Christian Dior John Galliano Size 8 / 10 Terra Cotta Tan Silk Vintage Slip Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 8 / (US)Hip: 52 in (132.08 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 46.5 in (118.11 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6628816762
John Galliano for Christian Dior
Known for introducing rich theatricality and memorable fashion spectacles to the runway, John Galliano has enjoyed a singular career. The audacious British designer has garnered universal acclaim for genre-breaking collections not only at his eponymous label but also for Christian Dior.
From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless newspaper-print dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy, drawing on history as often as it embodies a fresh and forward-looking sensibility, and over the years the designer has helped shape an ever-broadening new legion of enthusiasts for Parisian couture.
Born in Gibraltar but raised in South London by strict Roman Catholic working-class parents, Galliano attended the all-boys Church of England grammar school, where his flamboyance and interest in art attracted the attention of bullies. Eventually, Galliano ended up at the prestigious design and art school Central Saint Martins College (then called Saint Martin’s School of Art), where fellow British designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen also trained.
Galliano flourished at Central Saint Martins. While a student, he worked in the costume department at the National Theatre in London. His graduate collection in 1984, dubbed “Les Incroyables” and named for post–French Revolution fashion lovers, was modeled by close friends of his and earned a standing ovation. The line ended up in the storefront windows of London luxury boutique Brown’s on South Molton Street, and Galliano’s first official collection — after he graduated — debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Galliano’s relationship with his financial backer, Plein Sud’s Faycal Amor, ended, and by 1994, he was broke and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and then-Vanity Fair editor André Leon Talley stepped in and introduced the budding designer to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron São Schlumberger and others.
At Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier, Galliano’s shows became the stuff of fashion legend. His collection, a blend of Japanese modernist style as well as nostalgia for Art Deco and 1940s’ tailoring, earned raves in glossy magazines and garnered the attention of Princess Diana, Madonna and other fashion luminaries.
Once the Galliano name was well known among the world’s most stylish set, the chairperson of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, appointed Galliano head designer of French fashion house Givenchy. One year later, in 1996, LVMH moved him to the design team at Dior. In just eight weeks, Galliano produced 50 looks for Dior Haute Couture’s brilliant Spring/Summer 1997 Maasai collection and would ultimately design a mind-boggling eight collections a year for the storied French fashion house until 2011. Today, Galliano is the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Shop vintage and contemporary John Galliano for Christian Dior evening dresses and gowns, shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
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 Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Ninivah Khomo 1990s Rare Vintage Snakeskin Print Bodycon Sexy Cotton 90s DressLocated in San Diego, CASexy snakeskin print bodcon dress from hard to find designer NINIVAH KHOMO! Manolo Blahnik praised Khomo, saying, "I was captivated by her signature anim...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s does 1920s Isaac Mizrahi Chocolate Brown Paillette Sequin Flapper DressBy Isaac MizrahiLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing 90s does 20s ISAAC MIZRAHI chocolate brown sequined paillette encrusted silk Gatsby style flapper dress! Features thousands of hand-sewn brown paillettes in a variety of shap...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Givenchy Couture Numbered 1970s Chocolate Brown Feathered Chiffon GownBy GivenchyLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing S/S 1971 GIVENCHY couture numbered chocolate brown silk chiffon evening dress! This early 70s dress is extremely well made. Features a nude illusion tailored bodice with semi...Category
1970s French Evening Gowns
- 1990s Luca Luca Size 42 / 6 Snakeskin Silk Organza Strapless 90s Tan Brown DressBy LUCA LUCALocated in San Diego, CASexy, yet sophisticated 1990s LUCA LUCA strapless snake skin print silk organza strapless dress ! The perfect alternative to the little black dress. Feature...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Bill Blass 1980s Tortoise Shell Print Brown Sequin Size 6 Vintage 80s DressBy Bill BlassLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful and unique vintage late 80s BILL BLASS tortoise shell print fully sequined short sleeve silk dress ! I have never seen such unique and beautiful sequins; they are literally...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1970s Victorian Inspired Wool Challis Autumnal Fall Vintage 70s Maxi DressLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful 1970s Victorian inspired Autumnal lightweight wool challis long sleeve maxi dress ! Features warm tone of khaki, brown, red, burgundy, green and orange. Printed flowers and...Category
1970s American Maxi Dress
- 90s Gianfranco Ferre tan knit dress with silk collarBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Beverly Hills, CADeadstock Gianfranco Ferre knit dress with silk collar. Size: 2/ XS Bust: 32" Hip: 34" Flaws: black stains (front collar) you can easily reverse the collar (in and out) to hi...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s Loris Azzaro Brown Sequin Strapless Cocktail DressBy Loris AzzaroLocated in Beverly Hills, CA1990s Loris Azzaro brown sequin metallic strapless cocktail party dress. fit size 4Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- Gianni Versace Collection Jersey multicoloured DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Capri, ITGianni Versace Collection Jersey multicoloured Dress totally made in italy size S/M total lenght 103 cmCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- New Etro Silk Paisley Print Orange Black Long Dress with Belt It. 42By EtroLocated in Montgomery, TXNew Etro Silk Paisley Long Dress with Belt Designer size 42 100% Silk, Famous Etro Paisley Print, Orange and Black Colors, Attached Belt, Side Zip Closure, Fully Lined in Black Silk....Category
2010s Italian Maxi Dress
- Oscar de la Renta 2007 Runway Look Brown Ruffle Trim Sun DressBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in San Francisco, CAOscar de la Renta brown pencil dress with raw edged ruffle trim. Grosgrain trim circles the bodice. Boned at bodice for shape. Back zip and hook and eye. Seen in another color in L...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Casual Dresses
- 1970s Louis Feraud Couture Tan Lace Floral Embroidered DressBy Louis FeraudLocated in San Francisco, CALouis Feraud 1970s haute couture light brown lace dress in a 1920s style drop waist silhouette. Amazing embroidered lace and hand finished seam allowa...Category
1970s French Cocktail Dresses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How John Galliano Caused Fashion Chaos around the Globe
The visionary designer epitomizes the pleasures and perils of irrepressible creative genius.
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.