Christian Dior by John Galliano cream Persian lamb and lace coat, fw 2001
View Similar Items
Christian Dior by John Galliano cream Persian lamb and lace coat, fw 2001
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR 40 - UK 12 - US 8 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140215263362
John Galliano for Christian Dior
Known for introducing rich theatricality and memorable fashion spectacles to the runway, John Galliano has enjoyed a singular career. The audacious British designer has garnered universal acclaim for genre-breaking collections not only at his eponymous label but also for Christian Dior.
From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless newspaper-print dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy, drawing on history as often as it embodies a fresh and forward-looking sensibility, and over the years the designer has helped shape an ever-broadening new legion of enthusiasts for Parisian couture.
Born in Gibraltar but raised in South London by strict Roman Catholic working-class parents, Galliano attended the all-boys Church of England grammar school, where his flamboyance and interest in art attracted the attention of bullies. Eventually, Galliano ended up at the prestigious design and art school Central Saint Martins College (then called Saint Martin’s School of Art), where fellow British designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen also trained.
Galliano flourished at Central Saint Martins. While a student, he worked in the costume department at the National Theatre in London. His graduate collection in 1984, dubbed “Les Incroyables” and named for post–French Revolution fashion lovers, was modeled by close friends of his and earned a standing ovation. The line ended up in the storefront windows of London luxury boutique Brown’s on South Molton Street, and Galliano’s first official collection — after he graduated — debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Galliano’s relationship with his financial backer, Plein Sud’s Faycal Amor, ended, and by 1994, he was broke and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and then-Vanity Fair editor André Leon Talley stepped in and introduced the budding designer to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron São Schlumberger and others.
At Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier, Galliano’s shows became the stuff of fashion legend. His collection, a blend of Japanese modernist style as well as nostalgia for Art Deco and 1940s’ tailoring, earned raves in glossy magazines and garnered the attention of Princess Diana, Madonna and other fashion luminaries.
Once the Galliano name was well known among the world’s most stylish set, the chairperson of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, appointed Galliano head designer of French fashion house Givenchy. One year later, in 1996, LVMH moved him to the design team at Dior. In just eight weeks, Galliano produced 50 looks for Dior Haute Couture’s brilliant Spring/Summer 1997 Maasai collection and would ultimately design a mind-boggling eight collections a year for the storied French fashion house until 2011. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage and contemporary John Galliano for Christian Dior evening dresses and gowns, shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
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.
- Alber Elbaz for Yves Saint Laurent Autumn-Winter 1999 fox fur capeletBy Yves Saint Laurent, Alber ElbazLocated in London, GBAlber Elbaz for Yves Saint Laurent Autumn-Winter 1999 fox fur capeletCategory
1990s Italian Capes
- Paco Rabanne clear plastic embroidered coat with incased black feathers, c. 1960By Paco RabanneLocated in London, GB▪ Paco Rabanne clear plastic coat ▪ Black stitch embroidered pattern ▪ Incased black feathers ▪ Large buttons with velcro backing ▪ Two front patch pockets ▪ Size Medium ▪ c. 1960sCategory
1960s French Coats and Outerwear
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld brown tweed pleated coat, skirt and hat set, fw 1998By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel brown tweed wool tweed coat, skirt and hat set ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Pleated jacket with spread collar and hook fastenings ▪ Belt with brass...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Azzedine Alaia cream cotton pleated coat dress, ss 1985By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GB▪ Azzedine Alaia cream cotton coat dress ▪ 2 button fastenings at collar ▪ Wide cut sleeves ▪ Voluminous shape ▪ Pleated wrap skirt attached to back panel fastening with two long ...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Dolce & Gabbana ivory silk hand-painted kimono dress coat, fw 1998By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana ivory kimono dress coat ▪ 65% Silk, 35% Nylon ▪ Hand-painted design of flowers and birds ▪ Black silk lining ▪ IT 44 - FR 40 - UK 12 ...Category
1990s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld terry cloth robe, ss 1994By Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel terry cloth robe ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ All over print features iconic Chanel designs illustrated by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Two front po...Category
1990s French Beachwear
- Mariano Fortuny Black Gauze Stencilled Short CoatBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYFortuny translated the caftan as a loose fitting outer garment, usually made out of silk velvet crepe or gauze the fitted back and open front allowed for elaborate stenciled decorati...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
Price Upon Request - Mariano Fortuny Aquamarine Gauze Stencilled CoatBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYTransparent Fortuny gauze pieces are based on the ancient tunic which was a shirt like garment that became traditional attire in roman times, the copts or christian egyptians...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
Price Upon Request - Balenciaga Couture Wool Knit Cape, c.1970sBy BalenciagaLocated in New York, NYBalenciaga Couture Wool Knit Cape, c.1970s 1970s Numbered "47778" Balenciaga Couture Grey Wool Knit Cape with thick self material drawstring closure...Category
1970s French Capes
- 1990s Jean Paul Gaultier Mini Trench CoatBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdorable 1990s Jean Paul Gaultier coat! Mini length trench in a creamy tan fabric. Accented with unique snapping closures at the bust, neckline and cuffs. Ties at the waist for a mor...Category
1990s Italian Trench Coats
- MISSONI Fringe Chevron PonchoBy MissoniLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis is a contemporary Missoni v-neck poncho knit in an attractive and iconic chevron pattern with a beautiful fringed hem. This versatile garment can be worn in so many different wa...Category
2010s Italian Ponchos
- Vintage White Oversized Opera CoatLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdd a little drama to your wardrobe with our incredible vintage opera coat! You don't need to be headed to the opera to enjoy a piece as amazing as ...Category
1960s American Opera Coats
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.