1997 John Galliano for Dior Embroidered Silk Dress
View Similar Items
1997 John Galliano for Dior Embroidered Silk Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 49 in (124.46 cm)Marked Size: 4-6 (US)Bust: 33 in (83.82 cm)Waist: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5501315733
John Galliano
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 Givenchy and 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 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, where he produced scores of celebrated looks for Dior Haute Couture. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage John Galliano evening dresses and gowns, handbags, jackets 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.
- 1950s Diana Warren White Tulle Dress With Ribbon AppliquéBy Diana WarrenLocated in London, GBA beautiful and timeless original 1950s pure white tulle ribbon appliqué work dress from high-end British boutique label Diana Warren. Classic scoop neck, cap sleeves, a fitted bodice and pleating to the waist, the dress is adorned all over in scrolling ribbon appliqué work over a net overlay. The underskirt lining is a lightweight acetate with a net mid layer. The dress fastens at the back with a metal zip and is styled in the photos without a petticoat. The fullness of the skirt will allow a petticoat of several layers if desired to further accentuate the waist and hips. Truly excellent vintage condition - we have been unable to find a single hole in the lace and all the ribbon is intact. This would be a beautiful vintage bridal dress...Category
1950s British Evening Dresses
- 1950s Black Silk Evening Dress With Peplum and Beaded CollarLocated in London, GBThis stylish 1950s black silk evening dress is a stunning combination of design features, achieving a deeply glamorous yet formal evening look. The mid-length sleeves and peplum deta...Category
1950s American Evening Dresses
- 1920s Black and Cream Silk Beaded Long Flapper DressLocated in London, GBThis incredible original 1920s black silk beaded flapper dress is in impeccable condition for piece of its era, with no damage to the intricate beadwork to note and a beautiful line....Category
1920s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1970s Susan Small Blue Silk/ Linen Beaded Maxi DressBy Susan SmallLocated in London, GBThis elegant vintage 1970s Susan Small maxi dress in a cobalt blue silk and linen mix is of superb quality and features some exquisite embellishment on the bodice, neckline and arms....Category
1970s British Maxi Dresses
- 1960s Floral Print Linen Dress With Grossgrain TrimLocated in London, GBThis pretty 1960s linen floral print shift dress has a fresh, buoyant aesthetic and is in lovely vintage condition. Featuring a V neckline trimmed in contrasting green and sugar pink...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- Late 1960s or 1970 Jo Copeland for Lisa Meril Red Silk Tassel DressBy Lisa MerilLocated in London, GBA very playful and unusual vintage late 1960s early 1970s red silk dress with black tassels on the bodice and around the hem by high end designer Jo Copeland. She designed for the fa...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- Jean Muir Emerald Green Viscose Jersey Cocktail DressBy Jean MuirLocated in New York, NYJean Muir emerald green jersey cocktail dress with long wrap sash. Sash may also be worn as long scarf around neck, and tied at lower back. Front of dress has asymmetrical pleating. ...Category
Late 20th Century British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Badgley Mischka Beaded Black Silk Lace Evening Gown Size US 10By Badgley MischkaLocated in New York, NYBadgley Mischka glamorous black silk lace evening gown, size US 10. Gown features hand beaded and embroidered lace with glass jet beading, and neckline with glass jet beads along cu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Gowns
- Roberto Cavalli Tiger Print Jersey Cocktail / Dinner Dress Size 46 EUBy Roberto CavalliLocated in New York, NYRoberto Cavalli tiger print ivory jersey cocktail dress with 3/4 length sleeves. This fun dress is form fitted, gathered at the bust with beautiful...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Giambattista Valli Ivory Crepe Sleeveless Wedding Gown Dress EU 40By Giambattista ValliLocated in New York, NYElegant Giambattista Valli ivory crepe sleeveless wedding gown has a delicate fitted bust, darts to accentuate the length of waist, which is finished with a stitched ribbon at the wa...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$2,000 Sale Price20% Off - Mariano Fortuny Sienna Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated sienna colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
Price Upon Request - Mariano Fortuny Black Silk Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with matte frosted colored glass beads threaded through the cordin...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
Price Upon Request
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.
The Best Ways to Dress for Your Astrological Sign
Makeup and astrology expert Linda Mason dispenses fashion advice for every zodiac sign. Does your wardrobe match your horoscope?