Dior Fall 1998 Purple Silk Brocade and Lace Skirt & Jacket Set
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Hertfordshire, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2765222784212
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: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Vivienne Westwood Spring 1994 “Cafe Society” Runway Leopard Jeans & T Shirt SetBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Vivienne Westwood Spring 1994 “Cafe Society” collection - t shirt seen on the runway, many other leopard print pieces also seen on the runway Leopard print t shirt and jean...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Givenchy Haute Couture by Alexander McQueen Spring 2000 Grey Mesh & Lace DetailBy Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Haute CoutureLocated in Hertfordshire, GBGivenchy Haute Couture by Alexander McQueen Spring 2000 - very similar version seen on the runway. Our one is made to order for a customer, so very likely to be one of a kind. Grey...Category
Early 2000s Jumpsuits
- Dior Spring 2000 Purple Mesh Knit DressBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Dior by John Galliano Spring 2000 Mauve purple knit mesh midi dress Purple underdress attached Size UK 10 / US 6 Can fit a variety of sizes due to stretch Measurements (laid flat) - 32-36...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- Dries Van Noten Spring 1999 Runway Black Silk Bustle DressBy Dries van NotenLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Dries Van Noten Spring 1999 - seen on the runway Black silk full length gown Three button pick-up bustle detail on back - can be worn up or left down to be a long train at ...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia Fall 1991 Runway Orange Chenille Cutout DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Azzedine Alaïa Fall 1991 - seen on the runway Deep orange chenille knit dress Cutout stitching detail Very soft plush stretch fabric Hidden zip up back Size XS, best fits ...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace Fall 1997 Runway Black Leather Mini DressBy Versace, Gianni VersaceLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Versace Fall 1997 - seen on the runway Black leather mini dress Spaghetti straps Very soft leather Zip up back Size IT 38 / UK 6 / US 2, can fit up to approx 1 size larger ...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Dolce & Gabbana pink floral silk jacket and skirt ensemble, c. 1990sBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana hot pink silk ensemble with vibrant floral print throughout. Knee length jacket with leopard silk lining. Above the knee length pencil skirt. c. 1990sCategory
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace navy blue open-knit bodycon dress and cardigan set, fw 1993By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace navy blue open-knit dress and cardigan 2 piece set ▪ Sleeveless bodycon maxi dress with lining ▪ Long-sleeve full-length cardigan ▪ Gold Medusa buttons ▪ Can be wo...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1990s Romeo Gigli Evening Pajama SetBy Romeo GigliLocated in Austin, TX1990s ROMEO GIGLI evening pajama set Crop top and shorts 100% cotton condition: Excellent Size: S | US4, IT40Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1980s Escada Green Pink Blue & Orange Plaid 2 pc Dress w/ Skirt & Linen TopBy EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThis is a beautiful ensemble from the 1980's designed by Margaretha Ley for Escada. The outfit has a pleated midi length skirt that buttons down the front. It is made of linen in an ...Category
1980s German Day Dresses
- Navy blue linen skirt-suit Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Circa 1980'sBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRNavy blue linen skirt-suit . Main fabric: 100% linen. Lining: 55% acetate 45% rayon SIZE 40 (Fr) 10 (Us)Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Ocher wool chevron skirt- suit Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROcher wool chevron skirt suit.Horn buttons. Silk lining. Shoulder pads. Wrap-skirt SIZE 40Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
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.
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.