CHRISTIAN DIOR Size 4 Pink & Orange Floral Silk Wool A Line Cocktail Dress
View Similar Items
CHRISTIAN DIOR Size 4 Pink & Orange Floral Silk Wool A Line Cocktail Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 39 in (99.06 cm)Marked Size: 4 (US)Bust: 37 in (93.98 cm)Waist: 27 in (68.58 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: Item ID: 778111stDibs: LU16222065843
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.
- GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Size XS Black & White Silk Mixed Fabrics Cocktail DressBy Giambattista ValliLocated in San Francisco, CAGIAMBATTISTA VALLI sleeveless cocktail dress comes in a black and white lace and silk taffeta fabric, full lined and more than a half invisible zipper closure at center back featurin...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- PRADA Size 10 Black Pleated Silk Lace Top Long Sleeve Cocktail DressBy PradaLocated in San Francisco, CAPRADA cocktail dress comes in black pleated silk crepe chiffon with top stitching throughout, belted waist, lace long sleeve top, and tied back neck. Made in Italy.Excellent Pre-Owne...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Size 6 Black Pleated Cotton/Silk Waist Tie Cocktail DressBy Giambattista ValliLocated in San Francisco, CAGIAMBATTISTA VALLI strapless dress comes in a black pleated cotton / silk featuring a cocktail style, inner bustier, wide waist tie detail, and a side zip up closure. Made in Italy.V...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- LOUIS VUITTON Size 4 Black & White Stripe Silk Sleeveless Wrap DressBy Louis VuittonLocated in San Francisco, CALOUIS VUITTON sleeveless wrap dress with a plunging neckline and tulip skirt, in striped gazar and silk georgette. A dash of geometric transparency and a runway-inspired fabric belt ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- OSCAR DE LA RENTA Size 12 Navy Silk Sleeveless Sheath Cocktail DressBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in San Francisco, CAOSCAR DE LA RENTA sleeveless sheath dress comes in navy blue silk faille with a scoop neckline, sheath silhouette, slim straps, and belted waist. Made in USA.Excellent Pre-Owned Cond...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Size 6 Black Pleated Cotton / Silk Cocktail DressBy Giambattista ValliLocated in San Francisco, CAGIAMBATTISTA VALLI strapless dress comes in a black pleated cotton / silk featuring a cocktail style, inner bustier, wide waist tie detail, and a side zip up closure. Made in Italy.V...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld orange and brown knit and tweed jacket dress, fw 1995By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel orange and brown rib knit wool dress ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Checked boucle jacket attached to front of dress ▪ CC logo buttons ▪ 4 front pockets ▪ Long knitted ...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Worlds End by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren toga dress, ss 1982By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ A rare Worlds End toga dress ▪ Designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren ▪ Cotton-jersey bodice ▪ Open sides with ties to the waist ▪ Asymmetric sleeves ▪ Cream and ora...Category
1980s English Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana gold lace and python shirt dress, ss 2005By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana gold lace and python shirt dress ▪ Python trim ▪ 4 front python flap pockets ▪ Matching python belt ▪ Rolled-up sleeves ▪ Tortoise butt...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia black white polka dot sleeveless flare babydoll mini dress FR 36By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Paris, FRAzzedine Alaia sleeveless flared dress in black with white polka dot print Fitted upper which extends into a flared full skirt Concealed back zip Size: FR 36 with plenty of stretch...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Chloe S04 strapless plisse green silk chiffon layered bustier midi length dressBy ChloéLocated in Paris, FRChloe Spring Summer 2004 strapless plisse green silk dress Boning to the upper portion Cinched in waist Long rope ties with beaded ends wrap around the ne...Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage cottagecore prairie cotton white red floral print halter backless dressLocated in Paris, FRA beautiful vintage dress most likely from the 1970's Cottagecore style maxi length dress in white with red, yellow and green floral print Halt...Category
1970s Maxi 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.