Christian Dior Strapless Tuxedo Dress
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Strapless Tuxedo Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 42 (EU)Bust: 32.29 in (82 cm)Waist: 23.63 in (60 cm)Hip: 35.44 in (90 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: CSMLADIOR11stDibs: LU3361809233
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.
- Prada Floral Print Embellished DressBy PradaLocated in London, GBFinished with jewel embellishments for added sparkle, this pre-owned Prada midi dress features a black and red floral print, bateau neckline, cap slee...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses
- Vintage Chanel Black Sequin DressBy ChanelLocated in London, GBThis vintage Chanel dress is the kind you'll be relying on time and again when you get a last minute invitation to a party. Lined in silk, it's cut with an effortless shift silhouett...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Cocktail Dresses
- Hermes Iridescent Silk GownBy HermèsLocated in London, GBThe silk-satin of this Hermès gown is quite mesmerising – its vivid turquoise hue has an iridescent green lustre that moves with the light. This dress has ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Kenzo Floral Print BlazerBy KenzoLocated in London, GBMulticoloured wool blend floral print blazer featuring notched lapels, long sleeves, a front button fastening, a chest pocket, front flap pockets and a ...Category
20th Century French Blazers
- Céline Wool CardiganBy CelineLocated in London, GBCéline vintage red vest, with V-neck and double front pockets. Featuring gold-coloured engraved buttons, (the internal replacement button is still present.) a...Category
20th Century French Sweater Vests
- Louis Vuitton Sequin Embellished TopBy Louis VuittonLocated in London, GBExpertly crafted in Italy from an intricate blend of black wool and polyester, this stylish, pre-owned jumper by Louis Vuitton features long sleeves, a crew-neck collar and ribbed de...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Sweaters
- 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 - Mariano Fortuny Amethyst Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated amythest colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording. Named after a Greek cla...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request - Extremely Rare Mariano Fortuny Cotton DelphosBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis extraordinarily rare dress is made of finely pleated white cotton. Few cotton pleated Fortuny dresses have been documented and survived.
Named after a Greek clas...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request - Mariano Fortuny Claret Delphos. Provenance Tina ChowBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated claret colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording. The beads are amber glass with...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request - Mariano Fortuny Rare Shell Pink Long Sleeved Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYDescription: This dress is made of finely pleated shell pink colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon RequestMariano Fortuny Black 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 multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request
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.