Christian Dior by John Galliano deconstructed floral silk wrap skirt, ss 2001

About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR36 - UK8 - US4 (EU)
- Place of Origin:France
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140219422482
John Galliano for Christian Dior
Known for introducing rich theatricality and memorable fashion spectacles to the runway, John Galliano has enjoyed a singular career. The audacious British designer has garnered universal acclaim for genre-breaking collections not only at his eponymous label but also for Christian Dior.
From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless newspaper-print dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably newsworthy, drawing on history as often as it embodies a fresh and forward-looking sensibility, and over the years the designer has helped shape an ever-broadening new legion of enthusiasts for Parisian couture.
Born in Gibraltar but raised in South London by strict Roman Catholic working-class parents, Galliano attended the all-boys Church of England grammar school, where his flamboyance and interest in art attracted the attention of bullies. Eventually, Galliano ended up at the prestigious design and art school Central Saint Martins College (then called Saint Martin’s School of Art), where fellow British designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen also trained.
Galliano flourished at Central Saint Martins. While a student, he worked in the costume department at the National Theatre in London. His graduate collection in 1984, dubbed “Les Incroyables” and named for post–French Revolution fashion lovers, was modeled by close friends of his and earned a standing ovation. The line ended up in the storefront windows of London luxury boutique Brown’s on South Molton Street, and Galliano’s first official collection — after he graduated — debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Galliano’s relationship with his financial backer, Plein Sud’s Faycal Amor, ended, and by 1994, he was broke and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and then-Vanity Fair editor André Leon Talley stepped in and introduced the budding designer to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron São Schlumberger and others. At Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier, Galliano’s shows became the stuff of fashion legend. His collection, a blend of Japanese modernist style as well as nostalgia for Art Deco and 1940s’ tailoring, earned raves in glossy magazines and garnered the attention of Princess Diana, Madonna and other fashion luminaries.
Once the Galliano name was well known among the world’s most stylish set, the chairperson of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, appointed Galliano head designer of French fashion house Givenchy. One year later, in 1996, LVMH moved him to the design team at Dior. In just eight weeks, Galliano produced 50 looks for Dior Haute Couture’s brilliant Spring/Summer 1997 Maasai collection and would ultimately design a mind-boggling eight collections a year for the storied French fashion house until 2011. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage and contemporary John Galliano for Christian Dior evening dresses and gowns, shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return Policy
This item cannot be returned.
- Dolce & Gabbana black nylon mini skirt with large crystal adornments, fw 1991By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana bejewelled mini skirt ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 1991 ▪ Constructed from a black nylon and lycra blend fabric ▪ Large crystal adornments...Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford brown leather woven fringed skirt, fw 2001By Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in London, GB▪ Yves Saint Laurent runway skirt ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Constructed from dark brown suede ▪ Abstract pattern made up with a multitude of woven la...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirts
- Dolce & Gabbana Green Silk Micro Mini Skirt with Swarovski Crystals, ss 2000By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Archival Dolce & Gabbana Micro Mini Skirt ▪ Spring-Summer 2000 ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Museum Grade ▪ Green paisley printed silk ▪ Oversized Swarovski crystal belt buckle...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirts
- Christian Dior by John Galliano Silk Deconstructed Embroidered Skirt, fw 2002By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Archival Christian Dior Skirt ▪ Creative Director: John Galliano ▪ Fall-Winter 2002 ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Crafted from luxurious raw silk featuring a captivating dyed s...Category
Early 2000s French Skirts
- John Galliano floral printed bias-cut silk maxi skirt, fw 2004By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano bias-cut silk maxi skirt ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 2004 ▪ Constructed from a floral printed silk with black base with pink, yellow and green motif...Category
Early 2000s French Skirts
- Ralph Lauren sandwashed denim maxi skirt with train, ss 2003By Ralph LaurenLocated in London, GB▪ Ralph Lauren denim maxi skirt ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Spring-Summer 2003 ▪ Purple label ▪ Constructed from distressed sandwashed denim...Category
Early 2000s American Skirts
- 2000's Jean Paul Gaultier Ivory Satin Girdle Corset Mini SkirtBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Yukon, OK**THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH MES DEUX FILLES** DESIGNER: 2000's Jean Paul Gaultier CONDITION: Excellent- likely never worn- still has tags FABRIC: Acetate & Rayon COUNTRY MADE: Ita...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pencil Skirts
- F/W 2019 Christian Dior Sheer Black Tulle Mesh Cage Bustier High Waist SkirtBy Christian DiorLocated in Yukon, OK**THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH MES DEUX FILLES** DESIGNER: F/W 2019 Christian Dior sample piece CONDITION: Flawless FABRIC: Unknown- likely a silk tulle COUNTRY MADE: France SIZE: 36...Category
2010s French A-Line Skirts
- F/W 2000 Roberto Cavalli Silk Tiger Crop Top & High Slit Ruffle Maxi SkirtBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Yukon, OK**THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH MES DEUX FILLES** DESIGNER: F/W 2000 Roberto Cavalli CONDITION: Good- no flaws- matching skirt has no label, just the top FABRIC: 100% silk COUNTRY: ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Crop Tops
- S/S 1996 Gucci Tom Ford Runway Black Wrap Crop Top & Long Skirt Set 42By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Yukon, OK**THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH MES DEUX FILLES** DESIGNER: S/S 1996 Gucci by Tom Ford Runway CONDITION: Good- no holes or stains FABRIC: 100% rayon COUNTRY MADE: Italy SIZE: 42 MEASU...Category
1990s Italian Crop Tops
- F/W 2000 Christian Dior John Galliano Black Stain High Slit Zip Maxi SkirtBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Yukon, OK**THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH MES DEUX FILLES** DESIGNER: F/W 2000 Christian Dior by John Galliano CONDITION: Good- no holes or stains MATERIAL: Acetate & Viscose COUNTRY MADE: Fran...Category
Early 2000s French Flare Skirts
- F/W 2003 Dolce & Gabbana Black Tube Top & Convertible Skirt SetBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Yukon, OK**THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH MES DEUX FILLES** DESIGNER: F/W 2003 Dolce & Gabbana CONDITION: Good FABRIC: Tag removed- stretchy blend COUNTRY: Italy SIZE: I-40 MEASUREMENTS; provid...Category
Early 2000s Italian Bandeaus
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More

How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.

Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.
The 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery