Christian Dior 1972 Demi-Couture Skirt Suit Grace Kelly
View Similar Items
Christian Dior 1972 Demi-Couture Skirt Suit Grace Kelly
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Waist: 32 in (81.28 cm)Hip: 36 in (91.44 cm)
- Style:Grace Kelly (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Carmel, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4172605573
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.
- YSL Yves Saint Laurent Vintage 1970s Matte Jersey Top/Skirt EnsembleBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Carmel, CAYSL matte jersey set includes: ruched strapless shell, waist tie/scarf, full gathered short skirt. Strapless shell has a zipper and hook-and-eye fastening a...Category
1970s French Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace Couture Bodycon Knit Skirt and Top Set VintageBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Carmel, CAGianni Versace black knit skirt and top set, size 6. • Back zipper closure on skirt • Top measurements: 28”, length 18” • Skirt measurements: waist 27”, hips 32”, length 20” Made...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Skirts
- Norman Norell 1940s Matte Jersey Corseted Blouse and SkirtBy Norman NorellLocated in Carmel, CANorman Norell vintage 1940s black matte jersey blouse and skirt set. Blouse has a laced attached boned and corseted faille corset waistband and dolman cut sleeves. Skirt has a side m...Category
Early 20th Century American Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1980's Christian Dior Chiffon Skirt Suit Numbered Collection 41CBy Christian DiorLocated in Carmel, CALate 1980's Christian Dior Boutique chiffon skirt with separate asymmetrical fitted bodice in black crepe. The ensemble has a numbered label and handwritten tag identifying the colle...Category
1980s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Comme des Garçons Junya Watanabe Skirt Jacket Suit See Through Panels 2001By Junya Watanabe, Comme des GarçonsLocated in Carmel, CAComme des Garçons Junya Watanabe Black Wool Skirt Jacket Suit from 2001 See Through Panels at waist of jacket, back style lines in the shape of a soccer ball. Skirt is fitted with an...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Skirt Suits
- Chanel 2005 A Collection Tweed and Leather Skirt SetBy ChanelLocated in Carmel, CAChanel fantasy tweed skirt set from 2005 A collection. Skirt features a copper metallic leather trimmed waist, back zipper closure, and full lining. Top has a V-neckline, leather str...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Skirt Suits
- YVES SAINT LAURENT BY TOM FORD S/S 2002 Runway Sheer Silk Two-PieceBy Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Berlin, BEThis leopard print two piece was the opening look for Yves Saint Laurent’s Spring Summer 2002 Rive Gauche collection by Tom Ford. This elegant two-piece consists of a high waisted silk pencil skirt and a zip up sleeveless silk top in a classic leopard print. This safari inspired set features beautiful details such as the YSL logo on the right side of the front of the bodice, and also embossed on the zipper. The bodice features a deep V neckline, multiple pockets on the front and drawstrings at the sides, the back features a transparent panel...Category
Early 2000s French Twin Sets
- ESCADA 3-piece Set MINK Trim Black Blazer Skirt Tank Top Jacket Sz 36/ US6By EscadaLocated in Lakewood, COVintage ESCADA Black Blazer, Skirt and Tank Top with amazing Black MINK trim detail on the blazer and top. Gorgeous classic design and made in Ge...Category
Early 2000s German Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
$253 Sale Price34% Off - GLORIA SACHS Couture 1980s Two Piece PAISLEY FUR Suit Skirt Jacket Wool 10By Gloria SachsLocated in Asheville, NCGloria Sachs, Iconic Suit, Vintage 1980's, 100% Pure Wool (Soft), Made in USA, Union Tag, Fully Lined. Jacket - Quilted, Five Wooden/Clay Round Buttons, Shoulder Pads, Two Pockets, ...Category
1980s Skirt Suits
$596 Sale Price25% Off - Vintage PIERRE CARDIN Paris Couture 1960s Two Piece Ensemble Skirt Jacket 38By Pierre Cardin Paris, Pierre CardinLocated in Asheville, NCPierre Cardin, 100% Wool, 1960's Couture, Made in France, Asymmetrical Layered Design, Two Faceted Buttons, Pleated Skirt, Metal Zipper, Slit on Back of Skirt, Vintage 38 Measuremen...Category
1960s French Skirt Suits
$909 Sale Price30% Off - 1990's Vintage Moschino jeans skirt suitBy Moschino, Moschino JeansLocated in LAGNY-SUR-MARNE, FR1990's Vintage heart skirt suit by Moschino jeans, jacket and skirt are in perfect condition. Stretch fabric 35% Nylon 5% Elastan 60%Viscose. Sizes I 40 Fr 36 US 6 UK 10 Meas...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- 1990's Vintage Moschino Jean pants suitBy Moschino, Moschino JeansLocated in LAGNY-SUR-MARNE, FR1990's Moschino Jeans pants suit straight legs with black All Over inscriptions patern, fabric is rayon and acetate. sizes FR 38 I 42 US 8 UK 12 Measurements : JACKET : shoulde...Category
1990s Italian 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.