Christian Dior by John Galliano large Swarovski crystal logo belt, ss 2003
View Similar Items
Christian Dior by John Galliano large Swarovski crystal logo belt, ss 2003
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 90 cm (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Overall great condition with a few minor flaws due to age and wear. There are some missing crystals (image 18) which could easily be replaced and some parts of the metal are tarnished but is hardly noticeable.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140219157422
John Galliano for Christian Dior
Known for introducing rich theatricality and memorable fashion spectacles to the runway, John Galliano has enjoyed a singular career. The audacious British designer has garnered universal acclaim for genre-breaking collections not only at his eponymous label but also for Christian Dior.
From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless newspaper-print dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably newsworthy, drawing on history as often as it embodies a fresh and forward-looking sensibility, and over the years the designer has helped shape an ever-broadening new legion of enthusiasts for Parisian couture.
Born in Gibraltar but raised in South London by strict Roman Catholic working-class parents, Galliano attended the all-boys Church of England grammar school, where his flamboyance and interest in art attracted the attention of bullies. Eventually, Galliano ended up at the prestigious design and art school Central Saint Martins College (then called Saint Martin’s School of Art), where fellow British designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen also trained.
Galliano flourished at Central Saint Martins. While a student, he worked in the costume department at the National Theatre in London. His graduate collection in 1984, dubbed “Les Incroyables” and named for post–French Revolution fashion lovers, was modeled by close friends of his and earned a standing ovation. The line ended up in the storefront windows of London luxury boutique Brown’s on South Molton Street, and Galliano’s first official collection — after he graduated — debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Galliano’s relationship with his financial backer, Plein Sud’s Faycal Amor, ended, and by 1994, he was broke and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and then-Vanity Fair editor André Leon Talley stepped in and introduced the budding designer to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron São Schlumberger and others. At Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier, Galliano’s shows became the stuff of fashion legend. His collection, a blend of Japanese modernist style as well as nostalgia for Art Deco and 1940s’ tailoring, earned raves in glossy magazines and garnered the attention of Princess Diana, Madonna and other fashion luminaries.
Once the Galliano name was well known among the world’s most stylish set, the chairperson of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, appointed Galliano head designer of French fashion house Givenchy. One year later, in 1996, LVMH moved him to the design team at Dior. In just eight weeks, Galliano produced 50 looks for Dior Haute Couture’s brilliant Spring/Summer 1997 Maasai collection and would ultimately design a mind-boggling eight collections a year for the storied French fashion house until 2011. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage and contemporary John Galliano for Christian Dior evening dresses and gowns, shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
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.
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 evening 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.
- John Galliano London black cotton jersey bodysuitBy John GallianoLocated in London, GBJohn Galliano London black cotton jersey bodysuit ca. 1988-1990Category
1980s British Bodysuits
- Alaia Autumn-Winter 1991 plum corset vestBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBAzzedine Alaia Autumn-Winter 1991 plum corset vestCategory
1990s French Corsets
- Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 1992 brown leather corset and mini skirtBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 1992 brown leather corset with boning, zip fastening and two long tie-up sashes at the front. High waisted mini skirt with slit at the rear.Category
1990s British Skirt Suits
- Dolce & Gabbana Autumn-Winter 1990 beaded corset blouseBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana Autumn-Winter 1990 beaded corset blouseCategory
1990s Italian Corsets
- Azzedine Alaia Leopard Print Corseted Bodysuit, fw 1991By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GB▪ Archival Alaia Bodysuit ▪ Creative Director: Azzedine Alaia ▪ Fall-Winter 1991 ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Crafted from high-quality worsted woo...Category
1990s Italian Bodysuits
- Christian Dior by John Galliano Nude Smocked Mesh and Sequin Corset Top, FW 2005By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Brand: Christian Dior ▪ Creative Director: John Galliano ▪ Collection: Fall-Winter 2005 ▪ Sold by: One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fabric: 100% Cotton Tulle ▪ Other Textile: 54% Silk, 46% ...Category
Early 2000s French Corsets
- F/W 2013 Look # 30 NEW VERSACE T-STRAP EMBELLISHED HARNESS with CRYSTALS 38 - 4By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Actual runway sample Fall/Winter 2013 Look # 30 This fully embellished t-strap harness from Versace features spike studs and crystal hardware...Category
2010s Italian Belts
- Elsa Schiaparelli Pair of Stockings and Its Original Box Circa 1958By Elsa SchiaparelliLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1958 United States Pair of stockings by Elsa Schiaparelli in original box, as new, collector's item dating from the late 1950s in the United States. Pair of brown nylon stockings...Category
1950s American Lingerie
- New Schiaparelli Nude Thigh High Hosiery Stockings, Original Box – Petite, 1960sBy SchiaparelliLocated in Tucson, AZIn those faraway days before full hosiery the sirens wore thigh high stockings, which necessitated another sexy little number—the garter—to hold them up. We personally think it was ...Category
1960s French Shapewear
- DYED PETALS Vintage Hand Botanically Dyed Tie-Dyed Slip Dress S/M 36Located in Asheville, NCThe DYED PETALS Collection (vintage, upcycled, and custom-made fashion using natural dyes and colorants), is designed and offered exclusively by PARPARIAN....Category
Mid-20th Century Slips
- Vintage CLARE SANDRA LUCIE ANN Pink Nightgown Off Shoulder Pleated 36By Lucie AnnLocated in Asheville, NCClaire Sandra by Lucie Ann, Beverly Hills, Maxi Style Nightgown, Off Shoulder, Butter Soft Nylon, Tie In Back to Cinch Waist, Pleated Front, Balloon Sleeves, Size 36 Measurements La...Category
1960s Loungewear
- RARE Vintage Unisex Japanese Long Robe Kimono SilkLocated in Asheville, NCUnbranded, Kimono, Silk, Impeccably Lined, Weighted Lapels, Hidden Pattern in Geometric Weave, Rare & Beautiful Vintage Measurements Laying Flat Chest: 24" Wrist to Wrist: 49" Leng...Category
Early 20th Century Robes
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.