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.
CHRISTIAN DIOR Vintage Jewelled Pendant Necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in Nice, FR
CHRISTIAN DIOR gold tone chain necklace featuring a logo pendant embellished with clear crystals. Lobster clasp. Adjustable length. Embossed DIOR. Indicative measurements : adjust...
Gilt Metal
CHRISTIAN DIOR Vintage D I O R Pendant Necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in Nice, FR
CHRISTIAN DIOR vintage gold tone chain necklace featuring a D I O R letters pendant. Adjustable lobster clasp closure. Embossed CHR. DIOR. Indicative measurements : adjustable length from approx. 41.5 cm (16.34 inches) to approx 45 cm (17.72 inches) / pendant max. height approx. 1.5 cm (0.59 inch). Material : Gold tone metal hardware. Comes with a CHRISTIAN DIOR box...
Gilt Metal
Vintage Christian Dior Chunky Crystal V Necklace 1980s
By Christian Dior
Located in Wilmslow, GB
A chunkier version of this Dior design, this striking vintage Dior V necklace is expertly crafted to showcase the House’s timeless style. This bold and weighty statement piece features classic chain links flowing into a dramatic V-shaped panel, set with shimmering square-cut crystals and delicate crystal chatons. An iconic vintage Dior design that effortlessly elevates any look — a true wardrobe hero you'll treasure and turn to time and again. With pieces from her personal archive showcased at the Victoria & Albert Museum's acclaimed Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition, Jennifer Gibson is recognised as a leading expert in vintage Dior jewellery...
Christian Dior necklace by Gianfranco Ferre circa 1990
By John Galliano for Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
DIOR - A ready-to-wear Collection circa 1990 under the artistic direction of Gianfranco Ferré. Baroque-inspired golden metal necklace with an impressive matching pendant centered wi...
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1973 CHRISTIAN DIOR 13 Strands Two Tone Chain Necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage 1973 CHRISTIAN DIOR 13 Strands Two Tone Chain Necklace Measurements: Drop: 4.33 inches (11 cm) Wearable Length: 31.29 inches (79.5 cm)...
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....
Christian Dior Gold-Tone Medal Necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in Paris, FR
Christian Dior Gold-tone medal necklace featuring a large center strass medal, a logo fastening, an adjustable fit, spring-ring fastening. Length: 16.54in. (42cm) Circa: 1980s In goo...
$621 / set
H 0.87 in W 0.87 in L 15.75 in
1980s Costume Jewelry Interchangeable Earrings and Necklace by Christian Dior
By Christian Dior
Located in Aci Castello, IT
This elegant 1980s Christian Dior parure beautifully showcases the bold geometric aesthetics and glamorous versatility that defined the luxury house's costume jewelry during the decade. The set is crafted from high-quality gold-toned metal and features an innovative interchangeable design system. The suite includes a fine twisted rope chain necklace carrying a square-shaped pendant, alongside a pair of clip-on earrings and three additional interchangeable square jacket frames, allowing the wearer to customize their look. The modular versatility of the set highlights the distinct finishes available for the square drop elements. The collection includes pairs of frames finished in polished, minimalist gold-tone, frames inlaid with deep black enamel, and frames pave-set with brilliant, shimmering clear rhinestones. This allows the central clip-on component to be swapped seamlessly depending on the occasion. The clip mechanism reveals the meticulous craftsmanship of the house, showing the smooth, sculptural hinges that hold the square frames in place. Each central clip finding is elegantly stamped with the authentic, embossed "CD" initials logo, ensuring its pedigree as a collectible vintage Dior treasure...
Gilt Metal
Christian Dior Golden Metal Pendant Necklace
By Christian Dior
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Dior - Golden metal openwork necklace with rhinestones. Additional information: Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Length: from 71 cm to 76 cm Seller Reference: BC57
$2,987
W 0.99 in L 30.71 in
Christian Dior by John Galliano 1990s Gold Strands Square Link Necklace Belt
By John Galliano for Christian Dior
Located in Wokingham, England
Christian Dior by John Galliano 1990s 8 Eight Strands Layers Square Charms Interlinked Chunky Statement Tassel Long Necklace Elegant Modernist Belt, Gold Tone Very excellent conditi...
Gold Plate
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.
