Christian Dior Black Hardware frame with Violet Lens Sunglasses
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:Italy
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU247278842
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: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Yves Saint Laurent Shades of Blue and Black SunglassesBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent wonderful sunglasses are in streaks of French blue and highlighted with black accents. The sides have silver name plate with "Yves Saint Laurent". Highly hand-poli...Category
1990s French Sunglasses
- Georgio Armani with Smoked Lucite SunglassesBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in New York, NYGeorigio Armani sunglasses has accents of smoked lucite along with clear lucite along the sides. Frames are mainly of black hardware. Sunglasses measures 1 5/8" in height, 5 1/2"...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Sunglasses
- Versace Gold Hardware with Tortoise Detail Mirrored SunglassesBy VersaceLocated in New York, NYThese wonderful Versace gold hardware mirrored sunglasses are detailed with tortoise overlay lambskin leather. The length across the front measures 5 3/4", height is 2 1/8", arms...Category
1990s Italian Sunglasses
- Kansai Yamamoto Matte Gold Tone with Multi-Color "Swirls" SunglassesBy Kansai YamamotoLocated in New York, NYKansai Yamamoto wonderful matte gold tone hardware prescription lens sunglasses are accented with multi-colors of "Swirls" on front and center. The arms are engraved with "Swirls" on...Category
1990s Japanese Sunglasses
- Theo (Belgium) "Keith" Steel-Bronze Hardware GlassesLocated in New York, NYTheo (Belgium) "Keith" steel-bronze prescription glasses measures 5 3/8" in length across the front. The height measures 1 9/16", arms are 5 3/8" acce...Category
Early 2000s Belgian Sunglasses
- Illesteva Polished Gold Hardware Hand-Made Frame with Studs SunglassesLocated in New York, NYIllesteva detailed polished gold hardware hand-made frames are accented with gold studs. The front is finished with black frame surrounding the lens. The...Category
2010s Italian Sunglasses
- New Vintage Serge Kirchhofer 624 Silver Blue Lenses Sunglasses AustriaBy Serge KirchhoferLocated in Baleares, BalearesNew vintage Serge Kirchhofer sunglasses. Spotless blue gradient lenses. This item may show sign of wear due to storage. Made in Austria. FRONT :...Category
1970s Austrian Sunglasses
- New Vintage Laura Biagiotti T48 Oversized Silver & Gold 1980 Sunglasses ItalyBy Laura BiagiottiLocated in Baleares, BalearesNew Laura Biagiotti textured sleek mask Silver & gold with pink accents frame with grey gradient ( UV protection ) lenses. Made in Italy. Produced and d...Category
1980s Italian Sunglasses
- New Vintage Laura Biagiotti Oversized Sleek Brown & Gold Mask P30 SunglassesBy Laura BiagiottiLocated in Baleares, BalearesNew Laura Biagiotti textured sleek black mask frame with grey gradient ( UV protection ) lenses. Made in Italy. Produced and design in 1980's. New, never worn or displayed. This ...Category
1980s Italian Sunglasses
- New Vintage Laura Biagiotti T60 Oversized Silver & Gold 1980 Sunglasses ItalyBy Laura BiagiottiLocated in Baleares, BalearesNew Laura Biagiotti textured sleek mask black & gold frame with brown gradient ( UV protection ) lenses. Made in Italy. Produced and design in 1980's. New, never worn or displaye...Category
1980s Italian Sunglasses
- New Vintage Gianfranco Ferré 390 Tortoise & Gold 1990 Italy SunglassesBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Baleares, BalearesNew vintage Gianfranco Ferre sunglasses. Tortoise with gold details frame holding a pair of spotless grey lenses. New, never worn or displayed. Made in Italy. MEASUREMENTS ...Category
1990s Italian Sunglasses
- New Vintage Yohji Yamamoto 52 5202 Silver Black 1990's Made in Japan SunglassesBy Yohji YamamotoLocated in Baleares, BalearesCult designer Yohji Yamamto signed this ultra chic pair dark silver designed sunglasses. Spotless medium grey lenses. Superior quality and design. This item show minor sign o...Category
1980s Japanese Sunglasses
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.