70s Christian Dior Black Lace and Mylar Evening Ensemble
View Similar Items
70s Christian Dior Black Lace and Mylar Evening Ensemble
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Bust: 34 in (86.36 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)Hip: 36 in (91.44 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. LBlack chiffon lining has some discoloration which is not noticeable on the outside.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU492751343
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.
- Chic 1960s Black and White Gingham Long Sleeve A - Line Vintage 60s Wool DressLocated in San Diego, CAChic late 1960s black and white large houndstooth long sleeve A-line dress! Features a fitted bodice with a full skirt. Oversized collar, and bell sleeves that cuff at the hem. Featu...Category
1960s American Shift Dresses
$395 Sale Price33% Off - John Galliano Fall 1995 Corseted GownBy John GallianoLocated in Prague, CZAs seen in another fabric on the runway, this stunning sample of John Galliano Fall 1995 Corseted Gown in fabulous black! This dress can be worn TWO WAYS:...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil Leather & Mesh DressBy Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil, Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Carmel, CAJean Paul Gaultier Soleil fitted body concious black sheath dress with a black leather front panel and 3 layer stocking knit back panel. Leather front has open twisted and knotted le...Category
1990s French Sheath Dresses
- Gucci by Tom Ford Black Maxi DressBy GucciLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Gucci by Tom Ford black safari maxi dress from fall 1996 collection. - Front closure with gold Gucci "G" zipper, pointed collar and long le...Category
1990s Italian Maxi Dress
- Dolce & Gabbana Silk dress size 40By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Gazzaniga (BG), ITSilk (86%) Cotton (8%) Elastane (4%) Polyamid Floral fancy Long sleeves Black and white color Total length cm 84 (33,07 inches) Shoulders cm 34 (13,38 inches)Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- DONNA KARAN Black Lace Beaded Wool Gown Size 4 6By Donna KaranLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Donna Karan gown is composed of a black jersey with lace bodice. Features an interior unitard with side zipper closure. In excellent vintage condition. **Please cross-referen...Category
20th Century American Evening Gowns
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.