*SALE* 50's CHRISTIAN DIOR haute couture brocade dress WAS $950 NOW $450
View Similar Items
*SALE* 50's CHRISTIAN DIOR haute couture brocade dress WAS $950 NOW $450
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 42 in (106.68 cm)Marked Size: 6-8 (US)Bust: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Waist: 28 in (71.12 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:silk, tulle
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. good (some discoloration to lining and general wear).
- Seller Location:San Fransisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU121208811920
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.
- new 2017 SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello black velvet RUNWAY dress with roseBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Fransisco, CADramatic, jet black velvet dress with long attached scarf and rose brooch detail designed by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent exactly as seen on the 2017 fall runway. Dress can b...Category
2010s French Evening Gowns
- 1990's GIORGIO ARMANI black silk bustier dressBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in San Fransisco, CABlack silk bustier dress with off-white polka dots designed by Giorgio Armani dating to the late 1980's, early 1990's. Italian size 38. Best fits a ...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 2006 MARC JACOBS silk leopard print RUNWAY dress with beadingBy Marc JacobsLocated in San Fransisco, CARich brown and black leopard printed silk velvet dress with beaded waistband from Marc Jacobs as seen on the runway for Fall of 2006. Dress is labeled a size 2, however, it can easil...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$125 Sale Price35% Off - YVES SAINT LAURENT by Stefano Pilati black draped caftan dressBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Fransisco, CADramatic, jet black caftan dress with draped sides at designed by Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent dating to spring of 2009' Labeled a French size XXS although this dress is ver...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Gowns
- 1990's LEONARD of PARIS floral watercolor printed silk jersey babydoll dressBy Leonard of ParisLocated in San Fransisco, CAFloral-printed, silk-jersey babydoll dress in tones of grey and black designed by Leonard of Paris dating to the 1990's. No size is labeled however this would best fit a size S to M....Category
Late 20th Century French Babydoll Day Dresses
- 1990's LEONARD silk jersey leopard printed draped dressBy LeonardLocated in San Fransisco, CAVivid, leopard-printed, silk-jersey dress with draped cut designed by Leonard dating to the 1990's. No size is indicated however this would best fit a US 8-10. Approximate measuremen...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Vivienne Westwood bronze stretch-velvet and gold foil printed dress, fw 1990By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood bronze stretch-velvet evening dress ▪ Gold foil neoclassical print inspired by Andre-Charles Boulle ▪ Concealed zipper at center-back ▪ Size Medium ▪ Fall-Winter...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Lilac & Multicolor Patbo One-Shoulder Floral Print Dress Size US 0Located in New York, NYLilac and multicolor floral print one-shoulder tiered ruffle dress by Patbo. Belt at waist. Zip closure at side. 26" bust, 24" waist, 51" length.Category
21st Century and Contemporary South American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Emilio Pucci Blue Silk DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in Paris, FREmilio Pucci blue silk jersey printed dress featuring an iconic geometric print, a front gathered detail. Composition: 100% silk Estimated size IT42/38fr/US6 /UK10 Made in Italy. In...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1980s A J Bari Vintage Silver Evening Dress w Puffed Gathered Sleeves & PocketsBy A.J. BariLocated in Portland, ORWe love this vintage A. J. Bari vintage dress from the 1980's. The dress is in a silver abstract pattern fabric and it has a gently pleated skirt, gather...Category
1980s American Evening Dresses
$295 Sale Price50% Off - Gucci S/S 2010 Unworn Bodycon Lace Up Bandage Grey Mini DressBy GucciLocated in Naples, FLGucci S/S 2010 Unworn Bodycon Lace Up Bandage Grey Mini Dress Size XSCategory
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana F/W 2003 Corset Bustier Bra Bodycon Hook and Eye Black DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Naples, FLDolce & Gabbana Corset Bustier Bra Bodycon Hook and Eye Black Dress IT 38Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
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.