1990s Christian Dior Silk and Tulle Wedding Dress and Veil
By Christian Dior
Located in London, GB
This spectacular archival wedding dress was designed by Gianfranco Ferré for Christian Dior in the early 1990s.
1990s Christian Dior Silk and Tulle Wedding Dress and Veil
By Christian Dior
Located in London, GB
This spectacular archival wedding dress was designed by Gianfranco Ferré for Christian Dior in the early 1990s.
1991 Christian Dior By Gianfranco Ferre Black Silk One Shoulder Gown
By Gianfranco Ferré for Christian Dior, Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Spring/ Summer 1991 Christian Dior by Gianfranco Ferre black silk once shoulder gown with puffy sleeves and pink silk brooch. 2 layers of silk fit size 6/8 Measurement taken flat: Bu...
1968 Christian Dior Haute Couture Documented Ivory Checkered Silk Pleated Dress
By Marc Bohan, Christian Dior Haute Couture
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An ultra chic and highly coveted Christian Dior haute couture museum-quality ivory checkered silk pleated mini dress dating back to spring/summer 1968. This incredible work of wearab...
1968 Christian Dior Haute Couture Maria Felix Owned Chartreuse Silk Feather Gown
By Marc Bohan, Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
A highly coveted and truly breathtaking Christian Dior haute couture museum-quality chartreuse silk feathered glamour gown dating back to spring/summer 1968. This incredible work of ...
1962 Christian Dior Paris Ivory Silver Floral Silk Brocade Back-Bows Bridal Gown
By Marc Bohan, Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An ultra chic and highly coveted Christian Dior custom demi couture museum-quality ivory and metallic silver floral motif silk brocade gown dating back to fall/winter 1962. This incr...
Christian Dior Floral Bias Cut Chiffon Dress / Wedding
By Christian Dior
Located in New York, NY
Christian Dior Floral Bias Cut Chiffon Dress Gorgeous vibrant floral print perfect for a spring or summer wedding.
Christian Dior Champagne Silk Wedding Gown, Circa 2000
By Christian Dior
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a gorgeous champagne colored silk wedding gown by Christian Dior, from 2000. It has flower clusters on the sleeves and the back bow. The gown has an additional 30" train in t...
Vintage 1962 Christian Dior Gown Vintage 1960s Christian Dior Silk Dress UK 10
By Christian Dior
Located in Nashville, TN
Made in the most exquisite ivory silk, decorated with silver glass claw set rhinestones, glow mesh rhinestone strands, faceted iridescent glass beads, and frosted white glass beads, ...
1960s Christian Dior Demi Couture Ivory Organza Dress & Jacket
By Christian Dior
Located in London, GB
Sensational ivory silk organza dress and sleeveless jacket set with sculptural 3D organza roses around the hems. This vintage 1960s piece by Christian Dior is couture made and would ...
Christian Dior by Gianfranco Ferré Ivory Silk Ballgown Bridal Gown c 1992
By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian Dior
Located in Kingston, NY
This ivory silk ballgown is a commanding example of Christian Dior's American boutique line during the Gianfranco Ferré era — one of the most architecturally rigorous periods in the ...
Christian Dior Vintage ivory white fit and flare silk wedding bridal gown dress
By Christian Dior
Located in Milano, Lombardia
LOVE LALI VINTAGE A beautifully simple Christian Dior 80's Vintage ivory fit and flare silk dress Satin upper Features a beaded empire waistline that closes at the back via two sati...
1968 Christian Dior Couture Beaded Applique Organza Dress
By Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The House of Dior has been an enduring icon of haute couture. When the talented Marc Bohan took over as head designer in 1960, he continued the Dior tradition of elegant design. This...
Dior white gown & veil, circa 1978
By Christian Dior
Located in London, GB
This stunning Dior wedding dress and floor length veil is constructed in pure white cigaline silk and silk tulle.
