Alla Ilchun was the first Euro-Asian model who has worked for twenty years at Dior. She was famous for her waist of 49 cm and eyeliner arrows.
Alla Ilchun as a model in the 1950s
Ilchun was a Kazakh origin, who moved to the capital of France with her parents in 1917. Her father, Kuantkhan Ilchun was from Almaty while her mother, Tatiana was Russian.
Ilchun used to work as a dishwasher in Paris before meeting Dior by accident after replacing her friend for the Dior Fashion House fitting. The famous couturier instantly liked her and she became not only a top supermodel but also his muse. It is believed that she was responsible for creating the ‘cat eye’ makeup.
Paintings of Ilchun were showcased at the ‘Portrait of Muse of Dior’s exhibition in Kasteyev Art Museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
These fabulous photos captured portrait of Alla Ilchun as a model in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Alla in finely pleated mousseline dress by Christian Dior, photo by Georges Saad, 1947
Alla in gorgeous green satin evening gown by Christian Dior, photo by Georges Saad, 1947
Alla in gray wool redingote with velvet lapels and pockets, by Vera Boréa, photo by Georges Saad, 1948
Alla is wearing a coat designed by Dior in Emba mink, the first perfectly white variety of mink, photo by Willy Maywald, 1948
Alla in a simple gray suit with a checked blouse featuring a huge bow at the throat, natural straw sailor hat tilts over one eye, by Christian Dior, 1949
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