Christian Dior Demi Couture Belted Evening Puff Skirt, Circa 1953
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Excellent condition. Looks hardly worn.
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:Seller: 1DJD07451stDibs: LU56014156172
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: Geneva, Switzerland
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Versace Couture Light Wool Baroque Print SkirtBy VersaceLocated in Geneva, CHA recognizable pleated skirt by Versace Couture. Fits approx. : US 2-6 / FR 36-38 Measurements : Waist approx. 71 cm (28 inches) Total length (waist to bottom) approx. 48 cm ...Category
1990s Italian Pleated Skirts
- Alaia Leopard Print Knit Pencil Skirt, Fall-Winter 1991-1992By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Geneva, CHTimeless and endlessly versatile is the leopard print. Even more when this leopard print is iconic ! From one of the most recognizable and famous Alaïa collection, this Fall-Winter 1991-1992 jacquard-knit wool pencil skirt will look as chic styled with knee boots or sandals. Unlined, it is labelled a size S. Pulls on to wear, the fabric does have stretch. Fits approx. : US 2-6 / FR 36-38 Measurements (taken flat and unstretched) : Waist approx. 31-32 cm (12.2-12.6 inches) Hips approx. 37 cm (14.6 inches) Total length (waist to hem) approx. 54 cm (21.3 inches) This item has been professionally cleaned, pressed & carefully inspected by a couture-trained seamstress before being sold. Credit photo : Picture n° 3 -> "Alaia Throws A Curve" by Jean Baptiste Mondino...Category
1990s French Pencil Skirts
- Emanuel Ungaro Draped Knotted Cut-Out Cocktail Dress, Circa 1985By Emanuel UngaroLocated in Geneva, CHDesigned more than thirty years ago, this 80's Ungaro Parallèle cocktail dress is still furiously trendy ! Made from taupe brown soft wool, it is artfully draped and knotted for a bo...Category
1980s European Cocktail Dresses
- Hartnell Haute Couture Beaded Cocktail Dress, Circa 1960By Hartnell, Norman HartnellLocated in Geneva, CHLate 60's Norman Hartnell couture beaded black wool cocktail dress made of three pleated tiers falling in a graceful cascade. Embellished with beautiful black diamond-shape and black...Category
1960s English Cocktail Dresses
- Valentino Silk & Satin Cocktail DressBy ValentinoLocated in Geneva, CHSlightly naughty "little black dress". Silk chiffon accordion pleated skirt and sleeves, black silk satin wide belt and front buttons. Closure of the dress on the left side with a zi...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Thea Porter Couture Embroidered Silk Chiffon CaftanBy Thea PorterLocated in Geneva, CHVery representative and collectible Thea Porter Couture caftan dating from the seventies. This see-through caftan-dress is made of black silk chiffon with very intricate and refined silver metallic thread embroidery (probably antique Indian or Oriental fabric...Category
1970s English Caftans
- Giorgio Armani Black Rayon Crepe Skirt Size EU40 / US 6By Giorgio Armani Le CollezioniLocated in New York, NYGiorgio Armani Le Collezioni flirty little black skirt with draped open front that flows from fitted waistband. Fabric is a soft rayon ble...Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Joseph Belted Sash Black Skirt Size UK LBy JosephLocated in New York, NYThis is a skirt full of delightful surprises. It moves with you. Hidden slits and flaps, wrapped belted waist gives a variety of options for styling. The long sash belt allows for...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Bulgarian Skirts
- JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARCONS Leather Pleated SkirtBy Junya Watanabe Comme des GarçonsLocated in Berlin, BEAmazing pleated black leather skirt by Japanese designer Junya Watanabe. The luxurious leather skirt is made form a soft leather - it is fitted at the waistband and pleated at the b...Category
2010s Japanese Pleated Skirts
- 1990's vintage Moschino cheap & chic mini skirtBy Moschino, Moschino Cheap and ChicLocated in LAGNY-SUR-MARNE, FR1990's vintage Moschino cheap & chic mini skirt . It is in perfect condition with no damages. 92% Cashmere 6% Nylon. Runs true to size. matching coat available on the store. Sizes ...Category
1990s Pencil Skirts
- Richard Tyler Brocade Jacquard Metallic Skirt IT40 1990's XS/SBy Richard TylerLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Richard Tyler Skirt 1990's SZ IT40 GB 10 US 6 (Fits very small, model is size 2 and it is tight) Flat Measurements Waist 13.25 Inches Hips 18 Inches Length 21 Inches Bro...Category
1990s Pencil Skirts
- Margiela Wrap Skirt Black Line 4 Medium/One SizeBy Maison Martin MargielaLocated in Los Angeles, CAMargiela Wrap Skirt in Black Line 4 - Woman's garderobe (since Spring/Summer 2004) Size and fabric tag missing, feels like crisp vintage poly, nice and durable Open sizing, adjustabl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Wrap Skirts
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.