Vintage 1999 Christian Dior by Galliano Pink Roses Silk Lace Bias-Cut Skirt Set
By John Galliano for Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
A totally timeless and highly coveted Christian Dior pink roses print silk and sheer lace bias-cut skirt ensemble from John Galliano's celebrated 1999 spring-summer collection. John ...
1962 Christian Dior Paris Demi-Couture White Tiered Ruffle Lace Formal Gown
By Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The House of Dior has been an enduring icon of haute couture. While the House of Dior is still a thriving business today, Dior's untimely death in 1957 left the fashion world without...
1998 Christian Dior by John Galliano Ivory Silk Beaded Tassels Grecian Gown
By John Galliano for Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
A totally enchanting and incredibly rare Christian Dior ivory floral silk asymmetric bias-cut gown dating back to John Galliano's 1998 resort collection. We were thrilled to find a p...
Vintage 1987 Christian Dior Haute Couture White Lace Off-Shoulder Bridal Gown
By Marc Bohan, Christian Dior
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An exceptional and very rare Christian Dior custom bridal commission dating back to 1987. The House of Dior has been an enduring icon of Haute Couture. While the House of Dior is sti...
Ermanno Scervino Silk Floral Dress, SS 2005
By Ermanno Scervino
Located in Marlborough, GB
Ermanno Scervino silk floral print dress, Spring Summer 2005 Print appeared on runway. Built-in purple bra which forms the straps. Fastens with back zip and bra clasp. Lined. 100% si...
Roberto Cavalli Iconic Photorealistic Lion & Tropical Print Dress Early 2000s
By Roberto Cavalli
Located in London, GB
A spectacular example of Roberto Cavalli at the height of his powers, this sleeveless dress showcases the photorealistic placement printing that defined his early 2000s collections a...
F/W 2000 Gucci by Tom Ford Rhinestone Beaded Plunge Silver Beige Lace Mini Dress
By Gucci, Tom Ford for Gucci
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This silver embellished lace mini dress from Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2000 collection, designed under Tom Ford’s creative direction, is covered in beads and rhinestones. The mini features...
Vintage 1950's Pistachio Green Tulle Dress Strapless Sweetheart Neckline UK 6
By Will Steinman
Located in Nashville, TN
Rendered in the softest shade of pistachio coloured tulle and decorated with chartreuse green faille ribbon, this original 1950's tulle dress is the perfect piece for that special oc...
$12,920
H 10.5 in W 19 in L 6 in
Chanel Limited Edition Vintage Duffel Tote Black and White Leather Weekend Bag
By Chanel
Located in Miami, FL
Oversized Chanel quilted logo letters duffel bag leather travel tote. 1992 {VINTAGE 30 Years} White lamb "CHANEL" lettering stitched on both sides Quilted supple black lambskin Tw...
$8,920
H 2 in W 5.5 in L 5.2 in
Chanel White 1994 Runway Karl Lagerfeld CC Logo Iconic Rare Sunglasses
By Chanel
Located in Miami, FL
Chanel White 1994 Runway Karl Lagerfeld CC Logo Iconic Rare Sunglasses From the 1994 Chanel runway collection, these glasses were made for the catwalk as a Sample and never made it ...
Black velvet and wool cocktail dress with jewellery button GIANNI VERSACE COUTUR
By Gianni Versace Couture
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Black velvet and wool cocktail dress with jewellery button closure on the middle front and on the cuffs. ( 2 extra button provided) Lining composition probably rayon or acetate. Hook...
Blumarine Couture Runway Sequin Zebra-Pattern Mini Dress - Spring/Summer 2008
By Blumarine
Located in Charenton-le-pont, FR
An exceptional, collector's item archival piece from Blumarine Couture, definitively sourced from the Spring/Summer 2008 runway. This showstopping mini dress is a vibrant and rare ex...
Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent S/S 2002 Mini Black Silk Woven Fringe Skirt S M
By Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Montgomery, TX
Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Silk Mini Skirt S/S 2002 Runway Collection Designer sizes available S and M Super Sexy, 100% Silk, Exquisitely Woven, Finished with ...
