Chanel Gladiator Sandal SS2012
View Similar Items
Chanel Gladiator Sandal SS2012
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU583311323962
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
More than a mere tastemaker, Karl Lagerfeld devoted himself to the continual pursuit of chic. “My life and my job,” the designer once said, “is to forget myself.” From his first collection at Chanel — after joining the brand in the early 1980s — he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel handbags, evening dresses, coats, jewelry and other clothing and accessories riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment.
During his five-decade career as a designer for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times. An outsize, instantly recognizable personality — his ponytail powdered like an 18th-century viscount, his eyes perpetually shielded by dark glasses, wearing fistfuls of chunky silver jewels — Lagerfeld was, above all, an avatar of style.
Born in Hamburg (in 1933, ’35, or ’38 by varying accounts), Karl Lagerfeld packed his bags for Paris in 1954. His design for a coat won him the International Wool Secretariat and landed him a job with the celebrated couturier Pierre Balmain. He went on to become the designer of Jean Patou, eventually realizing that his seemingly endless ideas could fuel a career as a designer-for-hire. As such, Lagerfeld lent his vision to everyone from Loewe and Max Mara to Krizia and Charles Jourdan, nimbly moving among a diverse range of styles. It was an unprecedented way of working in the days when freelance was still a dirty word. During the late ’60s and ’70s, he refashioned Chloé to reflect the free spirit of the day and, beginning in 1965, joined forces with the Fendi family, taking it from sleepy furrier to fashion’s haute-est stratum.
Because of his track record for reviving and reimagining brands that had grown stagnant, in 1984 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday. Lagerfeld’s collections for the brand displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. From Watteau (Spring/Summer 1985 couture) and Serge Roche (Spring/Summer 1990 ready-to-wear) to hip-hop fly girls (Fall/Winter 1991 ready-to-wear), surfers (Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear) and ancient Egypt (Pre-Fall 2019), Lagerfeld used each season’s inspiration to conceive Chanel’s signatures anew. And despite producing eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as four to five for Fendi, Lagerfeld never faltered in proposing new ideas each time he put pencil to paper.
Find vintage Karl Lagerfeld Chanel day dresses, jackets, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
Chanel
In the years following the opening of her modest millinery shop, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel became a pivotal designer of both fashionable casual wear and Paris haute couture as well as an icon and arbiter of 20th-century style with her bob haircut and pearls. Today vintage Chanel handbags, jackets and evening dresses are among the most sought-after clothing and accessories for fashion lovers all over the world.
The first Chanel shop was established in 1910 in Paris on rue Cambon by the young milliner Gabrielle Chanel (1883–1971), who had picked up the nickname “Coco” while working as a club singer. The boutique drew the attention of the Parisian fashion elite who popularized her wide-brimmed Chanel Modes hats. Soon she added a sportswear store in the Normandy resort town of Deauville, where Coco set the tone for her defining sense of style — traditionally masculine garments reimagined for feminine shapes, made from simple jersey fabric.
Effortless and elegant, Chanel's designs promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by complicated layers of fabric and cumbersome corsets. She followed this success with a couture house, opened in 1915 in Biarritz.
But Chanel was not born into a life of glamour. Following the death of her mother, her father left her in an orphanage where she lived until the age of 18. It was there that she learned to sew as well as appreciate the classic pairing of black and white as worn by the nuns. In 1926, she introduced her first little black dress, reclaiming a color that had once been reserved for mourning and working-class women. That same decade, she debuted her perfume, Chanel No. 5, as well as the Chanel suit with a fitted skirt, inspired by the boxy lines of men’s clothing and employing a sporty tweed.
Chanel closed her fashion operations during World War II, then returned to the industry in 1954 to design for the functional needs of modern women. Structure and wearability endured in all of Chanel’s clothing and accessories, like the quilted leather 2.55 handbag introduced in 1955 with its gold-chain shoulder strap that freed up a woman’s hands. Chanel's collarless jacket reacted against the constricting styles of Christian Dior's New Look, replacing them with a design that was timeless, an instant classic. The 1957 two-tone slingback pumps had a practical heel height while offering a bold statement in the black tip of the shoes.
