“Christian Dior’s line was deliberately backward-looking even then — after the grim years of the Occupation, he wanted to recapture the feminine glamour of his mother’s Belle Époque ensembles, and to transform his mannequins and clients into blooming and blossoming and extravagantly womanly archetypes. To turn the iconic look into a believable modern proposition was a challenge that Simons accomplished in his own quietly persuasive way.” —Hamish Bowles, Vogue.com