Alexander McQueen mustard suede BIKER Jacket 38
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Zürich, CH
Alexander McQueen suede biker jacket in mustard suede with a notch collar and an attached belt on the back. Has two vertical and two asymmentrical pockets with a silver tone zipper o...
CHANEL black wool PLEATED Sleeveless Cocktail Dress 36
By Chanel
Located in Zürich, CH
Chanel sleeveless knee-length cocktail dress in back wool (100%) with top and bottom part in black silk (100%). Opens with four rhinestone buttons and a hidden zipper on the back. Li...
Moschino Vintage 1990s Red + Black Color Block Jacket
By Moschino, Moschino Cheap and Chic
Located in Sparks, NV
Vintage two-tone color block jacket in red and black by Cheap and Chic by Moschino. Fully lined with front button closure. Velcro closure at collar and on sides. Fabric: 52% Rayon/ 4...
PACO RABANNE Vintage Silver Metal Mesh Draped Backless Top
By Paco Rabanne
Located in Nice, FR
PACO RABANNE vintage silver tone metal mesh backless top with draped front. Metal tag PACO RABANNE Paris. Indicative measurements taken laid flat : mesh rectangle width approx. 52 ...
$17,600Sale Price|20% Off
Rare 1990 Versace Atelier Egyptian One-of-a-Kind Heavily Beaded Runway Gown
By Dolce & Gabbana, Atelier Versace
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare 1990 custom made gown designed by Gianni Versace for his Versace Atelier label. High neck sleeveless dress fashioned of rich green damask silk; adorned throughout with weighty...
Nolan Miller Attributed Custom Evening Gown Ensemble with White Fox Wrap Size S
By Nolan Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This Nolan Miller attributed gown with wrap ensemble is composed of a slate blue silk and gold lame. The gown is in excellent condition and features a center back zipper. The large w...
THIERRY MUGLER F/W 1986 Collectors Runway "Les Milteuses" Museum-Held Dress
By Thierry Mugler
Located in Berlin, BE
Thierry Mugler Fall Winter 1986 “Les Milteuses” archival runway dress Brand: Thierry Mugler Designer: Thierry Mugler Collection: Fall Winter 1986 Fabric: Wool Color: Black and red ...
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.
With entire museum exhibitions dedicated to examining fashion designers and their creations, we’re finally recognizing that costuming is art. Evening dresses over time have conveyed specific statements about social class, position and beliefs. Fashion is a powerful means of self-expression, and sophisticated vintage evening dresses and gowns by our favorite couturier play no small role in making us feel wonderful but, perhaps more importantly, making us feel like ourselves.
In the 16th century, dresses and gowns were so important that England's Queen Elizabeth I defined rules about what dresses women could wear — guidance included long skirts and fitted bodices. Forward-thinking designers have responded to this history.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel reimagined traditionally masculine garments for feminine shapes, and her elegant evening dresses and gowns promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by layers of fabric. Christian Dior's gowns celebrated luxury and femininity in the late 1940s — and gave to women the gift of glamour they’d lost in the miserable years of the war. French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent introduced innovative and highly coveted dress designs in the 1960s while at the same time challenging sexist stereotypes about which members of society could wear tuxedos.
Works by unconventional British designer John Galliano — featured in houses like Givenchy and Dior — redefined limits that dressmakers faced in terms of material, construction and vision during the late 20th century. From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless Dior newspaper dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy
Today’s designers target an increasingly broad audience with their boundary-crossing work, and their tendency to play off of each other’s ideas means that every walk down the runway is also a walk through an entire history of fashion design and dress craftsmanship.
Whether you gravitate toward backless maxi dresses or silk charmeuse gowns by Alexander McQueen or embellished, ruffled floral-print designs by Chloe or Versace, there is an extraordinary collection of vintage and designer evening dresses and gowns waiting for you on 1stDibs.