Christian Dior’s debut collection for spring 1947, presented on February 12 of that year in the salons of 30 Avenue Montaigne, prompted the following from famed editor Carmel Snow: “My dear Christian, your dresses have such a New Look!” The rest, as we now know, is history.

The novel ensemble in question featured a wide A-line skirt and a “Bar jacket,” which was characterized by a nipped waist, padded and rounded hips, and rounded shoulders. It’s a singular, identifiable perspective on elegance and a defining moment in sartorial history. Close to eight decades later, the “New Look” continues to mark a before and after in fashion as the true signature of the house of Dior—Raf Simons had his own version, Maria Grazia Chiuri examined it in depth during her tenure, and even Kim Jones, who designed the house’s menswear collections from 2018 to earlier this year, riffed on it himself. Jonathan Anderson will surely give it his own spin at some point. Such is the power of a brand icon.

Yet while Monsieur Dior’s womenswear has left an indelible mark on fashion, the house’s menswear has had less of a defining profile. For starters, it’s changed its name almost as many times as it’s had designers: From Christian Dior Monsieur to Dior Homme to Dior Men. Which doesn’t mean it has not had an impact: The true power of Dior menswear has been to exist as a sort of creative lab nested within one of fashion’s premiere labels. The common denominator of its designers has been to challenge and rethink the sartorial status quo for men in the same spirit as Monsieur Dior’s “New Look.”

Christian Dior is credited in history for the famed silhouette of his first collection, but he is not always recognized for the way in which his business-minded ventures have helped shape the industry today. Dior launched fragrances, satellite offices (New York in 1948, famously), a footwear line designed by Roger Vivier (1953), and even his own Little Dictionary of Fashion (1954). He may not have seen his label expand into ready-to-wear with Miss Dior or childrenswear with Baby Dior, both in 1967, nor menswear later that decade; Dior died in 1957. But his influence has remained. With Jonathan Anderson ascending to the role of sole creative director of Christian Dior with his debut menswear show on Friday, June 27, we are revisiting the history of Dior’s menswear to trace its impact.

1969: Christian Dior Monsieur

Christian Dior died of a heart attack in Italy in October of 1957. Yves Saint Laurent, his first assistant since 1955, was appointed creative director of the house per his wishes. The tenure was short-lived. Marc Bohan, a designer for Jean Patou who joined Dior in 1958 as creative director of the house’s London subsidiary, succeeded Saint Laurent as creative director. Bohan is Dior’s longest-serving creative director, clocking in at almost 30 years, His signature “Slim look” became as omnipresent as the New Look in its time.

Dior’s first men’s fragrance, “Eau Sauvage,” was released in 1966, and Bohan launched Christian Dior Monsieur, the house’s first official men’s line, in 1969. The first collection was “Boutique Monsieur” for the spring-summer 1970 season. The line was subsequently designed by Christian Benais and then Gérard Penneroux, and never again overseen by the same creative director as the women’s until today with Anderson’s appointment.