Christian Dior Gold-Plated Metal Pendant Brooch Depicting an Elephant Head
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:Gilt Metal
- Dimensions:Height: 3.55 in (90 mm)
- Place of Origin:France
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1990
- Condition:
- Seller Location:SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
- Reference Number:
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: SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Chanel Pendant Brooch with Rhinestones, 1984By ChanelLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChanel - (Made in France) Golden metal pendant brooch with rhinestones and glass paste. 1984 Collection. Additional information: Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Height: 6...Category
20th Century French Brooches
- Chanel Brooch in Gold Metal and Pearly Drops, Fall 1994By Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChanel- (Made in France) Brooch in gold metal and pearly drops. Collection Autumn-Winter 1994. Additional information: Dimensions: 7.5 H cm Condition: Very good condition Seller...Category
1990s French Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Lesage Golden Brooch in Pearls and MirrorBy LesageLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRLesage - Brooch in gilded metal, pearls and mirror. Additional information: Dimensions: 8 cm x 6.2 cm Condition: Very good condition Seller Ref number: BR19Category
1990s French Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Gilded Metal BroochBy Christian LacroixLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChristian Lacroix Haute Couture - Gilded metal brooch set with rhinestones. Additional information: Dimensions: 11 c x 12 cm (4.33" x 4.72") Condition: ...Category
1990s French Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Yves Saint Laurent Golden Metal and Glass Paste Butterfly BroochBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRYves Saint Laurent -Golden metal and glass paste butterfly brooch. Presence of cracks in the glass paste. Additional information: Dimensions: 5.3 cm x 3.5 cm Condition: Good conditi...Category
Vintage 1970s French Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Christian Dior Golden Metal BroochBy Christian DiorLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRDior -Golden metal spindle enamelled with black and silver metal paved with rhinestones. Additional information: Dimensions: 9.5 cm x 6 cm Condition: Very good condition Seller Ref ...Category
1990s French Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- 1.11 CTTW Diamond Butterfly Milgrain Pin BroochLocated in Chicago, ILThis pin weighs 9.6 DWT (approx. 14.93 grams). It contains 97 round G color and VS clarity diamonds weighing 1.11 CTTW. Dimensions: 1.5" X 1.5".Category
Late 20th Century Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
- Le Vian Black and White Diamond Rose Pin White GoldBy Le VianLocated in Chicago, ILPreviously-owned Levian Black and White Diamond Rose Collection pin. The pin is 3 inches in length, made of 18K white gold, and weighs 12.70 DWT (approx. 19.75 grams). It also has 37...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold
- Art Deco 1.20 CTTW Pearl, Ruby, And Emerald Pin Brooch In 14K Yellow GoldLocated in Chicago, ILThis pearl, ruby, and emerald pin is made of 14K yellow gold. It contains a round white pearl , round green emeralds weighing 0.50 CTTW, and round red rubies weighing 0.70 CTTW.Category
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsEmerald, Pearl, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Diamond, Ruby, Tsavorite And Enamel Flower Pin In Multi Tone GoldLocated in Chicago, ILThis Enamel pin is made of 18k Rose Gold . It contains a round ruby weighing 0.55 CT, round green tsavorites weighing 0.32 CTTW, round multi color, diamonds weighing 0.31 CTTW, round...Category
Late 20th Century Art Nouveau Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Ruby, Tsavorite, Gold, Enamel
- Blue And Green Enamel And Diamond Tree Motif Pin In Yellow GoldLocated in Chicago, ILThis tree motif pin weighs 15.20 DWT (approx. 23.64 grams). It contains 9 round G color and VS clarity diamonds weighing 0.60 CTTW.Category
Late 20th Century Art Nouveau Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Yellow Gold, Enamel
- 1.60 CTTW Antique Sapphire & Diamond Bow Pin In 14K Yellow GoldLocated in Chicago, ILThis antique sapphire and diamond bow pin is made of 14K yellow gold. It contains square sapphires weighing 1.50 CTTW, single cut I-J color and I1 clarity diamonds weighing 0.10 CTTW...Category
Late 20th Century Art Nouveau Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
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.