The debate comes down to how informative the results are. But some researchers, like Wain-Hobson, disagree with that decision. “These studies, however, also entail biosafety and biosecurity risks, which need to be understood better.”īaric’s study on the SHC014-chimeric coronavirus began before the moratorium was announced, and the NIH allowed it to proceed during a review process, which eventually led to the conclusion that the work did not fall under the new restrictions, Baric told Nature. “NIH has funded such studies because they help define the fundamental nature of human-pathogen interactions, enable the assessment of the pandemic potential of emerging infectious agents, and inform public health and preparedness efforts,” NIH Director Francis Collins said in a statement at the time. She is to be the first woman designer in the company’s 70-year history.In October 2013, the US government put a stop to all federal funding for gain-of-function studies, with particular concern rising about influenza, SARS, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). In July 2016, Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri was chosen to pick up the Dior reins. Simons never quite recaptured the majesty of that first outing, but his abrupt departure in late 2015 shocked the industry nonetheless, and seemed to launch a string of exits that has not slowed down. Raf Simons, the Belgian antithesis of Galliano, made his house debut with a tour de force couture collection in July 2012, one that moved Dior in a more streamlined, but no less elegant, direction. When a video surfaced of a separate incident, Arnault’s company had no choice but terminate the relationship. Galliano’s outrageous impulses went too far, however, in 2011, when he was arrested following an ugly incident in a Paris café where he was alleged to have made anti-Semitic remarks to a couple dining nearby. Galliano was a designer after Dior’s own heart-half confectioner, whipping up fantasies of silk and embroidery that exalted beauty to the extreme, and half showman, sending horses galloping down the runway and dressing models as homeless hobos in newspaper-print frocks. Despite a promising injection of money and energy in 1984, when French businessman Bernard Arnault bought the fashion house, it remained a sleeping beauty until 1996, when British designer John Galliano was named to the top post. He was followed by Gianfranco Ferré, who manned the ship for seven years. However, Saint Laurent was shortly called up for military service, and in 1961, Marc Bohan presented his first collection for the label and began a nearly three-decade reign. In 1957, Dior suffered a heart attack and died at age 52.ĭior’s young assistant, Yves Saint Laurent, took over he, too, was an instant success, making waves with his trapeze dress. He penned his memoirs-none too prematurely, it would turn out. The master merchandiser also recognized the power of personality, becoming a bit of a showman in the press. Vibrant lipstick and perfume-Miss Dior was the first, followed by Diorama and eventually Diorissimo-completed the Dior woman’s toilette. Delman designer Roger Vivier created shoes as splendid as the outfits. “I love you.”Įnvisioning a globe peopled with customers clad in head-to-toe Dior, the designer set about building an empire of elegance, establishing outposts in New York, London, and Caracas. “You waved your wand and suddenly I was young and hopeful again,” one ardent fan wrote Monsieur Dior. But to a legion of women used to boxy suits and drab skirts, Dior’s ultra-feminine styles were a blissful reminder of better days-and the promise of a return to luxury. In a postwar world still under continued rationing, the ensemble was downright shocking. A cream shantung jacket (like most of Dior’s designs, it came with a name, Bar) had a tightly nipped waist that flared into a regal peplum. In an elegant salon on the Avenue Montaigne, a model sauntered out wearing a calf-grazing skirt made with 20 yards of black wool. On February 12, 1947, a new couturier named Christian Dior presented his first show to the press.