Early Beaded Necklace by Christian DIOR
View Similar Items
Early Beaded Necklace by Christian DIOR
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Width: 18 in (457.2 mm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:good, minor wear.
- Seller Location:Winnetka, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: J13011834269
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.
- Tahitian South Sea Pearl NecklaceLocated in Rome, ITTahitian South Sea Pearl Necklace ranging in size from 11 mm to 16 mm Total pearls: 35 Total weight: ct 477 Total weight with tufts: ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Polynesian Modern Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsBlack Pearl
- 22 Karat Gold and Apaptite Necklace Yellow GoldBy Pamela FarlandLocated in New York, NYNecklace of luminous tumbled Apatite nuggets on 22 karat gold hand woven chain 18 inches long. Hand made in NYCategory
21st Century and Contemporary American Artist Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsGold, 22k Gold
- Hubei Turquoise Bead Necklace with 14 Karat White Gold Clasp and AccentsLocated in Milford, DEAn exquisite Hubei turquoise bead necklace. This 34-inch, knotted string necklace features a series of round, 14mm, turquoise beads wi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsTurquoise, 14k Gold, White Gold
- Lapis Lazuli Long Rope Bead Necklace, 14 Karat Gold, Diamond and Ruby Gold ClaspLocated in Milford, DEAn exquisite, extra long, genuine lapis lazuli bead necklace. Features a single strand of 10mm lapis lazuli beads accented with 14K gold accents and spac...Category
Late 20th Century Retro Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsRuby, Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold
- Vintage Turquoise Bead Necklace with 14 Karat Yellow Gold ClaspLocated in Milford, DEAn exquisite vintage turquoise bead necklace. This 18-inch, knotted string necklace features a series of round, 10mm, turquoise beads...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsTurquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Genuine South Sea Pearl Bead Knotted String Necklace with 14 Karat Yellow GoldLocated in Milford, DEAn exquisite necklace that features 10.5mm glowing golden South Sea pearls on a hand knotted silk string. Fastened with 14K yellow gold garlic clasp. A luxurious accessory perfect fo...Category
Early 20th Century Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsSouth Sea Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
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.