Christian Dior by John Galliano Nude Smocked Mesh and Sequin Corset Top, FW 2005
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR38 - UK10 - US6 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140222663612
John Galliano for Christian Dior
Known for introducing rich theatricality and memorable fashion spectacles to the runway, John Galliano has enjoyed a singular career. The audacious British designer has garnered universal acclaim for genre-breaking collections not only at his eponymous label but also for Christian Dior.
From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless newspaper-print dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy, drawing on history as often as it embodies a fresh and forward-looking sensibility, and over the years the designer has helped shape an ever-broadening new legion of enthusiasts for Parisian couture.
Born in Gibraltar but raised in South London by strict Roman Catholic working-class parents, Galliano attended the all-boys Church of England grammar school, where his flamboyance and interest in art attracted the attention of bullies. Eventually, Galliano ended up at the prestigious design and art school Central Saint Martins College (then called Saint Martin’s School of Art), where fellow British designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen also trained.
Galliano flourished at Central Saint Martins. While a student, he worked in the costume department at the National Theatre in London. His graduate collection in 1984, dubbed “Les Incroyables” and named for post–French Revolution fashion lovers, was modeled by close friends of his and earned a standing ovation. The line ended up in the storefront windows of London luxury boutique Brown’s on South Molton Street, and Galliano’s first official collection — after he graduated — debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Galliano’s relationship with his financial backer, Plein Sud’s Faycal Amor, ended, and by 1994, he was broke and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and then-Vanity Fair editor André Leon Talley stepped in and introduced the budding designer to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron São Schlumberger and others.
At Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier, Galliano’s shows became the stuff of fashion legend. His collection, a blend of Japanese modernist style as well as nostalgia for Art Deco and 1940s’ tailoring, earned raves in glossy magazines and garnered the attention of Princess Diana, Madonna and other fashion luminaries.
Once the Galliano name was well known among the world’s most stylish set, the chairperson of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, appointed Galliano head designer of French fashion house Givenchy. One year later, in 1996, LVMH moved him to the design team at Dior. In just eight weeks, Galliano produced 50 looks for Dior Haute Couture’s brilliant Spring/Summer 1997 Maasai collection and would ultimately design a mind-boggling eight collections a year for the storied French fashion house until 2011. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage and contemporary John Galliano for Christian Dior evening dresses and gowns, shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Alaia Autumn-Winter 1991 plum corset vestBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBAzzedine Alaia Autumn-Winter 1991 plum corset vestCategory
1990s French Corsets
- Gucci by Tom Ford black satin cone bra corset bustier, ss 2001By Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GBGucci by Tom Ford, black satin corset bustier with cone bra style structured bust, internal boning and zip fastening. Spring-Summer 2001Category
1990s Italian Corsets
- Vivienne Westwood black and gold mesh 'Open 24hrs' corset, fw 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood black mesh corset with 'Open 24hrs' gold leaf print. Internal boning designed to cinch the waist and push the breasts up. Anglomania, Fall-Winter 1993Category
1990s British Corsets
- Dolce & Gabbana Autumn-Winter 1990 beaded corset blouseBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana Autumn-Winter 1990 beaded corset blouseCategory
1990s Italian Corsets
- Vivienne Westwood metallic foiled denim corset, jacket and pants, ss 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ A rare Vivienne Westwood 3-piece set ▪ Metallic turquoise foiled denim ▪ Deconstructed finish ▪ Gold orb-etched buttons ▪ Red contrast stitch ▪ Ensemble comprises a corset, jack...Category
1990s English Corsets
- Azzedine Alaia copper acetate bandage skirt and bodysuit, ss 1986By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GB▪ Azzedine Alaia copper bandage skirt and bodysuit ▪ 100% Acetate ▪ Eight connecting panels ▪ Skin bearing lace-up string fastening ▪ Halterneck bodysuit ▪ Size Small ▪ Sprin...Category
1980s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1970s Handmade Japanese Pink Cotton Long KimonoLocated in Scottsdale, AZDo not miss out on the 1970s Handmade Japanese Pink Cotton Long Kimono—a captivating and unique treasure that beautifully embodies the artistry of traditional Japanese craftsmanship....Category
1970s Japanese Robes
- Vintage Tan Kimono With Purple and Red Lamé Circles Dots & Pink LiningLocated in Portland, ORWe love vintage kimonos and this is a really wonderful one! This tan kimono has red and purple lamé circles or dots throughout. This raw silk kimono has pink silk lining at the top ...Category
20th Century Japanese Loungewear
- 1930s Hand Look Peach Silk Applique Bias Cut Slip 36Located in West Palm Beach, FL1930s peach silk applique bias cut slip by Hand Look size 36. Cream lace trimmed bodice which is decorated with applique flowers and floral embroidery. Empire bodice with drawn work....Category
1930s American Slips
- Red chiné lycra bra with branded plastic shoulder straps John GallianoBy John GallianoLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed chiné lycra bra with branded plastic shoulder straps. Snap on the straps and branded metal clasp in the middle back. Thin padding. SIZE 40 (It) 36 (Fr) SCategory
Early 2000s Unknown Bras
- NWT 1980s Christian Dior Ivory Satin Lace Three Piece Cami 80s Lingerie PJ SetBy Christian DiorLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful dead stock ( new with original tags ) CHRISTIAN DIOR ivory and taupe satin and lace three piece lingerie pajama ensemble ! Features a v-neck camisole with matching shorts a...Category
1980s Loungewear
- 1940s Vintage Housecoat Quilted Hostess Robe in White Red & Yellow Floral Size 6Located in Portland, ORThis quilted vintage floral, pale pink 1940s house coat is stunning in person. This gorgeous robe is lined in red, trimmed in red, and has a beautiful red sash. Approximately a size...Category
1940s American Robes
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.