Christian Dior by John Galliano red wool crepe dress with mink fur trim, fw 1999
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: LU140216233372
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 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.
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 evening 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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld red cashmere wool and faux fur dress, fw 2010By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel red cashmere wool knee-length dress ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Faux 'fantasy' fur skirt and sleeves ▪ Funnel neck backed with brown lambskin leather ▪ Two front pockets...Category
2010s French Day Dresses
- Christian Dior by John Galliano silver crochet sweater dress, fw 1998By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior silver crochet sweater dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 1998 ▪ Long turtleneck doubles as a hood ▪ Wide cut ▪ Size S...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier fringed silk macramé dress, ss 2000By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier silk macramé dress ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Spring-Summer 2000 ▪ Constructed from multicoloured printed silk ribbons ▪ Fri...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano grey checked nylon sheath dress, ss 2000By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior grey checked nylon sheath dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Spring-Summer 2000 ▪ Stretch nylon/elastane blend with a grey Prince of...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- John Galliano black and white striped viscose knit hooded dress, ss 2002By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano hooded summer dress ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Spring-Summer 2002 ▪ Constructed from black and white striped viscose knit ▪ Long fitted sleeves ▪ V-seams at t...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Helmut Lang black lace hooded shift dress, ss 1996By Helmut LangLocated in London, GB▪ Helmut Lang black lace hooded shift dress ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Spring-Summer 1996 ▪ V-neck ▪ Knee length ▪ Approx. size Small ▪ Made in Italy All photographs in thi...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Lanz Original Vintage Dress 1960s Hot Pink Tweed Sleeveless FringeBy LanzLocated in Portland, ORThis is a simply perfect hot pink classic late 1960’s vintage sleeveless tweed dress with a beautiful double hemline. This Lanz Original dress has pretty fringe, a 20” back zipper an...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- McQ Alexander McQueen Orange Stretch Knit Dress W Cut Out Zipper DetailsBy Alexander McQueen, McQ Alexander McQueenLocated in Portland, ORThis orange Alexander McQueen dress is so special and we really love the diagonal bust zipper that is fully functional! You can wear it with the zipper open for a cut out effect. Thi...Category
2010s Turkish Day Dresses
- 1980s Vintage Red Vakko Suede Peplum Strapless DressBy VAKKOLocated in Portland, ORThis is such a fun vintage red dress! This Vakko suede peplum evening dress has a sweetheart bust and a pointed peplum at the waist. .The dress is fu...Category
1980s American Evening Dresses
- 1930s Rusty Red Silk Vintage 2 Pc Bias Dress With Rhinestone Belt and TieLocated in Portland, ORThis is a vintage 1930's two piece rust red silk dress with a matching belt with original sash buckle. This top of the dress has long sleeves with gathered tucks on the elbows, a V n...Category
1930s American Day Dresses
- Oscar de la Renta Embroidered Silk Caftan with Matching dress New!By Oscar De La RentaLocated in Los Angeles, CAOscar de la Renta 2 piece silk caftan Fashioned of rich tomato red silk with matching slipdress. Neckline adorned with heavily embellished gol...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Caftans
- LeSwim Red and Black Lips Print Halter Midi Dress Size SmallLocated in Paradise Island, BSFounded by Adriana Caras, LeSwim is a modern vision of luxury resort style, offering elevated swimwear and resort wear that travels beyond the beach. The clothing is made in the US, ...Category
2010s American Day Dresses
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.