Christian Dior by John Galliano red croc-embossed lambskin leather coat, fw 2005
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR 40 - UK 12 - US 8 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140214208392
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- John Galliano brown leather twisted off-shoulder jacket, fw 2000By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano brown leather jacket ▪ Off-shoulder ▪ Bias cut panels ▪ Front button closure ▪ Asymmetric hemline ▪ FR 42 - UK 14 - US 8 ▪ Fall-Winter 2000Category
Early 2000s French Jackets
- Christian Dior by John Galliano lizard skin blazer jacket, fw 2002By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior lizard skin blazer jacket ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ 100% Lizard ▪ Notched lapel ▪ Two front flap pockets ▪ FR 40 - UK 12 -...Category
Early 2000s French Coats and Outerwear
- Martin Margiela giant fluorescent lime goat hair padded tube gilet, fw 2007By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GB▪ Archive Martin Margiela oversized padded gilet ▪ Fluorescent lime goat hair ▪ Doughnut shape ▪ Backless ▪ Polyester padding ▪ Size Small ▪ Fall...Category
Early 2000s Italian Jackets
- Thea Porter embroidered evening wool jacket, c. 1960sBy Thea PorterLocated in London, GBIntroducing a timeless Thea Porter black wool twill jacket, a captivating piece dating back to the iconic 1960s era. This jacket exudes elegance and sophistication, showcasing Thea P...Category
1960s British Jackets
- Jean Paul Gaultier multicoloured satin evening robe and cummerbund, fw 1984By Jena Paul Gaultier, Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier multicoloured satin evening robe ▪ Matching pleated cummerbund with snap buttons ▪ Black wool fitted sleeves ▪ IT 40 - FR 36 - UK 8 - US 4 ▪ Fall-Winter 1984Category
1980s Italian Jackets
- Dolce & Gabbana black nylon cropped parachute bondage jacket, fw 2003By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana black nylon cropped parachute bomber jacket with multiple velcro bondage style fastenings. Fall-Winter 2003Category
Early 2000s Italian Jackets
- S/S 1989 Thierry Mugler Runway Sculptural Black Pointed Cutout JacketBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Concord, NCAn extravagant jacket by Thierry Mugler from the Spring Summer 1989 "Les Atlantes" collection. This documented black jacket features a unique cutout pointed edge design. The jacket f...Category
1980s French Jackets
- Verheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 12By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 12 Handmade in London, made with 100% lambs leather and the highest quality of real like faux fur to match, t...Category
2010s British Jackets
- Verheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 8By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 8 Handmade in London, made with 100% lambs leather and the highest quality of real like faux fur to match, th...Category
2010s British Jackets
- Verheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 6By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 6 Handmade in London, made with 100% lambs leather and the highest quality of real like faux fur to match, th...Category
2010s British Jackets
- Verheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 16By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 16 Handmade in London, made with 100% lambs leather and the highest quality of real like faux fur to match, t...Category
2010s British Jackets
- Verheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 14By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Cropped Edward Jacket in Leather with Faux Fur, Size uk 14 Handmade in London, made with 100% lambs leather and the highest quality of real like faux fur to match, t...Category
2010s British Jackets
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.