After Coco Chanel died in 1971, the brand underwent several changes in leadership, including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who took over as artistic director in 1983. Over the years, the company has continued to innovate, such as expanding into ready-to-wear fashion in 1978 and, in 2002, establishing a subsidiary company — Paraffection — dedicated to preserving the heritage skills of fashion artisan workshops. The House of Chanel still operates its flagship on rue Cambon in Paris, where it all began.
Browse vintage Chanel bags, evening dresses, shoes, jewelry and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- Chanel Sand & Coral Platform Heels (Spring2012)By ChanelLocated in Los Angeles, CASand & coral platform heels by Chanel Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Sand colored, sparkly textured base Black ankle strap Silver metal buckle and log...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Tod’s Desert BootLocated in Los Angeles, CATod's Desert Boot Made in Italy Brown Suede Black textured rubber sole Black leather laces Padded heel collar Black grommets or laces Excellent like new condition; Preloved wi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Boots
- Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Ball Heel Sandals (Circa 1990s)By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CABall heel sandals by Yves Saint Laurent Circa 1990's Made in Italy Black satin toe strap Black leather insole Ball heel covered in crystals Wooden sole Great vintage condition...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Bottega Veneta Pink Padded Leather MulesBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Los Angeles, CAPink padded leather mules by Bottega Veneta Made in Italy Mule heels Solid pink Quilted Slide-on Square toe Material: 100% lambskin; 100% lambskin lining Rubber-injected leather ou...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Bottega Veneta Red Padded Leather MulesBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Los Angeles, CARed padded leather mules by Bottega Veneta Made in Italy Mule heels Solid red Quilted Slide-on Square toe Material: 100% lambskin; 100% lambskin lining Rubber-injected leather outs...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Chanel Mesh Cage Peep Toe BootiesBy ChanelLocated in Los Angeles, CAMesh cage peep toe booties by Chanel Made in Italy Black suede Nude mesh with black suede strips going over top Peep toe Back zipper closure Zipper pull has gold CC logo charm ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Boots
- New $2650 GIANNI BARBATO Western Bullhide Leather Embroidered Boots 35.5 - 5.5Located in Montgomery, TXGIANNI BARBATO Western Bullhide Gold Leather Boots Italian size 35.5 - US 5.5 100% Leather, Gold-tone Color with Green Flowers Embroidery, Laminated Eff...Category
2010s Italian Boots
$796 Sale Price20% Off - S/S 18 L# 52 VERSACE MULTI COLOR MARILYN MONROE TRIBUTE 1990 size 37 - 7By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Collection: Spring Summer 2018 Model Name / Style: Mule heel Material: Fabric; lamb leather Color: Multicolour Pattern: Abstract; pop art print Closure: Slip on Lining...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
$996 Sale Price20% Off - MIU MIU nude pink patent leather CRYSTAL EMBELLISHED Ballet Flats Shoes 37By Miu MiuLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Miu Miu ballet flats in nude patent leather embellished with Swarovski crystals at tip. Brand new. Come with dust bag. Measuremen...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- JOHN GALLIANO brown leather LEAF WOODEN Platform Sandals Shoes 39By John GallianoLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic John Galliano wooden ankle-strap platform sandals in light green, brown embossed and holographic brown patent leather embellished with taupe and olive green leaves. Ha...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- FENDI beige leather Platform Mule Sandals Shoes 41By FendiLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Fendi chunky platform mules in beige, rose, white and black leather. Block heel and the iconic wavy trim. Embossed sole and heel. Have be...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- New Oscar De La Renta *Love Ric* Embellished Beige Suede Boots It 36 - US 6By Oscar De La RentaLocated in Montgomery, TXNew Oscar De La Renta *Love Ric* Embellished Suede Boots Italian size 36 - US 6 Beige Suede, Sequins and Beads Embellishment at Shaft, Side Zip, Leather Lining. Heel Height - 4 inche...Category
Early 2000s Italian Boots
$880 Sale Price20% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How the Chanel Jacket Forever Changed What Women Wear
The classic tweed garment has been a wardrobe staple of chic women around the world since the 1950s.
Remembering Fashion Designer, Collector and Supreme Tastemaker Karl Lagerfeld
The creative force behind brands like Chanel, Fendi and Chloé was as exacting in his interiors as he was in his clothing designs.