Christian Dior Diorama Wallet On Chain Leather
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Diorama Wallet On Chain Leather
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Height: 5 in (12.7 cm)Width: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
- Period:
- Material Notes:Exterior Material: Leather Exterior Color: Neutral Interior Material: Suede Interior Color: Neutral
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Condition: Excellent. Slight darkening on side flap edges, scratches on hardware.
- Seller Location:NY, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 52452/11stDibs: LU8429564022
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. Vintage Dior bags, shoes, evening dresses, shirts and other garments and accessories are known today for their feminine and sophisticated sensibility.
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 couture 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.
- Fendi 1980s Python Mini Pouch NecklaceBy FendiLocated in Scottsdale, AZElevate your look with this Fendi micro mini pouch necklace! Circa late 1980s, this pouch is crafted from python and is finished with black spots. Featu...Category
1980s Italian Wallets and Small Accessories
- Judith Leiber Perfume Bottle Keychain Key HolderBy Judith LeiberLocated in Miami Beach, FLJudith Leiber goldtone metal perfume keychain with a carnelian accent. Turn-lock closure. Marked: Judith Leiber. Chain: 4.75"L. Charm: 0.37"L x 0.5"W x 1.37"H. Age wear.Category
Late 20th Century Wallets and Small Accessories
- GUCCI white leather & blue GG Monogram canvas Belt 90By GucciLocated in Zürich, CHGucci monogram belt in navy and off-white canvas with off-white leather trim and light gold-tone buckle. Has been worn and is in excellent conditio...Category
Early 2000s French Wallets
- Hermes Jige Duo Wallet / Clutch Vanille Matte Alligator NewBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a guaranteed authentic Hermes Jige Duo Wallet featured in neutral perfection Vanille Matte Alligator. This stunning Hermes Duo wall...Category
2010s French Wallets
- New Louis Vuitton Blush Ombre Backpack Belt BagBy Louis VuittonLocated in West Hollywood, CALouis Vuitton hot season ticket two way mini backpack that can be converted in fanny pack or cross body bag. Blush ombre' coated monogram canvas and gold tone hardware. Sold out worl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Backpacks
- French "Pheasants under Glass" CompactLocated in New York, NYCharming and unusual French Feathered Bird Compact from the 1950's. A pair of charming feathered birds are perched on a patinaed branch and set under a glass dome with a mirrored in...Category
1950s French Wallets and Small Accessories
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.