Christian Dior

. Alfa Romeo 8C (2004). The Dior firm – successively led by designers Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre, and John Galliano – continued to be a fashion leader and was associated with a much wider range of merchandise, including menswear and household linens. In the past, Alfa Romeo offered a Sprint (from Italian sprinta, "tuned") trim level. At the time of his death, Dior salons had been opened in 24 countries. The GTA package is offered in the 147 and 156 and includes a V-6 engine. Although his death was the big story in the French press it was quickly forgotten, overshadowed by the launching of the first Soviet sputnik three days later. The trim levels (option packages) offered today on the various nameplates (model lines) include the lusso, “luxury,” turismo, “touring,” and the GTA (gran tourismo alleggerita, “lightened grand touring”).

"Alexis: The Memoirs of the Baron de Redé", the 2005 memoirs of Paris socialite Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé, however, suggests that the fashion designer actually died of a heart attack after a too strenuous evening spent with two young men. The Gold Leaf model was also sold as the "159i" in some markets, the name in homage to the original 159. The plump Dior, who suffered from heart trouble, reportedly died of a heart attack while undergoing a weight-loss cure at the spa in Montecatini, Italy, in an effort to make himself more desirable to his young North African lover, singer Jacques Benita; the death reportedly occurred in the lobby of the Hotel Pace after an after-dinner canasta game. Badging was the Alfa Cloverleaf in either gold or silver to denote the specification level. Normally under French inheritance law, having no children or parents, Raymond should have been Christian's successor but the rift provoked by Françoise caused Christian to disinherit his close family totally. These models were the top of the range. For once Raymond agreed with his rebel daughter, while discounting the Jewish plot theory. The Alfettas of the early 1980s had models available sold as the "Silver Leaf" and "Gold Leaf" (Quadrifoglio Oro).

She openly blamed Christian's Jewish manageress who procured his medications, along with a collection of young men, of being part of a Jewish plot forcing him towards his death. It is assumed that these might denote advanced equipment in other areas (?). His niece, Françoise Dior, who had once been his favourite (at her marriage with Count Robert-Henri de Caumont la Force it was Christian who gave the bride away at the ceremony while Raymond sat drinking in a local bar) but she held Nazi sympathies. Some modern Alfas wear a cloverleaf badge which is typically a green four leaf clover on a white background (Quadrifoglio Verde), but variants of blue on white have been recently observed. Towards the end of his life Christian's life was a hectic round of injections to wake up in the morning, injections for his appetite, and further injections to sleep. This became the symbol of competition Alfas, denoting higher performance. On the rare occasions when they found themselves together it usually ended in dispute with Raymond calling his brother "filthy queer" while Christian replied with "impotent drunk.". The image first appeared in 1923 when Ugo Sivocci presented one prior to the start of the 14th Targa Florio as a good luck token to the team.

However, when Jean Cocteau bought the small château at Milly-la-Forêt (Essonne) and Christian Dior shortly afterwards bought a disused water-mill in the same village, he persuaded his brother Raymond to buy a fermette in the village of Noisy sur Ecole (Seine et Marne) only 4km away. Cloverleaf or Quadrifoglio badges denote variants of Alfa Romeo cars where the name denotes the high-end of the range in comfort and engine size, but previously denoted Alfa Romeo racing cars in the pre-Second-World-War era. Dior refused to set foot in the town of Granville for the rest of his life. Even Maserati will share components with some Alfas.¹. Once Christian had made his fortune he attempted to repurchase the house where he was born but the new owner (Granville town council) rejected his offers. According to the current Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, in order to reap economies of scale, all new Alfa Romeo models will be made from the same basic platform (i.e., frame). One of Christian's earliest memories was of Raymond locking him in the dark cellar of the house in Granville whenever he had the opportunity, then search the garden for live animals or insects to push under the door. Until the 1980s, Alfa Romeos, except for the Alfasud, were rear-wheel-drive.

Dior was continually feuding with his elder brother Raymond Dior. They may return, however as the FAQ on Alfa's website says "The long-awaited return of Alfa Romeo to the United States market should take place by 2007, with a range of new models." The models expected to come first in the us are Alfa Romeo 159 and the Alfa Romeo Brera. On returning, after trouble with his temporary replacement Marc Bohan, Saint-Laurent soon opened his own maison de couture once his military obligations were over. In 1995 Alfa Romeo ceased exporting cars to the U.S. In 1953 Yves Saint-Laurent became Dior's assistant and was destined to be his successor but was reluctantly forced to leave when the time came for his military service. The Spider was designed by Pininfarina. Dior spread his fashions around the world when he and his partner, Jacques Rouet, started franchises in the fashion industry. See here [15] - [16].

The New Look revolutionized women's dress and reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world after World War II. In 1967 the famous Dustin Hoffmans film "The Graduate" gave worldwide unforgettable celebrity to the "Spider" (best known by the Italian nickname of "Duetto", or as "Osso di Seppia" or Round-tail), and its unique shape. His designs represented consistent classic elegance, stressing the feminine look. There are many thriving Alfa Romeo owners clubs and Alfa Romeo Model Registers. Dior is known mainly for the 1947 "New Look" which employed narrow shoulders, a constricted waist, an emphasized bust, and long, wide skirt, all in striking contrast to the severity of wartime fashions. Alfa Romeo is sometimes worshipped by its owners, and many models have become cultural symbols [14]. In twelve years he expanded his business to 15 countries and employed over 2,000 people. In Italian the owner of an Alfa Romeo is an "Alfista", and a group of them are "Alfisti".

Dior was a graduate of Paris Institute of Political Studies (better known as Sciences Po), after which he established his main house of couture in Parisgift 1946 with the backing of textile magnate Marcel Boussac. It represented those makes of cars that permitted sporty driving on common roads, provided the driver was enthusiastic enough to appreciate their particular "sound". In twelve years he expanded his business to 15 countries and employed over 2,000 people.. In an English sales brochure:. In 1946, backed by textile magnate Marcel Boussac, he established his main house of couture in Paris. Alfa often used controversial and unorthodox styling too, which often challenged assumptions about styling. Christian Dior" He was born in Granville, Normandy, France, heir to a fertilizer fortune. Before being bought by Fiat, Alfa Romeo always had a daring commercial policy, constantly experimenting with new solutions and using them in its series production, even at the risk of losing market share.