A Christian Dior New-York Grey Silk Dress and Jacket Circa 1958
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Equivalent to French size 38 (EU)
- Style:1958 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good Condition and Color .
- Seller Location:Toulon, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU633319305262
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: Toulon, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- A Chiffon & Printed Satin Edwardian Tea Gown - England Circa 1905Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1905/1910 England Beautiful Tea Gown of an English Lady dating from the early twentieth century. Grey satin and muslin printed circular patterns. Effect of an apron and bib ...Category
Early 1900s British Empire Waist Dresses
- A Rare and Early Jeanne Lanvin Haute Couture Chiffon and satin Dress Winter 1920By Jeanne LanvinLocated in Toulon, FRWinter 1920-1921 France. Long dress in black silk crepe by Jeanne Lanvin Haute Couture. Wide shape with back of the dress longer than the front. Fitting the skirt, split on the sid...Category
1920s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Emilio Pucci Blue Graphic Dress Circa 1980By Emilio PucciLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1980 Italy Emilio Pucci dress with graphic patterns in lilac, light green, turquoise blue, pale pink, black and cream. Pattern and cut of the dr...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- A Biba black embroidered mini Dress, Circa 1970-1980By BibaLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1970-1980 England. Biba black mini dress and gold sequined collar. Opened on the back. Large and wide sleeves. Dress composed of a large t-shirt and a mini skirt, belt tight ...Category
1970s English Mini Dress
- A French Flowered Printed Chiffon Dress With Removable Skirt, circa 1950-1960Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1950-1960 France Unlabelled dress very good manufacturing, high-quality garment, chiffon flowers on green background. Short sleeves. Scarf neck can be tied. Fine pleated skir...Category
1950s French Casual Dresses
- A Printed Chiffon Evening Dress by Madame Grès Haute Couture Circa 1970By Madame GresLocated in Toulon, FREarly 1970. France. Long sleeveless Haute Couture dress by Madame Grès. Bottom of the orange dress on which is sewn a chiffon printed with large abstract flowers orange and purple....Category
1970s French Evening Dresses
- Comme Des Garçons Button-up Black Chiffon Shirt DressBy Comme des GarçonsLocated in Berlin, BEComme Des Garçons Button-up Black Shirt Dress Brand: Comme Des Garçons Designer: Rei Kawakubo Collection/Year: 2000s Fabric: Cotton / Chiffon Color: Black Size: XS Japanese desig...Category
2010s Japanese Casual Dresses
- Vintage 1920's Gold Beaded Sequin Dress Flapper Dress UK 6-8 US 2-4Located in Cheltenham, GBFull of opulent original details, rendered in the most luxurious fashion, this rare 1920's piece is a beauty to behold and never again find. The rounded neckline of the dress, is fr...Category
1920s European Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 1920's Black Silk Chiffon Beaded Bow Dress UK 12 US 8Located in Cheltenham, GBFull of opulent original details, rendered in the most luxurious fashion, this rare 1920's piece is a beauty to behold. On a base of black silk chiffon and embellished with glass bea...Category
1920s European Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Late 1950's Black Christian Dior Dress UK 8 US 4By Christian DiorLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis collectible and rare late 1950's Christian Dior dress, rendered in a deep black wool crepe, showcases the iconic silhouette of the era, whilst remaining to this day a classic an...Category
1950s European Cocktail Dresses
- Chanel Resort 2013 DressBy ChanelLocated in Brooklyn, NYBehold this exquisite Chanel pale pink dress, a radiant gem plucked from the illustrious resort 2013 collection, as famously showcased on the elegant runway by none other than the ca...Category
2010s Day Dresses
- Maison Martin Margiela Spring 1999 Trompe-L'œil Semi Couture BodiceBy Maison Martin MargielaLocated in San Diego, CAMaison Martin Margiela dressmaker bodice in Trompe-L'œil printed cotton featured on the spring 1999 runway in look eight adorned with hook-and-eye closures, number, and lettered with...Category
1990s European Tunics and Wrap 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.