Iconic "Sonatine" cocktail dress in black velvet and tulle Christian Dior 1957
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 45.28 in (115 cm)Marked Size: 38 (Fr) 6/8 US (EU)Bust: 37.01 in (94 cm)Waist: 25.6 in (65 cm)Hip: 51.19 in (130 cm)
- Style:FW 1957/58 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Boned bustier in tulle inside the dress close in the middle back with hook&eye. The white plumetis tulle in the bottom edge is attached to a petty-coat in stiff tulle. Zip in the middle back
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
- Reference Number:
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: SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Black velvet cocktail dress with flowers appliqué on both side Loris AzzaroBy Loris Azzaro ParisLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack velvet cocktail dress with flowers appliqué on both side. See-through on the side with chiffon. Zip and hook&eye in the middle back. SIZE 36 / SCategory
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- Black sequin cocktail dress Black Tie by Oleg CassiniBy Black Tie by Oleg CassiniLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack sequin cocktail dress. Sequin are stitched on a rayon jersey base. No lining. Zip and hook&eye in the middle back. SIZE MCategory
1980s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- Lurex jersey cocktail dress with rhinestone Pauline TrigèreBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRLurex jersey cocktail dress with rhinestone. Zip in the middle back. No lining. Raglan sleeve. SIZE S / M Pauline Trigère (November 4, 1908 – February 13, 2002) was a Franco-Ameri...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- Printed cocktail dress with beaded work Lancetti NEWBy LancettiLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRPrinted cocktail dress with beaded work. Fabric composition: 100% polyester Zip in the middle back and split in the bottom , lenght= 25 cm Polyester chiff...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Silk jacquard bustier dress with animal print Gai Mattiolo CoutureBy Gai MattioloLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRSilk jacquard bustier dress with animal print. Boned bustier inside the dress with under-wired bra. Invisible zip on the left and zip on the bustier as well. SIZE 48 (It) 44 (Fr) 14...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Animal printed pleated cocktail dress with scarf collar Just CavalliBy Just CavalliLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRAnimal printed pleated cocktail dress. Fabric composition: 100% polyester. Authenticity hologram. Branded fabric. Sliding lace belt. Extra buttons provided. Buttons and buttonhole ...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white striped trainBy Roland KleinLocated in Austin, TX1980s Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white train. Acetate fabric. 34" bust, 26" waist, 40" hips, 48" front length - 54 1/2" ba...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- UNWORN Gucci by Tom Ford FW 2004 Black Silk & Tassle Evening Gown Dress 40By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Switzerland, CHRARE COLLECTOR'S ITEM STUNNING PIECE BY TOM FORD FOR HIS FINAL COLLECTION IN FALL 2004 FOR GUCCI Seen on the runway show, in the AD campaign and in many editorials One of the key...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Gowns
- Vintage Tom Ford for Gucci F/W 1996 Black Jersey Dress Gown w Pony Hair Belt 42By Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Montgomery, TXVintage Runway Tom Ford for Gucci Black Jersey Dress Gown F/W 1996 Collection Designer size - 42 Black Jersey, Fully Lined, Slip-on Style. Black Pony Hair Belt...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Iconic Tom Ford for Gucci SS 2003 Japanese Cherry Blossoms Mini Stretch Dress SBy Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Montgomery, TXIconic Tom Ford for Gucci Japanese Cherry Blossoms Mini Stretch Dress S/S 2003 Runway Collection Designer size - S Measurements: Length - 37", Bust - ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Lillie Rubin Black Sheer Angel Wing Gown with Rhinestone Plunge - Small, 1960sBy Lillie RubinLocated in Tucson, AZSimple but dramatic, this electrifying gown is perfect for the woman who isn't comfortable without a sleeve but also appreciates a touch of allure. Floating chiffon bell sleeves are cut from underarm to wrist to create an angel wing effect, while a double row of rhinestones trims the deep bust and back lines for even more drama. Made from the most luxurious, heavyweight silk crêpe imaginable. Full-length princess gown...Category
1960s American Evening Gowns
- Moschino 'Couture' asymmetrical one shoulder cocktail dressBy Moschino Couture, MoschinoLocated in New York, NYThis Moschino couture black cocktail dress fits wonderfully to the body, and the pleating along the hem comes alive with every movement of the body! Elegant, yet sexy all at the same...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
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.