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.
Ultra Rare 1960 Tura Jewelled Accented Frame Archive Dior Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Baleares, Baleares
This is a seldom and rare piece not only for its aesthetic value but for its importance in the sunglasses and fashion history. Delicate enamel ornamented cast iron frame with dive...
Ultra Rare 1960'S Tura Filigree Accented Frame Archive Dior Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Baleares, Baleares
This Is A Seldom And Rare Piece Not Only For Its Aesthetic Value But For Its Importance In The Sunglasses And Fashion History. Delicate Enamel Ornamented Cast Gold Iron Filigree A...
Ultra Rare 1960 Tura Filigree Octogonal Accented Frame Archive Dior Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Baleares, Baleares
This is a seldom and rare piece not only for its aesthetic value but for its importance in the sunglasses and fashion history. Delicate enamel ornamented cast gold iron filigree f...
Ultra Rare 1960 Tura Jewelled Opal Accented Frame Archive Dior Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Baleares, Baleares
This is a seldom and rare piece not only for its aesthetic value but for its importance in the sunglasses and fashion history. Delicate enamel ornamented cast iron frame with dive...
Ultra Rare 1950's Midcentury Shuron Accented Frame Archive Usa Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Baleares, Baleares
This is a seldom and rare piece not only for its aesthetic value but for its importance in the sunglasses and fashion history. Delicate ornamented cast iron frame emulating flower...
New Vintage Christian Dior 2173 Gold & Red Frame Sunglasses 1980'S Austria
By Christian Dior
Located in Baleares, Baleares
New Vintage Christian Dior Metallic Gold & Red Frame Holding A Pair Of Light Pink Lenses A Seldom And Rare Piece New, Never Worn Or Displayed, It May Show Minor Sign Of Wear Due T...
1980s Vintage Red Acetate and Brass Elegant Eyeglasses by Christian Dior
By Christian Dior
Located in Aci Castello, IT
Stylish 1980s Vintage Red Acetate and Brass Elegant Eyeglasses by Christian Dior Step into iconic 1980s glamour with these sophisticated vintage eyeglasses by the legendary fashion h...
1980s Christian Dior Model 2250 44 Silver & Red Oversized Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Munich, DE
"WHAT'S LIFE WITHOUT A LITTLE FRENCH DRESSING?", is the slogan written on the 1980s advertising of Christian Dior's model 2250 sunglasses featuring the exact twin of the pair we offer here. Iconic and highly coveted 1980s Christian Dior model 2250 sunglasses in colour 44. As seen in other colourways on Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser in the film "American Hustle". And Rihanna on her "Man Down" single cover and for her Interview Magazine cover shoot. These notice-me oversized vintage shades were manufactured in Austria. They feature red edging around the original brown gradient lenses and ribbed silver metal detailing. The temples are made from Optyl and are finished off with the signature "CD" emblem on the hinges. The frame is signed "Christian Dior" and "optyl" on the inside of the right temple and "2250 44 63 17 Made in Austria" on the inside of the left temple. A collector's piece of fashion history! Excellent vintage condition with the slightest signs of wear. Lens width: 63 mm / 2.5" Bridge: 17 mm / 0.67" Temple length: 120 mm / 4.7" Reference Photos: 1980s Christian Dior advertising...
Christian Dior So Real Palladium Frame Blue Mirrored Architectural Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Christian Dior So Real Palladium Frame Blue Mirrored Architectural Sunglasses are a bold and sophisticated accessory that seamlessly blend modern design with high-end luxury. Featuring a striking palladium metal frame and reflective blue mirrored lenses, these sunglasses exude an architectural aesthetic that makes them a standout statement piece. Their unique, geometric silhouette offers a contemporary edge, making them perfect for elevating both casual and upscale outfits. They can be styled effortlessly with designer pieces such as a Chanel tailored blazer, a Balenciaga oversized sweater, or a Louis Vuitton leather jacket...
1980s Christian Dior Oversized Sunglasses
By Christian Dior
Located in Toronto, Ontario
1980s Christian Dior gold metal sunglasses with red details throughout. CD logo on both arms and brand engraving on interior arm. New dark grey le...
MIU MIU Navy Red SMU 02P Floral Acetate Sunglasses
By Miu Miu
Located in San Francisco, CA
MIU MIU sunglasses in a navy and red acetate featuring a cat eye, and tortoise floral frame. Made in Italy. Comes with case.Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: SMU 53-18 OAX-...
Christian Dior glasses frame 1980s
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
CHRISTIAN DIOR - Yellow bakelite glasses frame, arms with the golden metal logo of the house. A Collection circa 1980. Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Width: 13.5 cm - G...
Andy Warhol and the fashion house’s first collections were among the creative director’s inspirations.
There's a renewed appreciation for the era's aesthetic, perhaps most notably among millennials seeking authentic, easy style.
