1990 Christian Dior Haute-Couture Black Velvet Feather Hourglass Fishtail Gown
View Similar Items
1990 Christian Dior Haute-Couture Black Velvet Feather Hourglass Fishtail Gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 60 in (152.4 cm)Bust: 32 in (81.28 cm)Waist: 25 in (63.5 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3093800811
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.
- Vintage 1979 Givenchy Haute Couture Navy & Ivory Silk Off-Shoulder Ruffle GownBy GivenchyLocated in Beverly Hills, CAGivenchy's trademark of sculpted lines and luxurious fabrics make his work easily recognizable. This gorgeous gown, dating back to his 1979 collection, is a beautiful example of his ...Category
1970s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1969 Nina Ricci Couture Documented Rainbow Block-Color Velvet Maxi DressBy Nina RicciLocated in Beverly Hills, CAThe French fashion house Nina Ricci, known for its feminine, ladylike clothing, has long been the go-to for Parisian chic. Elegant Frenchwomen and their daughters streamed steadily through the doors of Maison Ricci, seeking debutante dresses, party frocks and wedding trousseaus distinguished by fine details and luxurious fabrics. To achieve her figure-flattering cuts, the seasoned dressmaker draped on a live mannequin, pinning and snipping with a couturier's care. This breathtaking rainbow stripe block-color gown, dating back to fall-winter 1969, is a perfect example of this brand's genius. The bodice has lean, long sleeves with an hourglass wide sash belted waist. I adore the bold primary colors and flattering bell-shape skirting. I totally see this walking down any red carpet or at a special holiday event! Measurements Bust: 32-33 inches Waist: 25 inches Hips: up to 40 inches Total Length: 57 inches This Nina Ricci Couture...Category
1960s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1973 Pierre Balmain Haute Couture Navy Silk Pleated Petal Collar GownBy Pierre BalmainLocated in Beverly Hills, CAUltra chic modernist Pierre Balmain haute couture navy blue gown dating back to the 1973 fall-winter collection. Pierre Balmain worked under Robert Pigi...Category
1970s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1960's André Courrèges Black Vinyl-Bows Minimalist Space-Age Mod GownBy André CourrègesLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn ultra chic André Courrèges Paris vibrant black minimalist gown dating back to the late 1960's. Andre Courreges launched his unique space-age collection in 1964. The shapes of his ...Category
1960s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1970's Halston Couture Iridescent Beaded Black Silk One-Shoulder DressBy HalstonLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn absolutely stunning and highly desirable Halston couture fully beaded silk one-shoulder dress dating back to the mid 1970's. Halston revolutionized the way women dress and is one ...Category
1970s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1970s Jean Varon Documented Linen Jersey Graphic Print Peplum Maxi DressBy Jean VaronLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking spring-summer 1970 documented black linen and colorful op-art print jersey dress by the famous Jean Varon label. John Bates started the Jean Varon label in 1960 and is p...Category
1970s English Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Adolfo Tropical Silk Jersey Strapless Dress with Half CapeletBy AdolfoLocated in New York, NYAdolfo strapless dress with bold green, indigo and white tropical floral print. Wonderfully tailored, with fitted bodice and draped open tulip front slit above the knee for movement...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Badgley Mischka Beaded Black Silk Lace Evening Gown Size US 10By Badgley MischkaLocated in New York, NYBadgley Mischka glamorous black silk lace evening gown, size US 10. Gown features hand beaded and embroidered lace with glass jet beading, and neckline with glass jet beads along cu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Gowns
- SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE 2014 Black Leather Mini DressBy Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Berlin, BEThe most incredible leather mini-dress by Saint Laurent from 2014, designed by Hedi Slimane. This exceptional sleeveless mini dress is made from a soft lamb leather and features gor...Category
2010s French Mini Dress
- Yves Saint Laurent Spring 1989 GownBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Brooklyn, NYExquisite and unparalleled, behold this mesmerizing Yves Saint Laurent gold lamé gown from the esteemed Spring Summer 1989 collection. Del...Category
1980s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Moschino Spring 2004 dressBy MoschinoLocated in Brooklyn, NYSuper cute Moschino black lingerie Spring 2004 dress with lace and hooks on bodice, and ruffles at the bottom as seen on the runway in a pink version. The d...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace Jeans Couture Black Body Con DressBy Versace Jeans CoutureLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILDescription: Rare Versace Jeans Couture black dress with iconic Medusa. Country: Italy Period: Late 20th CenturyCategory
20th Century Mini Dress
$909 Sale Price30% Off
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.