CHRISTIAN DIOR Size 10 Purple Open Back Embroidered Sash Dress
View Similar Items
CHRISTIAN DIOR Size 10 Purple Open Back Embroidered Sash Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 42 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 92692 1stDibs: LU16225374361
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.
- RACHEL ZOE Size 2 Gold Polyester Sequined DressBy Rachel ZoeLocated in San Francisco, CARACHEL ZOE T-shirt dress comes in gold polyester sequined fabric featuring a half zip closure at center back. Excellent Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: 2 Measurements: Shoulder...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- BURBERRY LONDON Size 10 Black Silver Polyester Blend Studded Sleeveless DressBy Burberry LondonLocated in San Francisco, CABURBERRY LONDON dress in a black polyester blend crepe fabric featuring silver tone studded front, sleeveless style, and a back zipper closure.Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marks un...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- EMPORIO ARMANI Size 0 Orange Polyester Sequined A-Line DressBy EMPORIO ARMANILocated in San Francisco, CAEMPORIO ARMANI dress comes in a orange sequin polyester with a slip liner featuring an a-line style, lae back panel, sleeveless, and a back zip up closure. New With Tags. Marked: ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- RACHEL ZOE Size 0 Black Gold Cotton Blend Jacquard DressBy Rachel ZoeLocated in San Francisco, CARACHEL ZOE strapless balloon dress comes in gold cotton blend jacquard fabric. Excellent Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: 0 Measurements: Bust: 25 inWaist: 22 inHip: 38 inLength...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- BURBERRY PRORSUM Spring 2011 Size 6 Silk Camouflage Leather Knee-Length DressBy Burberry ProrsumLocated in San Francisco, CABurberry Prorsum Spring 2011 Dress by Christopher Bailey. Pale blue and multi color silk sleeveless tiered mini dress with leopard print throughout, leath...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- ARMANI COLLEZIONI Size 8 Black Wool Blend Shift DressBy Armani CollezioniLocated in San Francisco, CAARMANI COLLEZIONI dress comes in a black wool blend featuring a shift style, 3/4 sleeves, pleated details, and a back zip up closure. Made in Romania.New With Tags. Marked: 8 Me...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Missoni Dress with Jacket Knit Set Divine Deco Design Chic 42 / 8By MissoniLocated in Miami, FLGuaranteed authentic Missoni dress with matching 3/4 sleeve long jacket. Sleeveless knit dress with scoop neck. Beautiful coppery color metallic thread woven with soft white creati...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shift Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Lilli Diamond 1970s DressBy Lilli DiamondLocated in London, GBA great dress for the party season from Lilli Diamond of California.. The dress is in a soft grey/silver colour with a tie at the neck and elastic at the wrists. The skirt has decor...Category
1970s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Geoffrey Beene Brocade DressBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in New York, NYGeoffrey Beene, copper tone, Matelasse , brocade dress having a jeweled neckline, fitted bodice and long sleeves..Dress has has a lovely floral Asian i...Category
1980s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 2000s Halston Heritage gold sequins embelisshed dressBy HalstonLocated in Capri, IT2000s Halston Heritage gold sequins dress Still with original tags Composition: 100 % Nylon lining :92% polyester 8% elastane Measurements: waist: 72 centimetres, bust: 90 centime...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$417 Sale Price30% Off - Gene Shelley's Yellow Floral Motif Iridescent Wool Knit Gown Size 6By Gene ShellyLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Gene Shelley's gown is composed a stretch sequined wool knit, adorned with sequins and beading in a floral motif. There are 3/4 length sleeves and a ...Category
20th Century Hong Kong Evening Dresses
- Azzedine Alaia S/S 1991 Vintage Bustier Bodycon Mini DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia S/S 1991 Vintage Bustier Plunged Décolleté Bodycon Mini Dress Size MCategory
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
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.