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.
Dior necklace by Christian Dior circa 1950 (attributed to)
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
DIOR - A Collection circa 1950 under the artistic direction of Christian Dior. Dark-silvery metal dickey necklace with costume pearls, blue and crystal rhinestones. Not signed jewel...
Dior multi-row necklace by Marc Bohan 1962
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
DIOR - A 1962 Collection under the artistic direction of Marc Bohan. Multi-row necklace made of costume pearls and silvery metal elements ornamented with crystal and green rhineston...
Christian Dior necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
DIOR - (Made in Germany) Impressive golden metal necklace with openwork spheres, multicolored glass paste cabochons, and rhinestones. Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Len...
Dior Silvery Metal Short Necklace with Green Glass Paste Cabochons
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Dior - (Made in Germany) Silvery metal short necklace with green glass paste cabochons Additional information: Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Length: from 37 cm to 43 cm...
Chanel necklace by Gabrielle Chanel Haute Couture circa 1950-1960
By Chanel
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
CHANEL - Haute Couture Collection circa 1950-1960 under the artistic direction of Gabrielle Chanel. Vintage necklace in gold-tone metal, rhinestones, and glass beads imitating turqu...
Christian dior necklace / belt
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
DIOR - Golden metal belt / necklace with rhinestones. A Collection circa 1990, under the artistic direction of Gianfranco Ferré. Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Length: ...
CHRISTIAN DIOR Vintage Jewelled Necklace, 1970
By Christian Dior
Located in Nice, FR
CHRISTIAN DIOR vintage silver tone necklace embellished with rectangular emerald colour crystals adorned with clear crystals. Embossed 1970 CHR. DIOR Germany. Indicative measuremen...
French designer Roger Scemama for Christian Dior Necklace 1950s
By Roger Scemama
Located in Warminster, GB
An unusual and very rare early 1960’s Necklace created by Roger Scemama for Christian Dior . This is such a beautiful and stunning rare necklace with gorgeous colour combination of ...
John Galliano Era — Sophisticated Necklace and Earrings Set, Early 2000s
By John Galliano for Christian Dior
Located in NICE, FR
A sophisticated jewellery set from the early 2000s, comprising an intricately detailed necklace with a black glass teardrop pendant and matching earrings. The design combines ornate ...
CHRISTIAN DIOR Vintage Jewelled Dangling Logos Necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in Nice, FR
CHRISTIAN DIOR vintage silver tone necklace embellished with pink opalescent beads and faux pearls, featuring enameled dangling D I O R logos. Lobster clasp closure. Embossed DIOR....
Rare Christian Dior 1995 Statement Necklace — Archive-Documented
By Henkel and Grosse for Christian Dior
Located in NICE, FR
An exceptionally distinctive Christian Dior necklace from 1995, an increasingly sought-after period in the history of the House’s fashion jewellery. This sculptural design combines richly textured gold-tone foliage with spherical rhodium-plated accents, creating a sophisticated interplay of warm and cool metallic finishes. The necklace features a delicate chain adorned with individually sculpted, veined leaves in a rich gold finish, interspersed with rounded silver-tone spheres whose textured surfaces catch the light. The organic, almost botanical composition gives the piece remarkable dimension and movement, while the contrast between the two metallic finishes lends it a distinctly refined, sculptural character. What makes this piece particularly desirable is its documented place in the Christian Dior jewellery archive. The exact design is illustrated in a printed reference catalogue on page 161, under the year 1995. The accompanying catalogue entry identifies the necklace as a gold-plated metal design with rhodium-plated metal spheres, and names Henkel & Grosse as the manufacturer. The clasp is signed Christian Dior. Unlike more familiar logo-driven designs, this necklace is distinguished by its intricate metalwork, sculptural botanical motifs and considered combination of finishes. It is a compelling example of the craftsmanship and artistic approach that make collectible 1990s Dior jewellery...
Exquisite Vintage Christian Dior Art Deco Cocktail Necklace & Earrings 1970s
By Christian Dior
Located in Wilmslow, GB
A totally timeless and oh so chic, vintage Christian Dior Art Deco matching necklace and earrings, or demi-parure. Featuring an incredible arra...
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.
