CHRISTIAN DIOR by John Galliano Seafoam Silk Chiffon Cocktail Dress Dior Logo
View Similar Items
CHRISTIAN DIOR by John Galliano Seafoam Silk Chiffon Cocktail Dress Dior Logo
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 8 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition, showroom piece.
- Seller Location:Switzerland, CH
- Reference Number:Seller: CDAQSLKDR81stDibs: LU416314119242
John Galliano for Christian Dior
Known for introducing rich theatricality and memorable fashion spectacles to the runway, John Galliano has enjoyed a singular career. The audacious British designer has garnered universal acclaim for genre-breaking collections not only at his eponymous label but also for Christian Dior.
From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless newspaper-print dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy, drawing on history as often as it embodies a fresh and forward-looking sensibility, and over the years the designer has helped shape an ever-broadening new legion of enthusiasts for Parisian couture.
Born in Gibraltar but raised in South London by strict Roman Catholic working-class parents, Galliano attended the all-boys Church of England grammar school, where his flamboyance and interest in art attracted the attention of bullies. Eventually, Galliano ended up at the prestigious design and art school Central Saint Martins College (then called Saint Martin’s School of Art), where fellow British designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen also trained.
Galliano flourished at Central Saint Martins. While a student, he worked in the costume department at the National Theatre in London. His graduate collection in 1984, dubbed “Les Incroyables” and named for post–French Revolution fashion lovers, was modeled by close friends of his and earned a standing ovation. The line ended up in the storefront windows of London luxury boutique Brown’s on South Molton Street, and Galliano’s first official collection — after he graduated — debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Galliano’s relationship with his financial backer, Plein Sud’s Faycal Amor, ended, and by 1994, he was broke and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and then-Vanity Fair editor André Leon Talley stepped in and introduced the budding designer to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron São Schlumberger and others.
At Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier, Galliano’s shows became the stuff of fashion legend. His collection, a blend of Japanese modernist style as well as nostalgia for Art Deco and 1940s’ tailoring, earned raves in glossy magazines and garnered the attention of Princess Diana, Madonna and other fashion luminaries.
Once the Galliano name was well known among the world’s most stylish set, the chairperson of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, appointed Galliano head designer of French fashion house Givenchy. One year later, in 1996, LVMH moved him to the design team at Dior. In just eight weeks, Galliano produced 50 looks for Dior Haute Couture’s brilliant Spring/Summer 1997 Maasai collection and would ultimately design a mind-boggling eight collections a year for the storied French fashion house until 2011. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage and contemporary John Galliano for Christian Dior evening dresses and gowns, shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
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. Vintage Dior bags, shoes, evening dresses, shirts and other garments and accessories are known today for their feminine and sophisticated sensibility.
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 couture 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.
- UNWORN Chanel Signature CC Logo Enblem Knit Cashmere Mini Dress 38By ChanelLocated in Switzerland, CHBodyhugging signature cashmere dress by Chanel A timeless classic Simply slips on Mint color with blue center Black trimming and COCO CHANEL "CC" logo Rib knit Finest cashmere knit 1...Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
- EMILIO PUCCI Silk Jersey Signature Print Tunic Kaftan Style Dress 42By Emilio PucciLocated in Switzerland, CHA stunning dress by Emilio Pucci Modern Emilio Pucci signature print "Emilio" discreetly written all over 100% Silk Jersey Wonderful design with wide...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$299 Sale Price40% Off - Tropical EMILIO PUCCI Jacquard Silk Blend Palms Signature Print Dress Belt 40By Emilio PucciLocated in Switzerland, CHA stunning piece by Emilio Pucci Made of finest silk blend jacquard fabric Fantastic design with palm-frond print Signature print signed with "Emilio" all over Sculptural shift dress...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
$839 Sale Price40% Off - UNWORN Beautiful Emilio Pucci Signature Print Silk Jersey Bow Tie Dress 44By Emilio PucciLocated in Switzerland, CHBeautiful Emilio Pucci dress Made of softest silk jersey Signature print in beautiful blue and beige colors "Emilio" signature discreetly written all over Simply slips on Bow tie det...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Dresses
- UNWORN Emilio Pucci Signature Print Ruched Silk Jersey Bodycon Dress 40By Emilio PucciLocated in Switzerland, CHA stunning dress by Emilio Pucci Modern Emilio Pucci signature print on fine silk jersey "Emilio" discreetly written all over Dramatically shaped with an asymmetrical low back and ruched columns with tiny ruffles Round neckline Low asymmetrical back...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
$360 Sale Price54% Off - NEW Emilio Pucci Signature Tropical Print Midi Dress Gown 38By Emilio PucciLocated in Switzerland, CHThe vibrant botanical print, tropical hues and airy handle of this piece combine to create the ideal summer dress. It is cut from a soft cotton and feature printed with Samoa pattern...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
$699 Sale Price46% Off
- Valentino Miss V Green white pois DressBy ValentinoLocated in Capri, ITValentino Miss V Green white pois Dress Totally made in italy in italian size range 46Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$192 Sale Price59% Off - Vintage Strapless Turquoise Blue Green Leather 1980s Dress in Size 4/6By Yucatan BayLocated in Portland, ORThis is a vintage Yucatan Bay 1980's Strapless Turquoise Leather Dress from the 1980's. This strapless leather dress has interesting top-stitching an...Category
1980s South Korean Day Dresses
- Vintage 1960s Blue Linen Beaded Halter Dress W White Beads & RhinestonesLocated in Portland, ORThis is an incredible vintage Caribbean blue linen dress with a stunning beaded halter style collar with rhinestones. This hourglass wiggle dress ha...Category
Mid-20th Century American Day Dresses
- Oscar de la Renta Blue Turquoise Sleeveless Silk Dress W Bubble Hem Resort 2009By Oscar De La RentaLocated in Portland, ORThis is a timeless dress designed by Oscar de la Renta himself for his 2009 Resort collection. Oscar de la Renta always designed the most flattering dresses and we love his pieces! He was a designer we will always miss! The dress is in a lovely turquoise blue silk and is a sleeveless shirtwaist style with a surprise bubble hem! The dress buttons half way up the front and appears to have been only worn once if ever! This is a wonderful wedding guest dress...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Kenzo Elegant Blue Vintage DressBy KenzoLocated in Milano, ITBeautiful vintage dress designed by the great designer Kenzo in the 1990s. Made in France. The dress has the original label. The dress is below...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
$703 Sale Price20% Off - Cruise 2004 Gucci by Tom Ford Teal Sheer Silk Bandana Strap Mini Dress NWTBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a rare mini dress designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's 2004 cruise collection. New with tags, this piece is made of sheer light blue silk printed in a western paisley bandana pattern. Small gold studs...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mini Dresses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.
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.