Christian Dior Haute Couture 3 Piece Skirt Suit
About the Item
- Designer:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3229221277762
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. Vintage Dior bags, shoes, evening dresses, shirts and other garments and accessories are known today for their feminine and sophisticated sensibility.
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 couture 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 PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Chanel S/S 1999 Midi Skirt SuitBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel S/S 1999 Midi Skirt Suit. Beautifully crafted tweed skirt suit in an adorable peach color. Classic & timeless design from a memorable collection by Karl Lagerfeld. Jacket Shoulders 17.5 in Bust 34 in Waist 29 in Sleeve 19.5 in Length 20 in...Category
1990s Skirt Suits
- Geoffrey Beene 1970s Polka Dot and Lace EnsembleBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in New York, NY1970s Geoffrey Beene polka dot and lace ensemble. Pleated skirt with lace hem has a side zip and top is cropped with cap sleeve and back zip. Includes Int. Ladies Garment Workers Uni...Category
1970s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- YSL Rive Gauche 1980s Daisy Print SetBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NY1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Two Piece Set featuring a knee-length skirt and button down top with gold daisy buttons. Both in a silk crepe fabric with multi-colored daisy pri...Category
1980s Skirt Suits
- Chanel Spring 1998 Cream Multicolored Skirt SuitBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Spring 1998 Cream Multicolored Skirt Suit. From the 1998 Chanel collection by Karl Lagerfeld, this skirt suit strikes a balance between sophi...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Alexander McQueen Spring 1999 Skirt Suit (Look 52)By Alexander McQueenLocated in New York, NYAlexander McQueen's Spring 1999 show was all about pristine sensuality. The show wasn't a fashion show, it was performance art. This suit is sexy and classic. The silk fabric accompa...Category
1990s Skirt Suits
- Chanel Black JumpsuitBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Black Jumpsuit likely from the Spring 1995 collection by Karl Lagerfeld. Sophisticated and tailored silhouette in a black wool material, with Cha...Category
1990s Jumpsuits
- Oscar de la Renta Ivory & Navy Silk Chiffon Beaded Blouse & Tank Set - MBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLOscar de la Renta Ivory & Navy Silk Chiffon Beaded Blouse & Tank Set - M. This set is in excellent vintage condition with the only issue being some discoloration by the arm pit area ...Category
1990s French Twin Sets
- Emanuel Ungaro Parallele 1990’s Navy Boucle Jacket with skirt - Size 12By Emanuel UngaroLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis vintage 1990’s Navy Boucle Jacket has white stitching throughout making a large checkered pattern. The jacket also has 3 yellow grosgrain ribbon making horizontal rows along the...Category
1970s Italian Skirt Suits
- 1970s Light Denim Butterflies and Flower Embroidered Shirt and Pants SetLocated in Greenport, NY1970s Light Denim Butterflies and Flower Embroidered Shirt and Pants Set A classic 1970s look. Light denim with embroidered flowers on the snap button, collared, long sleeve top. H...Category
1970s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Off-white skirt suit Karl Lagerfeld for Neiman MarcusBy Karl LagerfeldLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROff-white skirt suit with double-breasted jacket. Main fabric composition: wool. Silk lining. SIZE 40 (Fr) 10 (Us)Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Vintage 2 Pc Yves Saint Laurent Black Sequin Evening Dress Alternative EnsembleBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis is a really versatile 1980's Yves Saint Laurent vintage knit skirt suit with shimmering black sequins. This evening dress alternative set inclu...Category
1980s European Evening Dresses
- Black evening skirt-suit with rhinestone buttons Lillie RubinBy Lillie RubinLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack evening skirt-suit with rhinestone button. Pleated on the bust and bubbling sleeves. Decorative rhinestone buttons with " reals" buttons underneath. Hook&eye in the middle fron...Category
1980s Korean Skirt Suits
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.