Christian Dior By John Galliano "Kaos" Jeans, Spring-Summer 2004
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 39.76 in (101 cm)Marked Size: FR38 (US 6) but runs a bit small (EU)Hip: 35.83 in (91.01 cm)Inseam: 30.51 in (77.5 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Excellent pre-loved condition.
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:
John Galliano
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 Givenchy and 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 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, where he produced scores of celebrated looks for Dior Haute Couture. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage John Galliano evening dresses and gowns, handbags, jackets 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: Geneva, Switzerland
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Iconic Versace Couture Printed stretch Leggings Pants, Fall-Winter 1991By Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in Geneva, CHFrom the coveted 1991 Fall-Winter Versace collection, these second-skin printed leggings are instantly recognizable as a design by Gianni Versace. Cut f...Category
1990s Italian Pants
- Christian Dior By John Galliano Diorissimo "Flight" Cropped Jeans Pants, SS2006By John Galliano, Christian DiorLocated in Geneva, CHFrom the Spring-Summer 2006 "Flight" collection by John Galliano for Christian Dior, these jeans pants are printed with a tonal-blue version of the iconic Diorissimo motif. Designed ...Category
Early 2000s Portuguese Jeans
- Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Runway Dress, Fall-Winter 2013-2014By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Geneva, CHConstructed in the most refined airy silk chiffon, this haute couture runway dress (look 22 -> see picture 3) is a lightness dream. This special piece features a bustier dress (see picture 14) and an over-dress. The skirt of the bustier dress has 3 layers of silk chiffon of different colors. Inspired by the automnal tones, the shades are divine. The dress closes on the left side with a concealed zip, four press buttons, two hooks and eye. Cut for a loose fit, the over-dress features a turtleneck collar which is embellished with iridescent crystal embroideries (see pictures 7 & 17). Echoing the crystal colors, the dress is made of an amazing shot silk chiffon. Raglan sleeves, it closes at the rear of the neck with tree hooks and eye in addition of two scarf like silk chiffon extensions, which delicately fall along the back. Fits approx. : US 4-6 / FR 38 Measurements (taken flat) : Bustier dress -> Width (armpit to armpit) approx. 41 cm (16.1 inches) Waist approx. 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) Length (armpit to waist) approx. 18.7 cm (7.4 inches) Length (waist to hem) approx. 68 cm (26.8 inches) Over-dress -> Width (armpit to armpit) approx. 58 cm (22.8 inches) Length (shoulder to hem) approx. 93.5 cm (36.8 inches) Total length approx. 100 cm (39.4 inches) This item has been professionally cleaned, pressed & carefully inspected by a couture-trained seamstress before being sold. Credit photo : Picture n° 3 -> Jean Paul Gaultier Couture...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Dresses
- Maggy Rouff Haute Couture Open-Back Sequin-Embellished Tulle Cocktail DressBy Maggy RouffLocated in Geneva, CHChanneling the timeless glamour, this late 50's - early 60's Maggy Rouff haute couture cocktail dress is infinitely flattering from every angle. Cut from black silk and tulle in a fi...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1960's Silk Chiffon Halterneck DressLocated in Geneva, CHA wonderful example of early 60’s couture, this halterneck steel blue dress will fit perfectly for a wedding or any party event ! Constructed both in silk and satin silk, this piece features a bustier bodice which is covered with two softly ruched silk chiffon strips. The bustier underdress, with its sweetheart neckline, conceals a large modern internal elasticated belt for extra support to the boned structure. As light as air, a fully gathered chiffon skirt provides a very feminine silhouette. This airy dress...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Ted Lapidus Couture Halterneck Midi DressBy Ted LapidusLocated in Geneva, CHLet's embrace the 70's with this Ted Lapidus haute couture evening dress ! Constructed in black silk, this midi-length features a glamorous plunging halter-neckline, artfully embroid...Category
1970s French Summer Dresses
- André Courrèges Hyperbole white and yellow wool knit jumpsuit France Circa 1970By André CourrègesLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1970 France An André Courrèges Hyperbole 00 Jumpsuit numbered 050237 dating from the early 1970s. Made from white wool knit with small orange-yellow checks, this jumpsuit is ...Category
1970s French Jumpsuits
- 2000S Dolce & Gabbana White Cotton Jacquard Extreme Low Rise PantsBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in New York, NYCheck Your Measurements, this is a very extreme low Rise. Freshly laundered, however, being white pants there are 1 or 2 spots. 2000S Dolce & Gabbana White Cotton Jacquard Extreme ...Category
Early 2000s Pants
- Jean Paul Gaultier Virus Bacteria Runway Pink JPG Jeans Men Women Trousers PantsBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRBacteria pants by JEAN PAUL GAULTIER! JPG Jean¬s on tha back! Love, amour, JPG, target and bacteria pattern. Vibrant colors. LIKE NEW! SIZE Marked size: 28. Women: fits from bigger...Category
1990s Jeans
- Dolce & Gabbana tan lace up leather pants, ss 2003By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana tan leather pants ▪ 100% Sheepskin leather ▪ Metal grommets ▪ Multiple black lace-up fastenings ▪ Three buckles at waist ▪ Four long belt straps hanging from h...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pants
- Theory Black Leggings Pants, Size SmallBy TheoryLocated in Beverly Hills, CAProduct details: The pants feature skinny fit with stretchy rubber on the back, leggings style pants.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Pants
- RALPH LAUREN Blue Label Size 2 Khaki Twill Cotton LeggingsBy Ralph LaurenLocated in San Francisco, CARALPH LAUREN leggings comes in a khaki twill cotton featuring a back zip up closure. Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: 2 Measurements: Waist: 28 inches Rise: 8 inches ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Jodhpur Pants
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.
The Best Ways to Dress for Your Astrological Sign
Makeup and astrology expert Linda Mason dispenses fashion advice for every zodiac sign. Does your wardrobe match your horoscope?