Christian Dior by John Galliano Floral Saddle Bag
View Similar Items
Christian Dior by John Galliano Floral Saddle Bag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1402870032
John Galliano
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 Givenchy and 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, where he produced scores of celebrated looks for Dior Haute Couture. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage John Galliano evening dresses and gowns, handbags, jackets 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.
- Christian Dior by John Galliano purple velvet and crystal mini bag, c. 1998By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior mini evening bag ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Crushed purple velvet with signature 'Cannage' quilting ▪ Silk handles and interior ▪ Four 'DIOR' silver charms ado...Category
1990s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Gianni Versace Spring-Summer 1994 python drawstring backpackBy Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace Spring-Summer 1994 python drawstring backpackCategory
1990s Italian Backpacks
- Prada cream leather beaded flap bag with metal bar handle, ss 2003By Prada, Miuccia PradaLocated in London, GB▪ Prada cream flap bag ▪ 100% leather ▪ Large bead adornments ▪ Silver metal bar handle with Prada engraving ▪ Silk lining ▪ Spring-Summer 2003Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Jean Paul Gaultier 1998 brown leather bustier backpackBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBJean Paul Gaultier 1998 brown leather bustier backpackCategory
1990s French Backpacks
- Gucci by Tom Ford brown carved wooden bag with braided leather strap, fw 2002By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GBGucci by Tom Ford brown carved wooden mini box bag with braided leather strap Fall-Winter 2002Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld limited edition evening mini baguette bag, c. 2000By FendiLocated in London, GB▪ Fendi evening mini baguette bag ▪ Creative Director: Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive' ▪ c. 2000 ▪ Limited edition artisanal piece ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Fendi Monogram Blue PochetteLocated in New York, NYLength: 11 Inches Height: 6 Inches Material: CanvasCategory
1990s Top Handle Bags
- Moschino vintage black heart bagBy MoschinoLocated in CAPELLE AAN DEN IJSSEL, ZHMoschino 90’s Vintage black leather Heart bag. Designed by Franco Moschino. Vintage Condition; 7/10 Made in Italy. Height-7 Depth- 3" Width- 9" Handle Drop- 3.5"Category
1990s Top Handle Bags
- Hermès Birkin 25cm Noir Lezard Niloticus Lisse PHWBy HermèsLocated in London, GBAn alluring Hermès Exotic Birkin 25cm handbag. The exterior of this exotic Birkin is in shiny Noir Lezard Niloticus Lisse with tonal stitching. It adorns...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermès Kelly Mini II Tricolore Verso Craie/Mauve Pale/Gold Veau Epsom PHWBy HermèsLocated in London, GBA gorgeous Hermès Kelly Mini II Tricolore Verso handbag. The exterior of this Kelly Mini features Craie, Mauve Pale and Gold Veau Epsom leather and is compl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermés Kelly II Sellier 25cm Mauve Pale Veau Epsom PHWBy HermèsLocated in London, GBA gorgeous Hermès 25cm Kelly bag. The exterior of this Kelly features a Sellier style in Mauve Pale Veau Epsom leather. The Mauve Pale Epsom leather is comp...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Rare Hermès Birkin 25cm Gris Caillou Grizzly/ Gris Meyer Swift PHWBy HermèsLocated in London, GBA rare Hermès Birkin 25cm handbag. The Grizzly Birkin is the namesake edition designed to showcase Veau Doblis Suede. The exterior of this Birkin is cra...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
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.
The Best Ways to Dress for Your Astrological Sign
Makeup and astrology expert Linda Mason dispenses fashion advice for every zodiac sign. Does your wardrobe match your horoscope?