Small Dior Evening Bag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 4.34 in (11 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)Length: 7.09 in (18 cm)
- Style:vintage (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:
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: Paris, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- CHANEL Couture Evening Bag in Gold Silk SatinBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRCHANEL Couture evening bag in silk satin: This CHANEL evening clutch is in gold silk satin. The hardware is in gold metal. Worn by hand as a clu...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Balmain Evening Clutch in Lame Gold Fabric and EmbroideriesBy BalmainLocated in Paris, FRStunning Balmain evening clutch. It is entirely handmade in Paris. Work of haute couture. Fabric in lamé gold, embroidered of multi red, gold and black ribbons and squares of mirror ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Clutches
- CHANEL Mini 255 Bag in Pink and Silver RhinestonesBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRCHANEL Mini 255 Bag in Pink and Silver fabric set with rhinestones. Beautiful evening bag. The hardware is in silver metal. In very good condition. Mad...Category
2010s French Shoulder Bags
- ELIE SAAB Minaudière in Purple Leather and Embroidered Fabric with PearlsBy Elie SaabLocated in Paris, FRElie Saab minaudière evening bag in purple leather and fabric embroidered with pearls. The interior is lined with gold leather with a small pocket. It is worn by hand or shoulder w...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Valentino Small Evening Bag in Black Silk Satin with Pearls and BrilliantsBy ValentinoLocated in Paris, FRSmall Valentino evening bag in black silk satin. There are pearls flowers sewn and set with brilliants on both sides of the bag. Some brilliants ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Chanel Eggs Bag Jewelry BoxBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRCollector. Chanel jewelry box eggs bag in black plexiglass Attention, this egg-box bag is straight out of the 2014-2015 Chanel ready-to-wear fashion show so th...Category
2010s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Marino Black Alligator Crossbody Bag - 1990'sLocated in West Palm Beach, FLMarino Black Alligator Crossbody Bag - 1990's. This bag is a timeless piece that is just a trendy now as it was in the 90's. It features a long lea...Category
1990s Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Dior Diorama MIni White Leather BagBy Christian DiorLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITMini shoulder bag by Dior, model Diorama, made of white leather with silver hardware embellished with silver sequins. Equipped with a flap closure with button, internally lined in w...Category
2010s French Shoulder Bags
- Giorgio Armani Black Suede & Satin Swarovski Crystal Evening Bag Black FrameBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGiorgio Armani black suede with black satin evening back set with Swarovski crystals, the bag has a black acrylic frame and snap closure. The bag has a gold chain that can be used or...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
- YSL Black Leather Studded Crystal BagBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CANew YSL black leather and studded crystals clutch bag with black leather detachable and adjustable shoulder strap (drop 23). Comes with booklet and o...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Bags and Minaudières
- YSL Black Velvet Studded Crystals BagBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CANew YSL black velvet and studded crystals clutch bag with black leather detachable and adjustable shoulder strap (drop 23). Comes with booklet and original dust cover.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Fendi NIB Electric Blue Micro BaguetteBy FendiLocated in West Hollywood, CAFendi micro baguette in electric blue pebbled leather. Brand new in unworn condition. Fits credit cards and keys .Shoulder drop 18.5". Plastic on hardwa...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Bags and Minaudières
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.