Vintage Christian Dior by John Galliano Dirty Denim & Leather Coat Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 40 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU458565302
Christian Dior
When Christian Dior launched his couture house, in 1946, he wanted nothing less than to make “an elegant woman more beautiful and a beautiful woman more elegant.” He succeeded, and in doing so the visionary designer altered the landscape of 20th century fashion. Vintage Dior bags, shoes, evening dresses, shirts and other garments and accessories are known today for their feminine and sophisticated sensibility.
Dior was born in Granville, on the Normandy coast, in 1905. His prosperous haute bourgeois parents wanted him to become a diplomat despite his interest in art and architecture. However, they agreed to bankroll an art gallery, which Dior opened in 1928 in Paris with a friend.
This was the start of Dior’s rise in the city’s creative milieu, where he befriended Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau. After seven years as an art dealer, Dior retrained as a fashion illustrator, eventually landing a job as a fashion designer for Robert Piguet, and in 1941, following a year of military service, he joined the house of Lucien Lelong. Just five years later, with the backing of industrialist Marcel Boussac, the ascendant Dior established his own fashion house, at 30 avenue Montaigne in Paris.
Just two years after the end of World War II, the fashion crowd and the moribund haute couture industry were yearning, comme tout Paris, for security and prosperity, desperate to discard the drab, sexless, utilitarian garb imposed by wartime deprivation. They needed to dream anew.
And Dior delivered: He designed a collection for a bright, optimistic future. “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian!” exclaimed Carmel Snow, the prescient American editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, famously proclaiming, “Your dresses have such a new look.” The press ran with the description, christening Dior’s debut Spring/Summer haute couture collection the New Look. “God help those who bought before they saw Dior,” said Snow. “This changes everything.”
Dior’s collection definitively declared that opulence, luxury and femininity were in. His skirts could have 40-meter-circumference hems, and outfits could weigh up to 60 pounds. They were cut and shaped like architecture, on strong foundations that molded women and “freed them from nature,” Dior said. Rather than rationing, his ladies wanted reams of fabric and 19-inch waists enforced by wire corsets, and the fashion world concurred. The debut got a standing ovation.
In the subsequent decade, Paris ruled as the undisputed fashion capital of the world, and Christian Dior reigned as its king. With the luxuriously full skirts of his New Look, suits and his drop-dead gorgeous couture dresses and ball gowns worthy of any princess, Dior gave women the gift of glamour they’d lost in the miserable years of war.
On 1stDibs, find an exquisite range of vintage Christian Dior clothing, jewelry, handbags and other items.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Comme Des Garcons Dark Brown Kimono Sleeve Dress With Elastic 1982By Comme des GarçonsLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Comme des Garcons dark brown kimono dress with drop-waist, high v neck, and butterfly sleeves. Collection 1982. Comme Des Garcons ...Category
1980s Japanese Day Dresses
- Issac Mizrahi Black Leather Suede Dress 1989By Isaac MizrahiLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection is excited to offer this vintage Isaac Mizrahi black suede long sleeve mini dress featuring a deep v neckline, whipstitching, and a front zipper enclosure. Fringe detail...Category
1980s American Day Dresses
- Junya Watanabe Black Wool Zipper Dress 2013By Junya WatanabeLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Junya Watanabe black wool long sleeve dress featuring exposed zippers on the front sides and sleeves. Junya Watanabe Size: XS Wool...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Day Dresses
- Balenciaga Grey Wool Cubist Dress 2002By BalenciagaLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere grey wool "cubist" dress featuring black leather trim, blue denim insets, asymmetrical sleeves, sc...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Navy Mini Dress With Silver Metal Detailing & Roman NumeralsBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier navy blue mini dress featuring a tank style, black trim silver letters and number...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- Vintage Dolce & Gabbana Double Layer Pinstripe DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Dolce & Gabbana black and rust cotton pinstripe apron dress with mesh underlay, zipper closure at back and slit. Excellent Condition. Size: IT...Category
1990s Italian Informal Dresses
- 1980s Galanos Asymmetric Grey Coat DressBy GalanosLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis piece is giving us vintage meets Jacquemus vibes! This incredible 1980s Galanos piece can be worn open as a coat or closed as a dress- it's up to you! Dark cool grey fabric with...Category
1980s American Day Dresses
- S/S 2002 Gucci by Tom Ford Brown Cotton Oversized Cotton Duster Coat DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a dark olive cotton duster coat designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 2002 collection. An off-white suede version of this coat debuted on look 4 on Karolina Kurko...Category
Early 2000s Italian Overcoats
- Escada Linen Chocolate Brown Caftan Dress CoatBy Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in North Hollywood, CAEscada linen Moroccan caftan style dress coat. Linen chocolate brown color with white embroideries. Very elegant Moroccan style kaftan dress or coat, wear it closed or open. Beautifu...Category
20th Century Italian Kaftans
- Vintage Moroccan Caftan, Hooded Black and Gold Trim Kaftan Circa 1970'sLocated in North Hollywood, CAVintage Moroccan Caftan, black and gold embroidered trim, ca. 1970s Vintage Moroccan black caftan in linen fabric with gold trim embroidered, circa 1970s. This djellabah is crafted i...Category
Mid-20th Century Moroccan Caftans
- 1960s Black and Yellow Flower Print Brocade CoatLocated in Beverly Hills, CA1960s Cocktail Coat in Yellow gold flower print in black brocade. Size: LargeCategory
1960s American Coats and Outerwear
- 1980s Michaele Vollbracht Vintage Cashmere Wool Plaid Coat Dress or DusterBy Michaele VollbrachtLocated in Sparks, NVVersatile coat, duster or dress by Michaele Vollbracht in a black and white plaid. Unlined with front zip closure. The marked size is medium. 60% wool, 15% nylon, 15% polyester, 10% ...Category
1980s American Coats and Outerwear
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Too Soon for the Return of ’90s Fashion? As If
There's a renewed appreciation for the era's aesthetic, perhaps most notably among millennials seeking authentic, easy style.
14 Iconic Luxury Handbags and the Stories behind Them
When the name of a bag is as well-known as its brand, you know it's a classic.