reimagined by Demachy and this fragrance was renamed Miss Dior Original. Miss Dior Chérie became simply Miss Dior and though it retained similar packaging, the fragrance was significantly altered, also by Demachy although with less fanfare, and since then has born little resemblance to Nagel's creation. These changes were part of Dior owner

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...

’s efforts to gain greater control over their perfume formulations. Prior to bringing on Demachy to create its perfumes in-house, Dior has contracted out its fragrances and consequently,

Givaudan Givaudan S.A. () is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of flavours, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients. As of 2008, it was the world's largest company in the flavour and fragrance industry. Overview The company's scents and flavours ...

held the formula for Nagel's creation. Adjustments allowed Dior to take over Miss Dior Chérie without violating

’s copyright.

Legacy

Miss Dior and other versions of it were the subjects of a 2013 exhibition at the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

in Paris.

References

{{Authority control Dior perfumes 20th-century perfumes Products introduced in 1947 1947 in France