Christian Dior Gray Wool Dress w/Bow and Belt, Circa 1960
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Gray Wool Dress w/Bow and Belt, Circa 1960
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Bust: 33 in (83.82 cm)Waist: 31 in (78.74 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 41.5 in (105.41 cm)
- Period:
- Material Notes:Wool
- Condition:Excellent.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU12020648907
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. Vintage Dior bags, shoes, evening dresses, shirts and other garments and accessories are known today for their feminine and sophisticated sensibility.
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 couture 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.
- Valentino Black and Cream Wool Day Dress, Circa 1980'sBy ValentinoLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a black and cream day dress by Valentino, from the 1980's. The dress has a cream color block across the shoulders with pads, long sleeves, a large black silk bow on the front...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- Gianfranco Ferre Black and White Contrast Dress with Suspender detail Size 40By Gianfranco FerréLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Gianfranco Ferre dress features a side zipper. The black and white back is complimented by a embossed leather suspender detail. Made in Ita...Category
20th Century Italian Day Dresses
- Stella McCartney Bubble Style Metal Chain Halter Dress Size 40By Stella McCartneyLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Stella McCartney dress is made from a Light weight silk with elastic bottom. The bust and halter are structured with silver chain. There is a center back zipper closure for ease...Category
20th Century Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Pierre Balmain 'Couture' Black Linen Dress with Bow AccentBy Pierre BalmainLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a gorgeous COUTURE Pierre Balmain dress. The dress is composed of a wonderful black heavy weight linen. This three quarter dress features a front draped bow design and side b...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Geoffrey Beene Purple Wool Knit Cowl Neck Drape Dress & Wide Patent BeltBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a fantastic 3 piece dress from Geoffrey Beene. It is made of a purple knit fabric and consist of the dress, a cowl neck drape that is not attached and a black shiny wide belt...Category
1980s American Casual Dresses
- Lovely 1950's Galanos Black Boat Neck DressBy GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a lovely Galanos dress. The dress features a boat neck accented with buttons and a wonderfully gathered waist line. An amazing design with perfect si...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage EMANUEL UNGARO Boutique 1980s DAISY Black Parallele PARIS Dress XS/SBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Asheville, NCUngaro Boutique, Vintage 1980's, Sheer Cotton, Fully Lined, Belted, Straps Tie at Top, Five Round Buttons at Front, 2 Large Front Pockets, Daisy Floral Details on Top, Front and Bott...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
$584 Sale Price20% Off - Iconic Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Olive Green Safari Tunic, 1968.By Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Olive Green Safari Tunic, 1968. Olive green cotton tunic features laces at the front with long cords that are run through metal grommets, to be worn op...Category
1960s French Tunics and Wrap Dresses
- ALAÏA 1990 black knitted mini dressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Genève, CHAlaïa knitted mini dress with sheer raised edge skirt -Back closing with a hidden set zipper -Long sleeves -Nude knitted lining -Made in Italy -100% V...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dress
- ALBERTO BINI 1990 leather mini dress with gold tone Lion NEW with tagBy AlbertoLocated in Genève, CHThis vintage dress from Alberto Bini is coming directly from the 90s, and it's also a beautiful ode to Versace universe. -Lion detail in metal gold tone ...Category
1980s French Mini Dress
- Gucci by Tom Ford cherry blossom dress, SS 2003By Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GBThis slinky viscose cherry blossom dress was designed by Tom Ford when he was creative director or Gucci. The short sleeved version of the dress a...Category
Early 2000s European Mini Dresses
- YVES SAINT LAURENT BY TOM FORD S/S 2002 Runway Sheer Silk Two-PieceBy Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Berlin, BEThis leopard print two piece was the opening look for Yves Saint Laurent’s Spring Summer 2002 Rive Gauche collection by Tom Ford. This elegant two-piece consists of a high waisted silk pencil skirt and a zip up sleeveless silk top in a classic leopard print. This safari inspired set features beautiful details such as the YSL logo on the right side of the front of the bodice, and also embossed on the zipper. The bodice features a deep V neckline, multiple pockets on the front and drawstrings at the sides, the back features a transparent panel...Category
Early 2000s French Twin Sets
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.