Christian Dior by Marc Bohan brown mink cape with leather tassels, c. 1970
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: One Size (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14022880333
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.
- Alexander McQueen black wool quilted coat, fw 1999By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GB▪ Alexander McQueen coat ▪ Constructed from wool gabardine ▪ Quilting inspired by a Charles James evening jacket from 1937 ▪ Standing collar with faux hood ▪ Metal hook closures ▪...Category
1990s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- John Galliano black sheepskin oversized coat, fw 1996By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano coat ▪ Black sheepskin ▪ Draped puff sleeves ▪ Raw edges ▪ Two front patch pockets ▪ Open front ▪ Asymmetric hemline ▪ FR 40 - UK 12 - US 8 ▪ Fall-Winter 1996 ▪ Ma...Category
1990s French Coats and Outerwear
- Versace black laser-cut lambskin coat with leather bondage straps, fw 2004By VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Versace black laser-cut lambskin coat ▪ Multiple bondage-style leather straps with buckle fastenings ▪ High neck ▪ Raw edge ▪ Back and side slits ▪...Category
Early 2000s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- Christian Dior by John Galliano lizard skin blazer jacket, fw 2002By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior lizard skin blazer jacket ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ 100% Lizard ▪ Notched lapel ▪ Two front flap pockets ▪ FR 40 - UK 12 -...Category
Early 2000s French Coats and Outerwear
- Dolce & Gabbana blue and black tie-dyed fur maxi coat, fw 1999By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana blue and black tie-dyed maxi coat ▪ Sheared rabbit fur ▪ Wide cropped sleeves ▪ Snap button closures ▪ IT 40 - FR 36 - UK 8 - US 4 ▪ Fall-Winter 1999Category
1990s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- John Galliano brown leather twisted off-shoulder jacket, fw 2000By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano brown leather jacket ▪ Off-shoulder ▪ Bias cut panels ▪ Front button closure ▪ Asymmetric hemline ▪ FR 42 - UK 14 - US 8 ▪ Fall-Winter 2000Category
Early 2000s French Jackets
- VERSACE RUNWAY MINK FUR COAT WITH CRYSTAL EMBELLISHED Buttons 40 - 6By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Fall/Winter 2014 look # 27 Mink Fur coat Crystal Embellished buttons Long sleeves. Shoulder seam to shoulder seam 16 1/2" Sleeves 25 1/2" To...Category
2010s Italian Fur Puffer Coats
- Mariano Fortuny Gauze Sleevless Coat, Provenance Tina ChowBy FortunyLocated in New York, NYTransparent Fortuny gauze pieces are based on the ancient tunic which was a shirt like garment that became traditional attire in roman times, the copts or christian egyptians...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
- Mariano Fortuny Green Stencilled Velvet Long CoatBy FortunyLocated in New York, NYFortuny translated the caftan as a loose fitting outer garment,usually made out of silk velvet crepe or gauze the fitted back and open front allowed for elaborate stenciled decoratio...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
- Mariano Fortuny Black Stencilled Velvet Persian Style CoatBy FortunyLocated in New York, NYThis three-quarter length black velvet persian coat was printed with metallic paints with Venetian glass buttons and silk loop closures at the center fr...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
- 1990s Issey Miyake Brown Felted Wool PeacoatBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Toronto, OntarioIssey Miyake coat from the 1990s. Brown felted wool with hand cut scalloped trim. Matching large brown plastic buttons. Oversize lapel. Stunning tailoring and draping with beautiful ...Category
1990s Japanese Coats
- 1996 VINTAGE GIANNI VERSACE LEATHER COAT with FOX and CRYSTALS for MENBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXGIANNI VERSACE LEATHER COAT DESIGNED BY GIANNI HIMSELF EXTREMELY RARE AND HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE Fall/Winter 1996 Blue and red leather with...Category
1990s Italian Coats
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.