Christian Dior London 1960's Numbered Haute Couture Dress w Lesage Embellishment
View Similar Items
Christian Dior London 1960's Numbered Haute Couture Dress w Lesage Embellishment
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 46 in (116.84 cm)Marked Size: Small (US)Bust: 34 in (86.36 cm)Waist: 24 in (60.96 cm)Hip: 38 in (96.52 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Cloverdale, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5810615522
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.
- Chrisitan Dior by John Galliano Spring 2000 dressBy John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Brooklyn, NYChristian Dior by John Galliano distressed knit blue and silver dress from Spring Summer 2000 collection as seen on the runway. The dress has a lining that can be removed for a more ...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Bill Blass for Amen Wardy, 1984 One Shoulder Bow DressBy Amen WardyLocated in Los Angeles, CAPlayful and chic! This dress will make you feel like a celebrity. A 1984 Bill Blass for Amen Wardy gown, It brings the drama with its striking colors and its statement shoulder. S...Category
Late 20th Century Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana Purple Draped Silk Corset Detailed Strapless Mini Dress MBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Look nothing but lovely as you don this marvelous dress from Dolce & Gabbana. Pair it with your favorite accessories as you head out for the day.Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Alberta Ferretti Purple Silk Evening Sheath DressBy Philosophy by Alberta FerrettiLocated in Brindisi, BtPhilosophy by Alberta Ferretti 2000s woman dress. Elegant sheath dress, knee length. Purple color, 75% acetate fabric, 20% polyamide, 5% other fibers, the upper part of the chest and...Category
Early 2000s Italian Sheath Dresses
- Vintage Eggplant Hanae Mori 1980s Wool Dress Size US 6By Hanae MoriLocated in New York, NYVintage eggplant wool long sleeve dress by Hanae Mori. Circa 1980s. V-neck. Gathering at side waist. Zip closure at back. 33" bust, 28" waist, 39" length, 16.5" shoulder width.Category
1980s Evening Dresses and Gowns
$396 Sale Price20% Off - Delpozo Dreamy One-Shoulder Polka Dot Dramatic Silk Chiffon GownBy DelpozoLocated in Los Angeles, CAA dreamy entrance gown in soft purple polka dot by Delpozo. A one shoulder fitted bodice and waist extending into a full dramatic skirt. Beautifully crafted and designed soft lea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening 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.