Rare 1970s Christian Dior Hiroshige Wave Japanese Inspired Vintage Maxi Dress
View Similar Items
Rare 1970s Christian Dior Hiroshige Wave Japanese Inspired Vintage Maxi Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: One Size (US)Shoulder to Hem: 60 in (152.4 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6622496553
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.
- 1960s Lilli Diamond Brand New Light Pink Silk Wiggle Dress w/ Paillettes + BeadsBy Lilli DiamondLocated in San Diego, CASensational 1960s Lilli Diamond light pink chiffon dress, with pailletes, beads, and sequins embellished throughout. Brand new, with original store ...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- New Rick Owens ' Queen ' F/W '04 Strapless Light Green Asymmetrical DressBy Rick OwensLocated in San Diego, CANew with tags RICK OWENS Fall/Winter 2004 "Queen" strapless asymmetrical handkerchief hem dress! Features a light green color, ribbed bust, with pockets right under. Asymmetrical hem...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
$956 Sale Price25% Off - 1960s Oscar de la Renta Gold and Red Ribbon Silk Sequin Vintage 60s Gown DressBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in San Diego, CAIncredible, and super rare mid 60s one of a kind OSCAR DE LA RENTA gold and red sequin long sleeve gown! Features thousands of hand-sewn gold sequins thorughout. Embroidered red ribb...Category
1960s American Evening Gowns
- 1960s Mr Blackwell Khaki + Orange Linen Embroidered Vintage 60s Shift DressBy Mr. BlackwellLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1960s MR. BLACKWELL khaki and orange Irish linen and chiffon shift / sheath dress! Features a tailored bodice with embroidered orange, brown and white flowers throughout. Orange...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1970s Ivory Cotton Colrful Embroidered Flowers Off Shoulder Vintage Boho DressLocated in San Diego, CAChic 70s ivory cotton embroidered flowers off-the-shoulder boho Spanish inspired dress! Features a flattering relaxed fit bodice with elastic at the shoulders and waist. Bright color...Category
1970s Cocktail Dresses
- I Magnin 1960s Black and White Daisy Print Pique Cotton Vintage 60s A Line DressBy I Magnin and CoLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1960s I. MAGNIN black, white and yellow mod daisy flower print cotton pique A-Line dress! Features a V-neck bodice with thin straps at each sho...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s Maggy Rouff Pink Silk DressBy Maggy RouffLocated in Paris, FRMaggy Rouff pink silk dress featuring a white ribbon detail, a center back zip opening, a silk lining. Label: Maggy Rouff - 14 Avenue Montaigne Paris...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Gianni Versace Fuchsia Floral One Shoulder DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Milano, ITFabulous one-shoulder short dress designed by Gianni Versace in the 1990s, made in Italy. ORIGINAL LABEL. The dress is very seductive, made entirely of a soft fuchsia fabric with a f...Category
1990s Italian Aesthetic Day Dresses
$797 Sale Price20% Off - D&G Vintage Leopard Mini DressBy D&G by DOLCE & GABBANALocated in Milano, ITSexy vintage dress designed by Dolce & Gabbana in the 1990s, made in Italy. ORIGINAL LABEL. The dress is a mini dress, reaching above the knee. It h...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses
$753 Sale Price20% Off - Burberry Cotton Dress in BeigeBy BurberryLocated in Carnate, ITBurberry Cotton Dress in Beige Burberry dress. Missing composition label. We think it's cotton. Classic color of the English brand. Double-breasted closure, ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- S/S 2003 Roberto Cavalli Floral Abstract Watercolor Viscose Stretch Charm DressBy Roberto CavalliLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning cream and multicolor floral Roberto Cavalli dress. From the Spring/Summer 2003 collection, this off-the-shoulder dress features a v-neckline, flared skirt, and ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- F/W 2002 Gucci by Tom Ford Beige Silk Satin Ribbon DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a gorgeous taupe satin silk Gucci dress, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2002 collection, this beautiful mid-length dress features a v...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail 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.