Christian Dior One Shoulder Cocktail Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 38/French (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU247210456
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Donna Karan Olive-green cashmere shealthBy Donna KaranLocated in New York, NYDonna Karan cashmere shealth is double-faced in lovive-green, Soooo soft to the touch! The center back has an invisible zipper measuring 22". The ...Category
1990s American Sheath Dresses
- Halston Signature Iconic Tangerine Metallic Lame Backless Caped DressBy HalsonLocated in New York, NYHalston signature iconic tangerine metallic-silk lame orange wrap-around dress is backless. There's a cape-like extended collar that draps over the backless creating a flowing shawl-...Category
1970s American Cocktail Dresses
- Alberta Ferretti Cream & Tan "Ribbon" Sleeveless DressBy Alberta FerrettiLocated in New York, NYAlberta Ferretti wonderfully elegant cream & Tan "Ribbon" sleeveless cocktail dress is fully lined with silk. There is an invisible side zipper which measures 1...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Mary McFadden Signature Burgundy Pleated Body-Hugging GownBy Mary McFaddenLocated in New York, NYMary McFadden wonderfully elegant signature pleated body-hugging gown in burgundy is accented with long slim ties on both sleeve's cuffs measuring 12 1/4" in length. The fron...Category
1990s American Court Gowns
- Leonard of Paris, Multicolored "Splash" DressBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYLeonard, of Paris, Multicolored '70s Leonard draped dress so so wonderful to have for any occasion. The front has a beautifully draped neckline and slightly dropped shoulders. T...Category
1970s Italian Day Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Silk Chiffon with Crush Velvet & Lame "Bow" SheathBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYThis wonderfull Yves Saint Laurent combination of silk chiffon with crushed velvet and highlighted with gold lame evening dress is fully lined ...Category
1980s French Sheath Dresses
- Two Bill Blass Couture Beaded Tops. New Still Retaining Their Original PricetagBy Bill Blass for Neiman Marcus, Bill BlassLocated in Buchanan, MITwo Bill Blass Couture Beaded Tops. New Still Retaining Their Original Pricetags. Priced Per Top. THE FIRST Nude silk chiffon with red thread circle embroidered...Category
20th Century Blouses
- Versace SS 1995 butterfly runway dressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBIconic and super rare dress in one of Versaces most iconic prints ever - the butterfly print. This dress in the white butterfly print was worn on the runway...Category
1990s European Cocktail Dresses
- Issey Miyake Brown Gold Fringe Runway Japanese Pleats Please Dress GownBy Issey MiyakeLocated in PARIS, FRIssey Miyake Brown Gold Fringe Deconstructed Shredded Runway Japanese Kimono Geisha Pleats Please Dress Tunic Excellent condition, collector brown/gold fringe Dress...Category
1990s Japanese Evening Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier Mesh Nomad Ethnic Tribal Aztec Tattoo Tatouages Indian DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier JPG Collector Catwalk Mesh Transparent Sheer Nomad Ethnic Tribal Indian Western Aztec Tattoo Tatouages Long Maxi Dress Extremely rare "Tatouages" dress from Jean Paul Gaultier! Museum piece! "Tim Blanks’ Top Fashion Shows of All Time Jean Paul Gaultier, Spring/Summer 1994, October 1993: BoF’s Editor-at-Large journeys back to a show that fused Indian mysticism, 18th century silhouettes...Category
1990s Maxi Dresses
- Mariano Fortuny Claret Delphos. Provenance Tina ChowBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated claret colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording. The beads are amber glass with...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Sienna Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated sienna colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
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.