Vintage Christian Dior Red Silk Dress
View Similar Items
Vintage Christian Dior Red Silk Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 41 in (104.14 cm)Bust: 37 in (93.98 cm)Waist: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Altered (not by designer).
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU44231730283
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.
- Red Crepe Dress by Mimmina of ItalyLocated in London, GBA chic and easy to wear red crepe dress by Mimmina of Italy. The dress is in excellent condition and has gathering at the front and shoulder pads. It is unlined. Measurements: Bust...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- Vtntage Pallant London Red and Black Wool Coat DressLocated in London, GBA chic vintage wool coat dress by Pallant London. The dress is in a red and black wool with an unusual asymetric zip and interesting hem. It is fully...Category
1980s Day Dresses
- Vintage Red Cotton Boho DressLocated in London, GBA fun easy to wear red cotton boho dress. The dress is collarless with a v neckline and has embroidery over the bust area with print cuffs and hem.Category
1970s Unknown Day Dresses
- Lalage Baeumont Red Wool Jersey DressLocated in London, GBA great dress for Fall / Winter from Lalage Beaumont. In a red woo jersey fabric , the dress has a v neckline, elbow length sleaves and back central zi...Category
2010s Day Dresses
- A Vintage Halter Neck Polka Dot Dress by Betsey JohnsonBy Betsey JohnsonLocated in London, GBA great vintage summer party dress by Betsey Johnson. In red cotton with black dots, the dress has a halter neck with an elastic back , and gathering at the bust.Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- Vintage Mugler Aubergine Zip Up DressBy Thierry Mugler, MuglerLocated in London, GBA great vintage dress by Mugler, which could also be worn as a coat. The dress has a central zip opening ,four zip pockets and is fully lined.Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Silk Brocade Butterfly Dress UK 8-10 US 4-6Located in Cheltenham, GBA marvel to behold, this original 1950's silk brocade dress in a vibrant shade of fuchsia pink with rose pink accents, in a wonderfully intricate butterfly pattern, is just the piece...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- 1990' vintage red and black dress by Moschino cheap & chicBy Moschino Cheap and Chic, MoschinoLocated in LAGNY-SUR-MARNE, FR1990' vintage red and black dress by Moschino cheap & chic. In good condition some velvet pearls are missing (see pictures) but the overall state is impeccable. the top of the dress ...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dresses
- 1980’s Moschino Mare Vintage Minnie Mouse Knit Mini DressBy MoschinoLocated in Concord, NCSuper fun and whimsical rare Moschino late 80's/early 90's polka dot minnie mouse inspired dress accented with a yellow bow. Featuring a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves. An iconi...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- Art Deco Red Chiffon 'Flapper' Dress, manner Dufy & PoiretBy Paul PoiretLocated in Sharon, CTOffering a 1920's Red Silk Chiffon Art Deco 'Flapper' Dress in the manner of Paul Poiret with a printed black rose pattern in the manner of Raoul Dufy. Pleated sleeves and black vel...Category
1920s French Cocktail Dresses
- Jean-Louis Scherrer Boutique Paris Paisley Silk Day DressBy Jean-Louis ScherrerLocated in Sharon, CTOffering a Jean-Louis Scherrer Paris Silk Day Dress. Paisley print, top lined in black silk, buttoned up front, US size 8. A numbered Paris label (408309).Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2015 Layered Fit & Flare Sleeveless Military Dress 38By Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueenLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Sarah Burton for the Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2015 collection. Fit & flare with layered skirt portion of dress. Military Style. Epaulettes at shoulders. Sleeveless. S...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail 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.