CHRISTIAN DIOR neon FLORAL BROCADE Cocktail Dress 42
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Zürich, CH
- Reference Number:
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: Zürich, Switzerland
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- EMILIO PUCCI black white blue wool 2012 COLORBLOCK RACERBACK Dress 46 XLBy Emilio PucciLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Emilio Pucci sleeveless color-block shift dress in sky blue, off-white and black stretch wool (with 2% elastane). Opens with a zipper in the back. Lined in viscose (10...Category
2010s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- PRADA multicolor cotton PRINTED Short Sleeve Dress 38 XSBy PradaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Prada beach hut and palm trees print dress in multi-color cotton (94%) and elastane (6%) with a round neck and yellow zippers on each sides....Category
2010s Day Dresses
- CHANEL pink black cashmere STRIPED SLEEVELESS KNIT Dress 38 S 11CBy ChanelLocated in Zürich, CHChanel (Sample) sleeveless embroidered knit dress in black, ivory and rose cashmere (100%) with a round neck. Embroidery is cotton (100%). Unlined. Opens with black faux pearl button...Category
2010s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- ALEXANDER MCQUEEN green silk PLATOS ATLANTIS PRAYING MANTIS GOWN Dress LBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Zürich, CHAlexander McQueen 'Praying Mantis' empire down in green silk (100%) with a round neck and is sleeveless. This collector piece is from the SS 2010 Platos Atlantis collection. Flares f...Category
2010s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- PRADA black silk SIDE SLIT BOW GOWN Maxi Dress 44 LBy PradaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Prada bow embellished maxi dress in black silk (100%). Features long sleeves, zipped cuffs and a slit at the front. Opens with a concealed zip...Category
2010s Evening Gowns
- PRADA black wool FAUX LEATHER TRIM SHORT SLEEVE Shift Dress 40 SBy PradaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Prada dress in black virgin wool (95%), polyamide (4%), elastane (1%). Features short sleeves, a PVC trim on the sleeves and the hemline. Has a patch pocket on the che...Category
2010s Evening Gowns
- Linda Cunningham Taupe Silk Gown w/ Multi Floral Lace & 3 Tier Ruffle Bust - 10Located in West Palm Beach, FLLinda Cunningham Taupe Silk Gown w/ Multi Floral Lace & 3 Tier Ruffle Bust - 10. This gorgeous gown is in excellent condition. It features a taupe silk material, three tier ruffle ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Gowns
- Malcolm Starr Heavily Beaded Green Silk Organza Gown, Circa 1970sBy Malcolm StarrLocated in West Palm Beach, FLMalcolm Starr Heavily Beaded Green Silk Organza Gown - 8- Circa 70's This Elinor Simmons for Malcolm Starr creation is fabulous. This gorgeous green ...Category
1970s American Empire Waist Dresses
- 1960s Haute Couture International Heavily Beaded Gown Size MediumLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Haute Couture International 1960s gown is an absolute stunner featuring immaculate beading throughout in a silver hue. There is a cent...Category
20th Century Hong Kong Evening Gowns
- Draped and printed long evening dress Roberto CavalliBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRDraped and printed long evening dress. Brooch in gold metal and rhinestone on the left side of the bustier. Adjustable shoulder strap. Padded bra. E...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
- White cocktail dress with tulle panel Roland Mouret for Bergdorf GoodmanBy Roland MouretLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRWhite cocktail dress with tulle panel. Zip in the middle back. Small buckle to hold the back straps. Fabric composition: 50% rayon, 47% acetate, 3% elastane. 100% silk lining. SIZE ...Category
Early 2000s British Cocktail Dresses
- Wrap cocktail printed dress with branded safety pin embellishment Versus VersaceBy VersusLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRWrap cocktail printed dress with branded safety pin embellishment. Zip in the middle back and hook&eye. SIZE 38(M)Category
Early 2000s Bulgarian Cocktail Dresses
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.