1950s Christian Dior Black Silk Ensemble
View Similar Items
1950s Christian Dior Black Silk Ensemble
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2282727242
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.
- 1980s Ferre Navy Fuzzy Lurex Top and SkirtBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Toronto, OntarioUnique Ferre ensemble from the 1980s. A black tie take on the classic Rugby jersey, the top is made from a shimmery lurex fabric and has black and navy horizontal stripes. Accented w...Category
1980s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1980s Maggie Reeves Demi Couture Taffeta Bustier, Skirt and Floral JacketBy Maggie ReevesLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s 3 pc ensemble by Canadian demi couture designer Maggie Reeves. Black silk taffeta bustier, taffeta skirt with multi colour layers and macrame floral multi colour jacket with bl...Category
1980s Canadian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1970's Pauline Trigere Red Wool Gown & Coat EnsembleBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in Toronto, Ontario1970's Pauline Trigere red knit jersey gown and jacket ensemble. Gown is empire waist with inverted pleats in the front. Skims the body beautifully, lined in red silk. The long line ...Category
1970s American Dress and Coat Ensembles
$1,500 Sale Price25% Off - 1960s Marty Modell Yellow Crochet & Beaded Evening Gown and JacketBy Marty ModellLocated in Toronto, Ontario1960's gown and jacket ensemble by Marty Modell. Both gown and jacket have the most beautiful and delicate hand crochet fabric with white and yellow beading for detail over a cream c...Category
1960s Swiss Dress and Coat Ensembles
- 1980s Bill Blass Off White Gown and Navy Lace Evening EnsembleBy Bill BlassLocated in Toronto, OntarioAbsolutely stunning 1980s Bill Blass two piece ensemble. The set features a simple and minimal long sleeve, crewneck off white silk gown with a breathtaking navy blue lace long unlined floor length coat. The navy contrasts so beautifully against the off white. The evening coat has a deep v neckline with a collar and a single snap button closure just under the bust. The overcoat has a slight A-line shape, and gently glides over the off white gown...Category
1980s American Evening Gowns
- 1980's Ungaro Black Fortuny Pleated Jacket With Lace SkirtBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Toronto, OntarioEmanuel Ungaro black evening skirt suit from the late 1980's. The long black Fortuny style pleated jacket features a lettuce hem and cuffs that zip. The black cabochon buttons down t...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace multicoloured velvet mini dress and leggings set, fw 1992By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace multicoloured velvet mini dress and leggings set ▪ All over abstract print in blue, purple, pink, red and gold ▪ Turtle neck m...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana tiger print and denim 3-piece skirt suit, fw 1999By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana 3-piece skirt suit ▪ Fitted jacket in black denim with red contrast topstitch ▪ Bra-top with open back and tiger-print front with sequins ▪ Low-rise maxi skirt w...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Alessandra Rich Ruffle Crystal Jumpsuit IT40 (US4)By Alessandra RichLocated in Brossard, QCFOLLOW US @RUNWAYCATALOG Deep V neckline. Long sleeves. Ruffled details. All over embellished with crystals. Lined. Deep V neckline Long sleeves Concealed back zip closure Composit...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Jumpsuits
- Stella McCartney Applique Silk Jumpsuit IT42 (US6)By Stella McCartneyLocated in Brossard, QCMulticolored silk crepe de chine and organza Concealed zip fastening along back Fabric1: 100% silk; Fabric2: 100% rayon; Embroidery: 100% silk Designer color: Navy Wide-leg Cu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Jumpsuits
- Pauline Trigere Black Guipure Lace over Gold Lame 1980s 2pc Skirt SetBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPauline Trigere black Guipure lace over gold lame', 2pc skirt set from the 1980s. The top has a jewel neckline and is seamed at the waist, flaring at the hem. The sleeves have padded...Category
1980s American Cocktail Dresses
- Kansai Yamamoto Japanese Bird Lurex Pigeon Metalic Vintage Sweater Dress SuitBy Kansai YamamotoLocated in PARIS, FRRARE set by Kansai Yamamoto! Dress/pullover + pants. Pattern: night with red moon and birds. 2 of the birds carry golden perls. The moon is made by glitters. Lurex look. Fabric: wool, yarn, nylon. Metalic effect. VERY GOOD condition! SIZE Men: it fits from XS to small. Women: it fits XS to medium...Category
1980s Japanese Trouser Pant Suits
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.