Lady Dior Leather Bag, circa 2019
About the Item
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)Length: 9.06 in (23 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Leather
- Condition:
- Seller Location:SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
- Reference Number:
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: SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Chanel Bag in Floral Canvas with Gold-Tone HandlesBy Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChanel (Made in Italy) Bag composed of canvas printed with multi-color flowers. It features one zipped pocket at the front, two golden leather handles and a red canvas lining. It com...Category
Early 2000s Italian Top Handle Bags
- Christian Lacroix Pink Silk BagBy Christian Lacroix, Christian Lacroix ParisLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChristian Lacroix - Pink silk bag with golden metal elements. To be mentioned, a few slight scratches. Additional information: Condition: Good condition Dimensions: Height: 25 cm - ...Category
1990s French Top Handle Bags
- Augustine Jewel MinaudièreBy Augustine Paris, Maison GripoixLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRAugustine - Minaudière in gilded metal, glass paste and rhinestones. Additional information: Dimensions: Length: 14 cm (5.51"), Maximum height: 12.5 cm (4.92"), Opening diameter: 6...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
- Hermès Orange Leather Birkin Bag, 2010By HermèsLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRHermès - (Made in France) Orange Clemence young bull leather 30cm Birkin bag with palladium-plated silvery metal fastener and links, with a double handle, keys under a tiny cloche, a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Gianni Versace Black Velvet Bag with Golden PatternsBy VersaceLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRVersace - (Made in Italy) Black velvet bag with golden patterns and golden metal elements. Additional information: Condition: Good condition Dimensions: Length: 33 cm - Height: 27 c...Category
1990s Italian Top Handle Bags
- Hermès bag "Turned over Kelly", 1975sBy HermèsLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRHermès - (Made in France) Navy blue box leather "turned over Kelly" bag with gold-plated ties, fastener, handle, keys under a dome, and padlock. 1975 year. Additional information: C...Category
1970s French Top Handle Bags
- Josef of Belgium Hexagon Glass Beaded 1940s HandbagBy Bags by JosefLocated in Water Mill, NYA gorgeous black glass seed beaded handbag in a great wave pattern by Josef. It has a top handle, silk lining with a pocket and a gold clasp top closu...Category
1940s Belgian Top Handle Bags
- Hermès Orange Shiny Porosus Crocodile Leather Birkin 40cmBy HermèsLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireHermès Orange Shiny Porosus Crocodile Leather Birkin 40cm Brand- Hermès Model- Birkin 40cm Product Type- Tote Serial Number- [J* Age- Circa 200 Accompanied By- Hermès Dust Bag, Padl...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- Louis Vuitton Monogram Pallas Beige MMBy Louis VuittonLocated in Indianapolis, INThe Louis Vuitton Monogram Pallas Beige MM is an elegant and versatile handbag designed for the modern woman on the go. Crafted from the iconic Monogram canvas combined with supple c...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
- Louis Vuitton Fuchsia Vernis Monceau BB BagBy Louis VuittonLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2The fashion house’s tradition of excellence, coupled with modern design sensibilities, works to make this LV fuchsia bag one of a kind. It's a fabulous accessory for everyday use. I...Category
2010s Italian Top Handle Bags
- Christian Dior Trotter Canvas Leather Boston Bag Navy BlueBy Christian DiorLocated in Indianapolis, INThe Christian Dior Trotter Canvas Leather Boston Bag in Navy Blue is a luxurious and sophisticated accessory that embodies Dior's iconic design. Cr...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
- Gianni Versace Vintage Burgundy Embossed Leather Handbag SatchelBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Rome, RomeBeautiful vintage Gianni Versace Handbag. Crafted in burgundy leather, it features embossed animalier pattern on the front flap and on the sides of the bag. Top carry handles. Flap w...Category
1980s Italian Top Handle Bags
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.