A Christian Dior New-York Grey Silk Dress and Jacket Circa 1958
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Equivalent to French size 38 (EU)
- Style:1958 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good Condition and Color .
- Seller Location:Toulon, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU633319305262
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: Toulon, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- An André Courrèges French Couture Chasuble dress numbered 55540 Circa 1970By André CourrègesLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1970 France Number 55540 Haute Couture wrap dress in thick black jersey with stitching and piping. Attaches by black snaps on the front, three are doubled to create the flare...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- A Printed Chiffon Evening Dress by Madame Grès Haute Couture Circa 1970By Madame GresLocated in Toulon, FREarly 1970. France. Long sleeveless Haute Couture dress by Madame Grès. Bottom of the orange dress on which is sewn a chiffon printed with large abstract flowers orange and purple....Category
1970s French Evening Dresses
- A French Pierre Balmain Printed Silk Dress, Circa 1980By Pierre Balmain CoutureLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1980 France Pierre Balmain summer dress in blue silk with polka dots in shades of yellow, pink white and black. Round neck, short kimono sleeves, tightened dress at the waist,...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- Emilio Pucci Bolero and skirt Printed cotton set, Circa 1970sBy Emilio PucciLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1970 - 1980 Italy Bolero and skirt set Emilio Pucci from the 70s / 80s. Brassière bolero in stretch lycra cotton. V neckline, the bolero crosses in front to tie with the belt...Category
1970s Italian Casual Dresses
- A Worth Paquin Couture Embroidered Chiffon Dress - England Circa 1960By WorthLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1960 France / England Worth cocktail dress in navy blue silk-crepe with horizontal stripes embroidered with iridescent navy glitter and translucent beads, from the last perio...Category
1960s British Cocktail Dresses
- A French Gold Printed and painted Satin Dress Circa 1940-1950Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1940-1950 Europe Amazing little summer dress with flowers on a gold background dating very propably from the Second World War. Clever print on silk satin cream with surreal patterns popular in the 1940s thanks to Elsa Schiaparelli ... Fish, horse heads, parrots appear in a flowery decor and abundant acid colors. Short sleeves and Claudine collar applied with a golden cord and knotted. Integrated belt with two flaps hanging out on the front to refine the silhouette. Beautiful bobbin lace...Category
1940s French Cocktail Dresses
- BALLY Gray RARE Sleeveless Dress Italy 4/38By BallyLocated in Asheville, NCBally, Made in Italy, Size US 4, Sack Style Bottom at Back, Grosgrain Ribbon Tie, Stitched Details, 70% Viscose, 30% Polyamid Measurements Laying Flat (Has Stretch): Bust Free (Blou...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mini Dresses
- Vintage JAMS WORLD Colorful Woman Roses Art ARCHIVE Rayon Dress S/M RARELocated in Asheville, NCJams World, Excellent Graphics, Zipper on Back, Back Slit (5"), No Size or Care Tag Measurements Laying Flat: Bust 18" Waist 15" Hips 19.5" Length 34" (at shoulder)Category
Late 20th Century Mini Dresses
- DYED PETALS Vintage Botanically Tie-Dyed 60's Upcycled Dress XS/SLocated in Asheville, NCThe DYED PETALS Collection (vintage, upcycled, and custom-made fashion using natural dyes and colorants), is designed and offered exclusively by PARPARIAN....Category
Mid-20th Century Maxi Dresses
- Vintage 60s 70s Mod GREEN MCM Geometric Abstract OP ART MAD MEN Dress M/LLocated in Asheville, NCVintage Mod Green Dress, Diamond and Floral Print, Polyester, Metal Zipper on Back, Darted, Short Sleeve, Calf Length, Great for Spring! Measurements Laying Flat: Bust 18" Waist 17...Category
1960s Informal Dresses
- Chanel Navy Dress with LogoBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel navy dress, size 36. Excellent condition.Category
2010s Day Dresses
- AZZEDINE ALAÏA black dress and green polka dots FR 36By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Rubiera, REAZZEDINE ALAÏA PARIS black dress with green polka dots - sleeveless very snug zip on the back size FR 36 Made in Italy 50% wool 25% viscose 15% polyamide 10% polyester Flat measures:...Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
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.