On February 12, 1947, a new couturier named Christian Dior presented his first show ... sending horses galloping down the runway and dressing models as homeless hobos in newspaper-print frocks.

In beauty, Dior creative and image director Peter Philips played with black eyeliner—a staple of the brand’s runways—while hairstylist Guido Palau pulled models' hair into ultra-glossy ...