Miss Dior: Hidden history of a fashion icon’s war heroine sibling

Unlike her immeasurably more famous brother Christian, French resistance fighter Catherine Dior is an elusive and enigmatic figure. A new biography aims to shine a light on her life

Catherine Dior, aged 20 in Paris in 1937: the sister of the renowned fashion designer was imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp for her activities in the French resistance. Picture: Collection Christian Dior Parfums

BIOGRAPHY

Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture

By Justine Picardie

Faber, €23.25

In April 1944, a young British agent called Violette Szabo parachuted into northern France on a reconnaissance mission. Once her official mission had been accomplished, however, Szabo had a more personal mission to take care of: “She went shopping in Paris and bought three dresses for herself from the Molyneux couture salon on Rue Royale, and an outfit for her daughter, ...