Christian Dior 80s wool dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 48.43 in (123 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Basaluzzo, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3498219074062
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: Basaluzzo, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Abito Mila Schon pari al nuovo con balzeBy Mila SchonLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito lilla con mezza manica e scollo a V mila Schõn. Tessuto crepe di seta con fodera interna. Trama geometrica con piccole balze. Taglia 40 Misure: Spalle 40cm Manica 34cm Petto 4...Category
1990s Casual Dresses
- Mini dress vintage a pois Kenzo ParisBy Kenzo ParisLocated in Basaluzzo, ITLa bella vita, il mare, l'eleganza è ciò che ci viene in mente guardando questo mini dress di Kenzo. Lo stilista crea un capo femminile e morbido, con un pr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Abito Valentino in ottime condizioniBy Valentino Garavani, ValentinoLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito Valentino. On stampa optical ispirata agli anni 60, condizioni ottime, chiusura con cerniera posteriore. Taglia 40, composizione lana e seta Misure: Spalle 37cm Petto 42cm Vita...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Casual Dresses
- Abito Vintage Marni pari al nuovoBy MarniLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito Marni bicolore composto da due tessuti differenti su fronte e retro Ideale sia di giorno abbinato ad una sneakers che di sera con una decolletè Particolare e profondo scollo su...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Abito in seta Balenciaga pari al nuovoBy BalenciagaLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito nero in seta Balenciaga con drappeggio superiore Chiusura con cerniera sul retro, scollo sulla schiena. Taglia 42 in perfette condizioni Misure: Spalle 40cm Petto 47cm Vita 40...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Abito Valentino anni80 con gonna svasataBy ValentinoLocated in Basaluzzo, ITAbito vintage Valentino in cotone. Taglia 42, gonna doppio strato e colore Ottime condizioni generali, fodera interna bianca ha preso il color arancio dell’abito in alcuni punti. Vi...Category
1980s Italian Casual Dresses
- Claire McCardell (attributed) by Townley Floral Chiffon DressBy Townley, Claire McCardell Clothes by TownleyLocated in Sharon, CTOffering a Floral Chiffon Dress by Townley (labeled), the design attributed to Claire McCardell. Approximate size: 8, length 43" and waist 28".Category
1970s English Informal Dresses
- Kenzo Takada Wraparound Skirt DressBy Kenzo, Kenzo TakadaLocated in Sharon, CTThe front of the dress extends with a rectangular panel. At the waist, the skirt becomes a wrap a round, and ties at the side. The skirt lining is cotton.Category
Early 2000s French Casual Dresses
- Ted Lapidus Boutique Haute Couture Paris Silk Top/SkirtBy Ted Lapidus Haute CoutureLocated in Sharon, CTMade in France 1980's. Length of blouse 25", length skirt 28.5". Layered ruffle peplum skirt, fully silk lined.Category
1980s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- YSL Yves Saint Laurent 1970's Rive Gauche Silk Day DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Sharon, CTOffering a very colorful abstract patterned silk day dress Designed by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche (Labeled). Size Eu 40. With a button on back at the collar. Waist to hem 26.5"Category
1970s French Casual Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Diving Parrot Bird Tropical Swimmers Ruffled Mesh Dress TopBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier Diving Parrot Bird Tropical Swimmers Ruffled Mesh Top Shirt Skirt Set Beautiful designer skirt & v-neck tank top + skirt SET with ...Category
1990s French Mini Dresses
- Jil Sander Arte Povera DressBy Jil SanderLocated in Miami, FLModern item from Jil Sander, the 'Arte Povera' dress in a techno hieroglyphic style print on a radzimir fabric. The dress has a rounded neckline and pleated bodice, A-line skirt wit...Category
2010s Italian Shift Dresses
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.