1950s Christian Dior Paris Pink Silk Damask Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 37 in (93.98 cm)Marked Size: 8 (US)Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Waist: 30 in (76.2 cm)Hip: 44 in (111.76 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU55016650322
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 1990s Gail Hoppen Pink Dress Suit with BeltLocated in London, GBThis early 1990s Gail Hoppen dress suit is crafted from the most fabulous shade of raspberry pink silk jacquard fabric with an abstract polka dot pattern. ...Category
1990s British Dress and Coat Ensembles
- 1980s Hidy Misawa Black Velvet and Hot Pink Silk DressLocated in London, GBThis 1980s Hidy Misawa silk party dress is the perfect statement piece for any event and has a very contemporary feel. Hidy Misawa was a Japanese designer ...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses
- 1960s Hannalore Pink Silk Chiffon Sequined Pleated DressLocated in London, GBThis sensational 1960s silk chiffon pleated evening dress by Hannalore of London combines fairy tale glamour with a striking and elegant line. The dress is a sleeveless shift cut wit...Category
1960s British Evening Gowns
- 1920s Pink Full Length Lame Flapper DressLocated in London, GBThis very late 1920s / early 1930s full length pink flapper dress with aztec style gold and silver woven lame design is in excellent vintage condition for a piece of this era and wou...Category
1920s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1987 Yves Saint Laurent Pink Silk Asymmetric Dress with BeltBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in London, GBSpring/summer 1987 Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche asymmetrical dress with sash belt and neck tie. This elegant design has an air of exoticism a...Category
1980s French Evening Dresses
- 1990s Guy Laroche Couture Pink Silk Crepe DressBy Guy LarocheLocated in London, GBExceptional Guy Laroche couture colour block evening gown which dates to between 1985 and 1991 and was most likely designed by Laroche himself prio...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Lanvin Pink Silk Shirt Dress - 36By Lanvin ParisLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis fun Lanvin silk shirt dress is hot pink. It features a collar, a front pocket, long sleeves, and snap decorations on the shoulders. This dress is in good condition with some sta...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Day Dresses
- Vintage Chloe Hand Painted Silk Multi-Layered Gown w/Hand Written French PrintBy ChloéLocated in Studio City, CAVintage Chloe orange-pink silk spagetti strap maxi dress w/layers that can be worn multiple ways. Hand-painted gold writing at bottom in French. In excellent condition. Size EU 38. ...Category
Late 20th Century French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- A Christian Dior/Gianfranco Ferré Couture Pink Chiffon Dress Circa 1990By Christian Dior, Gianfranco Ferré for Christian DiorLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1989 - 1990 France Cocktail dress in raspberry pink silk muslin from Dior-Gianfranco Ferré. Bodice inspired by 1940's Fashion, fully corseted and lined with matching chiffon ...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- ELIZABETH MASON COUTURE Pink Metallic Lace Cocktail Dress Made to OrderBy Elizabeth Mason CoutureLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Elizabeth Mason Couture cocktail dress is fashioned from the finest pink and metallic lace. Its chic design features scalloped edging and a beautiful fanned bust. The interior i...Category
20th Century American Evening Gowns
- ELIZABETH MASON COUTURE Pink Magenta Bow Cocktail Dress Made to OrderBy Elizabeth Mason CoutureLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Elizabeth Mason Couture pink silk dupioni sleeveless cocktail dress features a front draped bow with pockets. It is lined in silk satin and has a center back zipper. Made in Bev...Category
20th Century American Cocktail Dresses
- Jacques Cassia Pink Gown With Metal DetailsBy Jacques CassiaLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Jacques Cassia pink gown featuring metal detailing, skinny straps with chain links, and a cover...Category
1990s Monacan Evening 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.