Christian Dior Printemps Été 1958 "New Look" Yellow Floral Dress
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Printemps Été 1958 "New Look" Yellow Floral Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 60 in (152.4 cm)Bust: 30 in (76.2 cm)Waist: 24 in (60.96 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 501stDibs: LU58332482761
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.
- Balenciaga 1967 Haute Couture Black Chantilly Lace Pantalettes DressBy BalenciagaLocated in Los Angeles, CABalenciaga 1967 Haute Couture Black Chantilly Lace Pantalettes Dress Vintage; 1967 haute couture by Balenciaga Eisa label Black/Pink Strapless necklin...Category
1960s European Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Haute Couture Black Velvet Halter DressBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAYves Saint Laurent Vintage Haute Couture Black Velvet Halter Dress Vintage; circa 1960s Black Velvet Round gathered halter neckline with hook and eye fastening Fitted bodice Maxi le...Category
1960s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- James Galanos Vintage Purple and Black Lace Bow Dress (1980s)By James GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAGalanos Vintage Purple and Black Lace Bow Dress Circa 1980s; for I. Magnin Black satin; purple lace bodice Long sleeve with snap fastening at cuffs Round neckline Side seam pockets...Category
1980s American Cocktail Dresses
- Jacques Fath Embellished Halter Dress with Jacket circa 1980sBy Jacques FathLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a mint colored halter dress by Jacques Fath c. 1980s. It features a bodice embellished with a combination of beads, sequins, and paillettes. The tea length skirt is constru...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Dress circa 1980sBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is an haute couture dress by Yves Saint Laurent c. 1980s. It is made from charcoal colored satin. It features gathered and folded fabric all around with a two tiered ruffled sk...Category
1980s Cocktail Dresses
- Christian Dior Haute Couture Gown Autuwm/Winter 1972By Christian DiorLocated in Los Angeles, CAHaute couture silk organza gown by Christian Dior Autumn/Winter 1972 Collection Floor length One Shoulder Ruffled bodice Blue lining topped with lightweight purple organza; gives cha...Category
1970s French Evening Gowns
$9,600 Sale Price20% Off
- Gianni Versace yellow oroton metal chainmail evening mini dress, fw 1984By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace Yellow checkered Oroton chainmail evening mini dress ▪ 100% Aluminium, 100% Silk ▪ Amber crystal embellishments ▪ Ruched side seam with leg slit ▪ Built-in waist ...Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana Yellow Silk Bow Detail Sleeveless Maxi Dress MBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Designed in a flattering silhouette, this silk maxi number from Dolce & Gabbana is a head-turner! It looks lovely in yellow and features ruched details throughout. It flaunts a wide ...Category
2010s Italian Maxi Dress
- Diane Von Furstenberg Mustard Yellow Sequin Embellished Silk Havita Dress MBy Diane von FurstenbergLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2You will love the way you look when you slip this dress on. It is a creation by Diane von Furstenberg, wonderfully designed with sequin embellishments, elegantly complemented by a mid-length hemline. A pair of metallic sandals...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
- Roland Mouret Yellow Crepe Off-Shoulder Belted Conway Dress MBy Roland MouretLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2This dress designed by Roland Mouret is here to a dash of panache to your ensemble. It is stitched using comfortable, good-quality fabric and flaunts an attractive silhouette.Category
2010s European Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace S/S 2000 Bamboo Print Silk DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace S/S 2000 Vintage Bamboo Print Silk Dress Size IT 40 Gianni Versace silk dress with bamboo floral print throughout, pointed ...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Alexandre Vauthier Crystal Embellished Plunging Yellow Evening Dress GownBy Alexandre VauthierLocated in Naples, FLAlexandre Vauthier Crystal Embellished Plunging Neckline Yellow Evening Dress Gown FR 36 • Made in Italy • Dry clean only • Crossover neckline ...Category
2010s 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.