Vintage 1960's Christian Dior Wool Coat UK 14-18 US 10-14
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 16 (UK)Bust: 52 in (132.08 cm)Waist: 54 in (137.16 cm)Hip: 58 in (147.32 cm)
- Style:1960s (Of the Period)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Cheltenham, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2682220483962
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: Cheltenham, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Vintage Early 1940's Red Wool Embroidered Cape UK 10-16 US 6-12Located in Cheltenham, GBThe most majestic and eye-catching cape you could ever set your eyes upon. Rendered in vibrant shade of red wool and decorated with cream wool soutache embroidery, edged with gold la...Category
1940s Capes
- 1920'S Gold Lamé Bead Embellished Jacket UK 10 US 6Located in Cheltenham, GBFull of opulent original details, this beautiful 1920's embellished jacket on a swirling gold lamé base is just the piece to add a touch of elegance to your wardrobe. The open nec...Category
1920s Coats
- Vintage 1960's Black Beaded and Rhinestone Floral Evening CapeLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis divine 1960's black shoulder cape, decorated with black sequins and beads, and accented by large claw set iridescent rhinestones, in a trailing floral pattern, is just the perfe...Category
1960s European Capes
- Vintage 1960's Yves Saint Laurent Wool Coat UK 8 US 4By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Cheltenham, GBA rare and unique piece to behold, this original vintage 1960's Yves Saint Laurent Coat, Rendered in a cream wool and lined in silk, is just the piece to add to your couture collecti...Category
1960s Coats
- Vintage 1960's Satin Matelasse Dress, Capelet & Shoe Set UK 12 US 8Located in Cheltenham, GBA classic silhouette rendered in a tickle me pink matelasse satin, with matching ostrich feather accents, this original 1960's dress and capelet set, completed with matching silk sho...Category
1960s Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 1940's Plum Three Piece Wool Suit UK 10-12 US 6-8Located in Cheltenham, GBA classic silhouette rendered in a stunning pleasant plum wool, this 1940's tailored three piece skirt suit is the perfect addition to your vintage wardrobe. The rounded neckline o...Category
1940s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1980s Bernard Perris Couture Silk Crepe CapeBy Bernard Perris ParisLocated in Scottsdale, AZMake A Statement With This Amazing Piece! Circa late 1980s, this incredible Bernard Perris vibrant red pleated silk crepe cape features an extravagant Elizabethan high standing colla...Category
1980s French Coats and Outerwear
- Verheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 12By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 12 The Edward Leather Coat created by Verheyen London is a romantic design inspired by the 1970s and Edward...Category
2010s British Coats
- Verheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 10By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 10 The Edward Leather Coat created by Verheyen London is a romantic design inspired by the 1970s and Edward...Category
2010s British Coats
- High Quality Hand Embroidered 100% Cashmere Shawl in Red & BlueBy Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBThe perfect Christmas gift for someone special - this shawl is unique and handmade. Verheyen London’s shawl is spun from the finest embroidered woven cashmere from Kashmir. The emb...Category
2010s Scarves
- Verheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 16By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 16 The Edward Leather Coat created by Verheyen London is a romantic design inspired by the 1970s and Edward...Category
2010s British Coats
- Verheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 10By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 10 The Edward Leather Coat created by Verheyen London is a romanti...Category
2010s British 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.