Vintage Christian Dior Museum Cocktail Dress, 1950s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Style:1950s (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2861219221162
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: Kyiv, Ukraine
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Moschino Couture Floral Print Dress, 2000sBy Moschino, Moschino CoutureLocated in New York, NYStunning Moschino Couture floral print dress with beaded, sequin and crystal accents. Sleeveless with one-shoulder, concealed zip closure at side. P...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses
- Vintage Cristies Polka Dot Strapless Dress, 1980sLocated in New York, NYBeautiful vintage 1980’s black and white strapless dress, timeless dress. Additional information: Material: Composition tag removed Size M-L...Category
20th Century Italian Evening Dresses
- Anthony Vaccarello Runway off-the-shoulder Dress, SS 2014By Anthony VaccarelloLocated in New York, NYAnthony Vaccarello runway off-the-shoulder mini dress with assimetric hem. Season: Spring-Summer, 2014 Colors: black, blue. Size – XS Length: 71cm Composition: 72% polyamid, 28% e...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Herve Leger Bandage Dress Embroidered with Beads, 2000sBy Herve LégerLocated in New York, NYHerve Leger bandage dress embroidered with beads. Period: 2000s Sleeveless, fastens with a zipper at the back. Size: XS Condition: good, here...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses
- Vintage Celine Cotton Mini Draped Dress, 1990sBy CelineLocated in New York, NYVintage Celine cotton draped mini dress with neckline and cuffs in white color. Perfect summer dress. Fabric: 100% cotton Size: 38/M, fits S as well. Condition: Very good, some wea...Category
1990s French Summer Dresses
- Vintage Ungaro Haute Couture Evening Dress, 1980sBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in New York, NYBeautiful vintage Ungaro evening dress. Created in the 80s. Please note brand tag is missing. The tag indicates that it is silk, but it feels like guip...Category
20th Century French Evening Dresses
- New LANVIN Duchesse Satin Vintage Gray Long Wedding Celebrity Gown US 2 4 FR 36By Lanvin ParisLocated in Goshen, KYSize: French 36 Brand: LANVIN Color: Light Dove Gray Season: Vintage Features: Strapless sweetheart neckline Draped detail throughout Ruffle detail at side Belt at waist Long leng...Category
2010s Wedding Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Pink Swirling Satin & Tulle Dress UK 6 US 2Located in Cheltenham, GBThis iconic 1950's dress, rendered in layers of pink tulle, with delicate circular satin details, is just the piece for that special occasion. The strapless cut of the dress, featu...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- Sass & Bide Silk Crepe 3 Way Maxi Harness Bustier Dress AU 8 US 2Located in PUTNEY, NSWDress Crepe Embellished Contrasting trims SilkCategory
Early 2000s Australian Cocktail Dresses
- EMPORIO ARMANI black and white sequin dress SS2007By EMPORIO ARMANI EA7Located in Paris, FRTag EMPORIO ARMANI Size M ( IT42 ) Length 95cm Chest 39cm Waist 36cm 100% silk Lining 100% polyester Perfect condition Some sequins are missing on the back, but you can sew...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Blumarine, Strapless draped dressBy BlumarineLocated in AMSTERDAM, NLBlumarine, Strapless draped dress in grey. This item is new - unworn. With zipper on the side • CONDITION: new - unworn • SIZE: IT40 - XS • MEASUREM...Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace Jeans Couture floral print open back silk dress, early 2000sBy Versace Jeans Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in Milano, ITVersace Jeans Couture floral print open back silk dress, ealry 2000s - Versace jeans couture floral print silk dress - Sold by Skof.Archive - Des...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Gowns
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.