- Want more images or videos?Request additional images or videos from the seller
Dior by John Galliano Spring 2003 Punk Swarovski Sunglasses in Clear

About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Prague, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2389214426872
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.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Prague, Czech Republic
- Return Policy
This item cannot be returned.
- Dior Spring 2003 Punk Swarovski Sunglasses in RedBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Prague, CZOne of the rarest, limited edition Dior sunglasses by John Galliano, Dior Punk Swarovski sunglasses embellished with a few hundreds of red Swarovski crystals...Category
Early 2000s Sunglasses
- Dior Fall 1998 Jacquard SuitBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Prague, CZA stunning example of early John Galliano’s years at Dior! This fabulous suit is from a soft, delicate jacquard with 100% silk lining. Size FR38. Measurements (flat lay on one side)...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Dior Spring 2003 RTW Silk DressBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Prague, CZ100% silk dress with a flowing, heavy knitted quality, drapes beautifully and can be worn sleeveless or with sleeves on. Size FR 40, corresponds to Medium but is recommended for sma...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- Roberto Cavalli Spring 2003 Printed Halter-neck DressBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Prague, CZThe halter neck top is made out of silk chiffon with a weight in the middle to fold it beautifully on the chest. The bottom part is made out of stretchy material, which allows to go ...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace Fall 1994 Metallic Leather Mini ShortsBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in Prague, CZRare sample Gianni Versace Fall 1994 Metallic Leather shorts with a gorgeous silver color with a lilac hue (same finishing as seen on the runwa...Category
1990s Shorts
- Dolce & Gabbana Fall 1999 Zebra Print Fur Jacket with Mink CollarBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Prague, CZFabulous Rabbit fur jacket with a mink collar. Size M, but runs slightly smaller, please strictly rely on the measurements (flat lay on one side): Shoulder to shoulder - 41 cm (16 ...Category
1990s Coats and Outerwear
$1,455 Sale Price30% Off
- Vintage 1993 Iconic CHANEL PARIS Round White SunglassesBy ChanelLocated in Kingersheim, AlsaceVintage 1993 Iconic CHANEL PARIS Round White Sunglasses As seen on Rihanna. From CHANEL Spring/ Summer 1993 collection. Measurements: Height: 2.16 ...Category
1990s Italian Sunglasses
- Vintage COURREGES Multiple Logo Monogram SunglassesLocated in Kingersheim, AlsaceVintage COURREGES Multiple Logo Monogram Sunglasses Measurements: Frame Height: 2 1/8 inches (5.39 cm) Hinge to hinge Width: 6 1/8 inches (15.55 cm) Temples: 5 4/8 inches (13.97 cm) Features: - 100% Authentic ANDRE COURREGES. - White sunglass frame...Category
20th Century French Sunglasses
- Vintage Oversize Christian Dior Space Age Green SunglassesBy Christian DiorLocated in Kingersheim, AlsaceVintage Oversize Christian Dior Space Age Green Sunglasses Measurements: Height: 2 5/8 inches Horizontal Width: 6 inches Temples: 5 inches Features: ...Category
20th Century Italian Sunglasses
- Vintage Oversize Christian Dior Space Age Brown SunglassesBy Christian DiorLocated in Kingersheim, AlsaceVintage Oversize Christian Dior Space Age Brown Sunglasses Measurements: Height: 2 5/8 inches Horizontal Width: 6 inches Temples: 5 inches Features: ...Category
20th Century Italian Sunglasses
- Vintage EMMANUELLE KHANH PARIS Fur Brow SunglassesBy Emmanuelle Kahn, Emmanuelle KhanhLocated in Kingersheim, AlsaceVintage EMMANUELLE KHANH PARIS Fur Brow Sunglasses Measurements: Vertical Height: 2.75 inches (7 cm) Horizontal Width: 5.90 inches (15 cm) Temple ...Category
1980s Italian Sunglasses
- Louis Vuitton Z1272E Portland Grey Blue E Sunglasses 99lz616sBy Louis VuittonLocated in Dix hills, NYDate Code/Serial Number: Z1272E Made In: Italy Measurements: Length: 5.75" Width: .2" Height: 1.8" OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION (9/10 or A) Accessories: Case, Dust Cover Signs of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sunglasses
- Isamu Kenmochi Coffee TableBy Isamu KenmochiLocated in San Francisco, CAA coffee table by Isamu Kenmochi in bent Brazilian rosewood with curved legs. Signed with applied manufacturer's label to underside: [Tendo]. Literature: Japanese Modern, Mori, pg. 143.Category
Vintage 1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsRosewood
Price Upon Request - Hermes Birkin 30 Orange Crocodile Bag Palladium HardwareBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a Niloticus Crocodile Hermes Birkin 30 bag featured in Orange. Fresh palladium hardware accentuates this gorgeous orange crocodile H...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- 21st Century Le Nuvole Sofà White S. Giobbi for Giovannetti CollezioniLocated in Casalguidi, ITSeat and backrest with wooden structure in multilayers and stell- Seat and backrest padding in polyurethane foam of different layers covered with tissue and synthetic fiber for bette...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFoam, Wood
- GLASS SHELVES #1 '1976', by Shiro Kuramata for Glas ItaliaBy Glas Italia, Shiro KuramataLocated in Macherio, ITGlass Shelves #1 (1976) Shelves is shown here in the transparent glass. Bookcase characterised by the extraordinary formal cleanness and the golden proportions, entirely realized in ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Shelves
MaterialsGlass
- Vintage Solitaire Cushion Shape Old Mine Diamond Ring, French, circa 1950Located in London, GBVintage solitaire cushion shape old mine diamond ring. Set with one central cushion shape old mine diamond, M colour, VS2 clarity, with an approximate weight of 3.01 carats, in an op...Category
Vintage 1950s French Solitaire Rings
MaterialsDiamond, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Recently Viewed
View MoreRead More

How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.

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.
The 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery