Vintage CHRISTIAN DIOR Size 4 Black Houndstooth Wool/Polyester Cocktail Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 4 (US)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- 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: San Francisco, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- SELF-PORTRAIT Size 4 Black Polyester Blend Eyelet A-Line DressBy Self-PortraitLocated in San Francisco, CASELF-PORTRAIT dress comes in a black polyester fabric featuring an a-line style, see through panel, long sleeves, and an invisible zip up closure at center back. Excellent Pre-Owned ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- EMANUEL UNGARO Size 10 Blue Black Cotton Polyester Floral Cocktail DressBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in San Francisco, CAEMANUEL UNGARO dress comes in a blue & black eyelet floral cotton / polyester featuring a shift style, 3/4 sleeves, and a back zipper closure. Excellent Pre-Owned Condition. Marked...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- MONIQUE LHUILLIER Size 4 Black Gold Silk Rayon Sequined Cocktail DressBy Monique LhuillierLocated in San Francisco, CAMONIQUE LHUILLIER dress comes in a black rayon featuring a ruched bodice, gold sequined trim, padded shoulders, and a side zipper closure. Made in USA. Very Good Pre-Owned Condition....Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- MOSCHINO Size 8 Black Rayon Empire Waist Cocktail DressBy MoschinoLocated in San Francisco, CAMOSCHINO cocktail dress comes in a black rayon / acetate featuring a empire waist style, braided detail, and a side zipper closure. Made in Italy.Excellent Pre-Owned Condition. Mar...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- TOMAS MAIER Size 2 Black & Red Viscose / Polyester Stripe Mid-Calf A-line DressBy Tomas MaierLocated in San Francisco, CATOMAS MAIER dress comes in a black & red stripe viscose / polyester featuring buttoned straps and a-line style. Made in Italy.Very Good Pre-Owned Con...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- PETER PILOTTO Size 6 Multi-Color Sequined Beaded Silk Shift DressBy Peter PilottoLocated in San Francisco, CAPETER PILOTTO dress comes in a black silk with sequined details featuring beaded designs made by hand, shift style, sleeveless, and a back zip up closure. Very Good Pre-Owned Conditi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Emilio Pucci Blue Silk DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in Paris, FREmilio Pucci blue silk jersey printed dress featuring an iconic geometric print, a front gathered detail. Composition: 100% silk Estimated size IT42/38fr/US6 /UK10 Made in Italy. In...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- Azzedine Alaia S/S 1985 Vintage Plunged Cutout Bodycon Green DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia 1985 Vintage Plunged Cutout Bodycon Green Dress Size MCategory
1990s Day Dresses
- 1984 Yves Saint Laurent Floral Silk Runway Dress w Black Velvet TrimBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis iconic Yves Saint Laurent dress is in a fine floral silk in shades of dove grey and pink on a black background with black velvet trim at the cuffs, yoke and over the shoulders. ...Category
1980s European Day Dresses
- Valentino Red Crepe Vintage Dress With DrapingBy ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORThere is nothing like the perfect red! The Valentino dress is in the classic "Valentino red" which is such a flattering color and it has just the right pigment to flatter all skin types. This lovely dress is such a perfect piece to add to any wardrobe and can easily go from day to night with the right accessories! We especially love the gorgeous draping in the back and the puckered, paneled sleeve detail. The center back has a 10 1/2" slit at the hem and there is a center back hidden zipper closure with a hook and eye. This fully lined dress is made in an acetate viscose blend crepe and it is labeled Valentino. Made in italy...Category
Early 2000s European Evening Dresses
- S/S 2002 Gucci by Tom Ford Knit Hook Closure Runway Black Knit Dress SetBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a slinky hook and eye closure accented sweater dress set designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 2002 collection. This set debuted as look number 23 on Erin Wasson on the Spring/Summer 2002 runway and was seen on Debra Messing at the 2002 Screen Actor's Guild Awards and in the March 2002 issue of L'Uomo Vogue...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 2002 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Sleeveless Champagne Satin Panel Midi DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CATom Ford designed this champagne-colored satin Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche dress. From 2002, this sleeveless dress is constructed entirely of shimmery satin and features a v-neckl...Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail 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.