The story behind Miss Dior—couture house Christian Dior’s first fragrance, which came out in 1947—is made-for-tv good (and it actually is on television right now, if you’re streaming The New Look). The designer created the scent to honor one of his greatest muses, his sister Catherine, a resistance fighter in World War 2. For actor Natalie Portman, who has been the face of the fragrance since her first campaign with Dior in 2011, it’s all just part of the charm and legacy of working with the brand.
“Dior has always been committed to women and luxury,” Portman tells me over Zoom while in Paris. “But now, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Delphine Arnault at the head. Being led by women makes it a real celebration and encouragement of women and women artists.”
This new iteration of Miss Dior, created by French-Armenian perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, returns to the original juice’s super-floral roots. The same notes of rose and jasmine remain—Catherine worked in a flower shop as her second act after WW2—with modern fruity additions.
The actor’s more than a decade-long relationship with Dior has also helped her identify and understand what “beauty” actually means to her. “Beauty is about celebrating your own uniqueness as opposed to trying to conform to someone else’s standards,” she says. Another moment she can pinpoint feeling beautiful (and many other positive feelings associated with it—strong, excited, and the like), was when she co-founded the professional soccer team, Angel City Football Club.
“The goal is to get these female athletes valued the way they deserve,” Portman says. “To create an environment where their talent and hard work are realized for how precious they are.” Through the experience, she’s been “humbled” while learning new skills. Hard to imagine for an Oscar-winner.
“I’ve entered a completely new world of business, sports, and a different kind of entertainment,” she reflects. “It’s been a rapid and fascinating learning process and something I’m very passionate about.”
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