Christian Dior New Silk Dress S/S 2015
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 4 (US)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 40 in (101.6 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 61 in (154.94 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Water Mill, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5115065861
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: Water Mill, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Valentino New Neon DressBy ValentinoLocated in Water Mill, NYAn incredible neon dress from Valentino. It has a scoop neckline, full sleeves, a full skirt, and a fitted waist. It is lined in the same fabric and has a ...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- Thierry Mugler Silk Dress with Cut outsBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Water Mill, NYA stunning brilliant yellow green silk bodycon dress from Thierry Mugler. It has short sleeves and is semi fitted through to the asymmetric hemline...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Donald Brooks 1960s Geometric Seams DressBy Donald BrooksLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous green mid weight linen dress from the great American Designer Donald Brooks. It is sleeveless, skimming the body with a slight A line towards the hem. There triangular pan...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- Valentino Yellow Gown with Back Cut outBy ValentinoLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous bright yellow with a touch of green silk maxi dress gown from Valentino. It is sleeveless skimming the body and and has hip level side seam pockets. The dress has a squa...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1950s Cage Back DressLocated in Water Mill, NYA great black dress with a bateau neckline, short sleeves and small vertical straps draping in the bodice back. It has a straight skirt with a back vent and an attached belt. The dre...Category
1950s American Day Dresses
- Valentino Dress with Cut out sides 1990sBy ValentinoLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous silk blend dress in a subtle black and white herringbone pattern from Valentino. It is sleeveless with a V neckline and black lace covered cut outs as the sides of the wai...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1980s Thierry Mugler Logo Belted Green Cotton Wrap DressBy Thierry MuglerLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a vibrant green Thierry Mugler wrap dress, designed by Manfred Mugler. From the early 1980s, this cotton wrap dress features a v-neckline,...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Rare 1980's Thierry Mugler "Show those Legs" Halter Hi Low Evening DressBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Los Angeles, CACirca 1980's Thierry Mugler rare kelly green shantung silk form fitting halter dress. Edgy hi fashion silhouette with strong lean lines; stylish hi...Category
1980s French Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- F/W 2003 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Runway Emerald Green Ruffle Silk DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an iconic emerald green Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche silk dress, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2003 collection, a more sheer version of this dress debuted on the season's runway as look 1 modeled by Julia Stegner and in the season's ad campaign on Julia Stenger, photographed by Craig McDean...Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 1989 Gianni Versace Runway Bright Green Linen Chiffon Tie Runway DressBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous bright green linen Gianni Versace Couture dress, designed by Gianni Versace. Debuting in the the Spring/Summer 1989 runway presentation, this vibrant mini dress features petal-style sleeves and is made complete with ruched chiffon that wraps around the waist from the bust to tie at the lower back. The masterful draping emphasizes the curves of the wearer in true Versace fashion! This rare late 1980s Gianni Versace runway dress...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- F/W 1993 Gianni Versace Couture Green Knit Dress + Medusa Button Cardigan SetBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a sexy take on a knit dress, designed by Gianni Versace. Debuted as look number 32 on the Fall/Winter 1993 runway, modeled by Naomi Campbell, this set speaks for itself! C...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- S/S 2000 Gianni Versace by Donatella Jungle Yellow Orchid Stretch Charm DressBy Donatella Versace for Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a black and yellow orchid print Gianni Versace Couture dress, designed by Donatella Versace. From the Spring/Summer 2000 collection, this fabu...Category
Early 2000s 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.