Christian Dior Navy Flower Embroidered Dress
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Navy Flower Embroidered Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: CSLM1017DIORDR1stDibs: LU3363541171
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.
- Prada Floral Print Embellished DressBy PradaLocated in London, GBFinished with jewel embellishments for added sparkle, this pre-owned Prada midi dress features a black and red floral print, bateau neckline, cap slee...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses
- Vintage Chanel Black Sequin DressBy ChanelLocated in London, GBThis vintage Chanel dress is the kind you'll be relying on time and again when you get a last minute invitation to a party. Lined in silk, it's cut with an effortless shift silhouett...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Cocktail Dresses
Sold$2,590 - 1960's Christian Dior Brown Haute Couture DressBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBThis exquisite vintage dress was crafted in France from green silk, the beautiful structure features a round neck, an invisible back zip fastening, a sleeveless design, a slim fit, a...Category
20th Century French Cocktail Dresses
- Dolce & Gabbana Embroidered Couture GownBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBCrafted in Italy from a charcoal grey silk blend, this pre-owned couture gown from Dolce & Gabbana is expertly cut on the bias to reveal a fluid yet fitted silhouette, strapless bodi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Dresses and Gowns
Sold$1,900 - Dior by JPG Strapless DressBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBHandcrafted in France in 2002, this Pre Owned Dior by JPG Printed Dress will turn heads. Created under John Galliano at Dior. This knee-length dress is made of...Category
Early 2000s Informal Dresses
Sold$2,630 - Jil Sander Sequin DressBy Jil SanderLocated in London, GBPerfect for the party season, this Jil Sander mini dress is adorned with eye-catching pearl coloured sequins. Featuring a rounded neckline this sleeveless design is both elegant and ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
On Hold$1,500
- Dolce & Gabbana D&G Black and Gray Ruched Corset DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Oakland, CASexy as ever Dolce & Gabanna bodycon ruched corset dress with boning. Black with dark heather grey front panels. Adjustable lingerie straps. Full length back zipper. Hits a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Thierry Mugler Haute Couture Green Velvet Dress with Belt, "VAMPIRE DRESS" 1981.By Thierry Mugler CoutureLocated in New York, NYThierry Mugler Haute Couture Green Velvet Dress with Belt, "VAMPIRE DRESS" 1981. Off the shoulder puff-sleeve green velvet dress featuring fitted inner s...Category
1980s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- CHANEL 2013 Blue Black Checkered DressBy ChanelLocated in Krakow, PLFrom the cruise 2013 runway collection Excellent condition. Features a blue and black checkered geometric pattern with mash checkering at the hem. Elastic around bust. Side zipper...Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia F/W 1990 Vintage Bodycon Sheer Lace Mini DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia F/W 1990 Runway Vintage Bodycon Sheer Lace Mini Dress Size M Vintage Alaïa sheer lace mini dress featuring collar with button closures at center front, black lace ove...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace S/S 1994 Runway Couture Vintage Crinkle Silk Lace Black DressBy Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace S/S 1994 Runway Couture Vintage Crinkle Silk Lace Black Dress IT 42Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia S/S 1990 Vintage Black Bustier Fitted DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia S/S 1990 Vintage Fitted Plunged Décolleté Mini Dress M Black Alaïa mini bodycon dress with sweetheart neck and rib knit accent panels throughout. All Eyes on Alaïa ...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and 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.