Christian Dior New Silk Dress S/S 2015
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 4 (US)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 40 in (101.6 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 61 in (154.94 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Water Mill, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5115065861
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: Water Mill, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Valentino Yellow Gown with Back Cut outBy ValentinoLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous bright yellow with a touch of green silk maxi dress gown from Valentino. It is sleeveless skimming the body and and has hip level side seam pockets. The dress has a squa...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Donald Brooks 1960s Geometric Seams DressBy Donald BrooksLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous green mid weight linen dress from the great American Designer Donald Brooks. It is sleeveless, skimming the body with a slight A line towards the hem. There triangular pan...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- Thierry Mugler Silk Dress with Cut outsBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Water Mill, NYA stunning brilliant yellow green silk bodycon dress from Thierry Mugler. It has short sleeves and is semi fitted through to the asymmetric hemline...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Valentino New Neon DressBy ValentinoLocated in Water Mill, NYAn incredible neon dress from Valentino. It has a scoop neckline, full sleeves, a full skirt, and a fitted waist. It is lined in the same fabric and has a ...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- B. H. Wragge Studded Linen Dress 1970Located in Water Mill, NYA fabulous orange linen dress covered in 100s of small gold metal studs from B. H. Wragge, the label is dated 1970. It is a simple sleeveless A line dress with a small stand up colla...Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- Jacqueline de Ribes Silk Dress With Leather Straps 1980sBy Jacqueline de RibesLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous red silk dress with black dots by French designer Jacqueline de Ribes. It has a double breasted wrap style closing with round black buttons and bound buttonholes and fabu...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Tiffeau & Busch LTD. 1966 Chartreuse & Black Silk Organza & Twill Maxi DressBy Jacques Tiffeau & BuschLocated in West Palm Beach, FLTiffeau & Busch LTD. New York, 1966 chartreuse yellow & black hand print silk organza & silk twill maxi dress. Jacques Tiffeau was known for his elegant designs crafted from start to finish by a designer who actually knew the process & could preform the art all by himself, a rare feat in these fast fashion times, when some designers don't even know how to sew. Tiffeau had vision and lived in the time when he was able to express his talent in new and meaningful ways, encouraging 1960s woman...Category
1960s American Maxi Dresses
- Rare 1980's Thierry Mugler "Show those Legs" Halter Hi Low Evening DressBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Los Angeles, CACirca 1980's Thierry Mugler rare kelly green shantung silk form fitting halter dress. Edgy hi fashion silhouette with strong lean lines; stylish hi...Category
1980s French Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- Moroccan Kaftan in Kelly GreenLocated in North Hollywood, CAElegant Moroccan caftan in Kelly green and orange embroidered. circa 1970s. This long maxi dress kaftan is embroidered and embellished entirely by hand. It...Category
20th Century Moroccan Kaftans
- Moroccan Green with Floral Embroidered Caftan, KaftanLocated in North Hollywood, CAElegant Moroccan caftan with embroidered floral designs, circa 1970s. The kaftan features a traditional neckline, with side slits and embellished sleeves and front. In Morocco, fashi...Category
20th Century Moroccan Kaftans
- Cashmere Brown and Turquoise Caftan 1980s RobeLocated in North Hollywood, CAHandmade Moorish cashmere brown and turquoise long maxi dress caftan from North Africa, Morocco. Vintage 1980s caftan robe. Caftan with running down the center round braided buttons ...Category
Late 20th Century Moroccan Caftans
- Silk Velvet Caftan by I. Magnin Designer Maxi Dress Kaftan, 1970 Emerald GreenBy I. MagninLocated in North Hollywood, CAVintage I. Magnin 1970s silk velvet caftan with embroidered neckline and sleeve embellished and intricately embroidered with pearls and gold threads. Zipper in front. This designer dark green color silk velvet Bohemian style kaftan...Category
20th Century American Caftans
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.