Dior Iconographic Lily of the Valley Hat
View Similar Items
Dior Iconographic Lily of the Valley Hat
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 22" circumference (US)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Oradell, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU1308192161025
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.
- Rare Vintage Chanel Runway PVC Wide Brimmed HatBy Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in accessories making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Chanel always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. This beautiful hat takes timeless creation to a new level of sophistication and charm. Made from the finest materials that you would expect from the Chanel House. This rare runway hat...Category
Early 2000s German Hats
- Vintage 1960's Christiain Dior Turquoise Tulle & Gold Turban HatBy Christian DiorLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis breathtaking 1960's Christian Dior turquoise tulle turban hat in a structural spiral design with interwoven metallic gold feathers, finished with iridescent multi-coloured glitt...Category
1960s Hats
- Philip Treacy Cranberry Rushed Velvet HatBy Philip TreacyLocated in Sharon, CTRushed Cranberry Velvet, and Satin lining, makes a small brimmed flat top,(but soft) hat. Measures 12 x 8" x 4"Category
Early 2000s English Hats
- Original Gerard Albouy Woven Brass Hat 1940'sLocated in Sharon, CTOffering an original Gerard d'Albouy (1912-1985) woven brass hat with a Velvet Ribbon attached. The Paris Milliner, during the German Occupation (active 1938-1964) was noted for his...Category
1940s French Hats
- Rare Yves Saint Laurent 'Mondrian' Helmet Hat, 1965By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYRare Yves Saint Laurent "Mondrian" Hat, 1965; Domed crown formed with color block felted wool patches, black vinyl edging, circumference appro...Category
1960s European Hats
- Christian Dior - Diorissimo Resort 2005 Logo Flowers Bucket HatBy John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Iba, PHDiorissimo Resort 2005 Logo Flowers Bucket Hat. Pink and white bucket hat adorned with a logo flowers Diorissimo print from the resort 2005 collection by...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Hats
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.