Christian Dior Velvet and Patent Leather Cocoon Dress, 1980s
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Velvet and Patent Leather Cocoon Dress, 1980s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 8 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: cl_71741stDibs: LU1613818193
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.
- 1990s Jean Paul Gaultier Silk Evening GownBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Austin, TX1990s Jean Paul Gaultier Black Silk Evening Gown. ribbon lacing up back. Condition: Excellent size S/ M 21.5" bust, 26" waist, 50" hip, 63.5" lengthCategory
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace Corset Gown RibbonsBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Austin, TXGianni Versace 1990s black stretch evening gown with ribbon corset detail Size L 25" bust, 25" waist, 30" hip, 56.5" length ( un-stretched ) Condition: Excellent Fabric: 65% Polyes...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier black one shoulder gown with attached pouchBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Austin, TXJean Paul Gaultier black one shoulder gown with attached pouch 100% rayon 31" bust, 26" waist, 25" hips, 66" length Condition: Excellent siz...Category
1990s Unknown Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Ozbek Printed Slip DressBy OzbekLocated in Austin, TXOzbek printed slip dress 26" bust, 24" waist, 27" hips, 56" length Condition: excellent size M / US 8 / IT 42Category
1990s Unknown Evening Dresses
$518 Sale Price54% Off - 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford Black One Shoulder Crystal G Gown DressBy Tom Ford, GucciLocated in Austin, TX1998 Gucci by Tom Ford Black One Shoulder Crystal G Gown Dress Condition: Very Good. No holes or stains, no missing crystals. Rayon & Spandex Made in Italy Bust: 32"- 40", Waist: 30"...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1990s Jean Paul Gaultier Flapper Style Sheer DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Austin, TX1990's Jean Paul Gaultier navy flapper style glitter sheer dress CONDITION: Very Good- unworn with tags but there is a tiny mend hidden in the glitter- please see photos. 100% rayon...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Badgley Mischka Beaded Black Silk Lace Evening Gown Size US 10By Badgley MischkaLocated in New York, NYBadgley Mischka glamorous black silk lace evening gown, size US 10. Gown features hand beaded and embroidered lace with glass jet beading, and neckline with glass jet beads along cu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Gowns
- Rare CEIL CHAPMAN 1950s Vintage Black Satin COUTURE Cocktail Dress XS/SBy Ceil ChapmanLocated in Asheville, NCCeil Chapman, 1950's Era, Pleated Front and Back Panels, Front Bow, Open Top Puff Sleeves with Bows on Ends, Round Neck, Bone In Front and Sides, Back Zipper, Hook and Eye Black Clos...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
$1,750 Sale Price30% Off - Rare LARRY ALDRICH COUTURE 1950s Silk Taffeta Bow & Button Cocktail DressLocated in Asheville, NCLarry Aldrich, 1950's Era Vintage Couture, Silk Taffeta, V Neck Front Wrap Style with Bow, Two Front Pockets, Nine Fabric Back Buttons, Built-in Moderate Crinoline with Hook and Eye ...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
$909 Sale Price30% Off - Calvin Klein Black Lace Cocktail Dress, c. 1990s.By Calvin KleinLocated in New York, NYCalvin Klein Black Lace Cocktail Dress, c. 1990s. Calvin Klein Black Lace Cocktail Dress featuring low cut V-ncekline and shoulder pads. Beautiful Lace hem extends past chiffon linin...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Gown with Open Back, 1990.By Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Gown with Open Back, 1990. Full length woven dress with waistband. Features slit at center front and open ...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Gianfranco Ferré black gown with sheer sleeves, ca. 1970By Gianfranco FerréLocated in New York, NYGianfranco Ferré black gown with sheer sleeves, ca. 1970 Long black wool dress with subtle shimmer featuring waistcoat-style bodice with sheer sleeves. Mermaid skirt features diagona...Category
1970s Italian Aesthetic 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.