Christian Dior Numbered Velvet Dress
View Similar Items
Christian Dior Numbered Velvet Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:Seller: 1DJD05211stDibs: LU5603945263
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.
- Alaia Knit Fitted DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Geneva, CHThis recognizable 90's Alaïa slim-fit viscose knit black dress is designed to flatteringly follow the silhouette. It nips-in at the waist and features a scoop collar. The dress can a...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dresses
$1,300 - Emanuel Ungaro Draped Knotted Cut-Out Cocktail Dress, Circa 1985By Emanuel UngaroLocated in Geneva, CHDesigned more than thirty years ago, this 80's Ungaro Parallèle cocktail dress is still furiously trendy ! Made from taupe brown soft wool, it is artfully draped and knotted for a bo...Category
1980s European Cocktail Dresses
- Courreges Sleeveless A-Line Maxi DressBy André CourrègesLocated in Geneva, CHThis late 60’s - early 70’s black cotton sateen Courreges maxi dress is a great example of the modernist design for which André Courrèges is famous. Of structured A-line silhouette and with unusual fishnet neckline, it is creating an advantageous effect. Labeled, this simple though sexy and elegant dress closes with a concealed zip, hook and eye on the left side plus three hooks on the left shoulder. Unlined, the size is a Courreges size b...Category
1670s French Maxi Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Knit & Tulle Mini Dress, Fall-Winter 1988By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Geneva, CHAnthony Vaccarello has dived into Saint Laurent's archives once more ! We can find a close inspiration of this original 80's dress in the current 2019 Fall-Winter collection (see pic...Category
1980s French Mini Dresses
- Balenciaga Haute Couture Moiré Cocktail Dress, Spring-Summer 1963By BalenciagaLocated in Geneva, CHThis lovely haute couture watered (moiré) silk taffeta dinner/cocktail dress is the ideal "Little Black Dress" for any perfect modern wardrobe. Labelled and numbered 84543, the dress...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Givenchy Printed Plunging Maxi DressBy GivenchyLocated in Geneva, CHWonderful 70's silhouette with this Givenchy maxi dress. Made of airy silk chiffon featuring a red and white graphic print, the dress has a deep plunging neckline at the front and re...Category
1970s French Maxi Dresses
- Jackie Rogers Classic Black Satin Bias Cut DressBy Jackie RogersLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJackie Rogers classic silky black satin bias cut dress from the 1990s. The perfect black dress to dress up with jewelry and or a belt. The dress slips o...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- 80s Kevan Hall Couture Black Sequin 1980s Off Shoulder Vintage Cocktail DressLocated in San Diego, CALate 1980s KEVAN HALL COUTURE black off-the-shoulder sequin dress ! Features a nude chiffon underlay with a lace nad sequin bodice. Flowy silk chiffon skirt. Boned bodice. Hidden zip...Category
15th Century and Earlier Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1980S THIERRY MUGLER Black Rayon Blend Crepe Asymmetrically Draped Cocktail DreBy Thierry MuglerLocated in New York, NYTagged a European 36 1980S THIERRY MUGLER Black Rayon Blend Crepe Asymmetrically Draped Cocktail Dress With Sheer Lace Back & SleevesCategory
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s Emanuel Ungaro Size 10 Black Rayon Vintage 90s Bell Sleeve Wrap DressBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in San Diego, CAChic late 90s EMANUEL UNGARO black rayon blend size 10 bell sleeve wrap dress ! Tailored bodice with a flirty skirt. Buttons up the front. Ruffle detail at center front neck, down th...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s Navy Blue Chiffon White Rhinestone Flowers Vintage 60s Gown Maxi DressLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful 1960s navy blue and white silk chiffon flower rhinestone applique gown ! Features a tailored bodice with hand-sewn white flowers that are encrusted with rhinestones. Sheer ...Category
1960s American Evening Gowns
- 1990s Calvin Klein Collection Inside Out Black Jersey Vintage 90s Midi DressBy Calvin Klein CollectionLocated in San Diego, CASuch an amazing take on the little black dress ! CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION black jersey 'Inside Out' short sleeve midi dress ! Features unfinished seams that look like they are inside out. Hidden zipper up the back with hook-and-eye closure. The perfect black dress...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
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.