Christian Dior 80s wool dress
View Similar Items
Christian Dior 80s wool dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 48.43 in (123 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Basaluzzo, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3498219074062
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.
- Abito Mila Schon pari al nuovo con balzeBy Mila SchonLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito lilla con mezza manica e scollo a V mila Schõn. Tessuto crepe di seta con fodera interna. Trama geometrica con piccole balze. Taglia 40 Misure: Spalle 40cm Manica 34cm Petto 4...Category
1990s Casual Dresses
- Abito Tory Burch con applicazioni pari al nuovoLocated in Basaluzzo, ITTory Burch abito a righe bianco ed azzurro con deliziosi inserti floreali rossi. Lunghezza midi, con spacchi laterali, chiusura sul retro con laccetti adornati da nappine La sua form...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Vintage Chanel dress in good conditionBy ChanelLocated in Basaluzzo, ITVersatile and elegant vintage Chanel dress Hook-and-eye closure at front, with half sleeve. The dress streaks at the waist to outline the shape and create a perfect shilouette. Side...Category
1880s Day Dresses
- Abito Chanel in cotone in ottime condizioniBy ChanelLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito Chanel In cotone a righe. L’accostamento dei colori rende l’abito elegante e sfizioso allo stesso tempo. I suoi estremi sono predominati dal colore rosa, lo scollo a barca, i p...Category
Early 2000s Casual Dresses
- Abito Max Mara in setaLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito Max Mara lungo in morbida seta con stampa nera e beige. Ideale per la primavera estate da indossare con una giacca in pelle e sneakers oppure in estate con un sandalo gioiello ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Abito Panna Max Mara in perfette condizioniLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito chemisier midi girocollo color panna S'Max Mara con manica 3/4 Chiusura con bottoni frontali, passanti per cintura e tasche a filo laterali Misure: Spalle 38cm Manica 45cm Pett...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Kenzo Vintage Lush Plum Brown and Gold Floral Print Dress w Gold Velvet TrimBy KenzoLocated in Portland, ORThis gorgeous vintage Kenzo dress is in an abstract floral print in rich shades of plum, soft gold, copper and brown with gold velvet trim at the c...Category
20th Century French Day Dresses
- 90s Gianfranco Ferre tan knit dress with silk collarBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Beverly Hills, CADeadstock Gianfranco Ferre knit dress with silk collar. Size: 2/ XS Bust: 32" Hip: 34" Flaws: black stains (front collar) you can easily reverse the collar (in and out) to hi...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Pink Floral Strapless Cocktail Dress Size 4Located in Los Angeles, CAThis cocktail dress is composed of a pink floral applique fabric with gold detailing. There is a center back zipper, features interior bustier foundation with boning. In excellent v...Category
20th Century American Cocktail Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier 1990's Vintage Bustier Bodycon Knit Mini DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier Junior 1990's Vintage Bustier Bodycon Knit Mini Dress IT 42Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Le Nard 1980s Belted Long Sleeve Feather Print DressLocated in Scottsdale, AZStep into the bold and vibrant spirit of the 1980s with our Le Nard Belted Long Sleeve Feather Print Dress—a statement piece that fuses fun, nostalgia, and contemporary style. This m...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Ossie Clark Celia Birtwell Print Dress c. 1970s Worn by Julia RobertsLocated in New York, NYOssie Clark Celia Birtwell Printed Dress c. 1970s Worn by Julia Roberts in 1997 Conspiracy Theory; Empire dress with self ties at neckline a...Category
1970s British Empire Waist Dresses
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.