christian dior

Important Spring 2008 Christian Dior by John Galliano Runway Look 53 Black Silk Strapless Dress

  • The twin of this dress in red walked the Spring 2008 Christian Dior runway for Look 53.
  • It was made under the Creative Direction of John Galliano. 
  • This collection marked Dior's 60th anniversary and it was also John's 10th year with the label. He celebrated those milestones with a show that was a nod to both the archives and Old Hollywood glamour. Pieces were wait-listed worldwide and both colour versions of this dress were produced in very limited quantities.
  • The red has been seen on the red carpet and we have included both runway and carpet photos here. It is a spectacular piece for the collector.
  • To help visualize what this dress looks like on the body in black, we changed the runway dress to black, which gives you a great idea of what the final result will be on.
  • The dress is made out of a luxurious black silk that is completely cut on the bias. John often chose this weight of silk because of the control it gave him to be able to drape and apply the level of seam work that he loved to do.
  • The bodice is strapless with an inner boned and cupped corset that holds the dress in place around you.
  • Silk panels have been draped, gathered and hand stitched into place to create the dramatic sweeping detailing you see at the front.
  • At the back he gathered all of the fabric down and into the centre line to meet in a little peak at the centre of the waist.
  • From there his signature bias cut allows the dress to skim and drape over you so that is shows every curve but is not overly fitted. As in many of his pieces the seaming has the feel  of the work you see from the twenties and thirties.
  • The fabric has been pieced together with low dropped angled panels to create the widening of the lower skirt. It flares out at the bottom and at the back it is cut longer so that you get a sweeping feel behind you as you walk.
  • A row of his signature tightly spaced buttons & loops in the same silk run up one side.
  • This is an incredible example of his work and is highly collectible.
  • The dress is fully lined in a black silk and closes at the side with a series of silk covered buttons. The inner boned and cupped corset hooks to close with two rows of lingerie hooks to choose from. The bias cut gives it some give in the measurements and I have given the comfortable range when the dress is laying flat below. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.
  • There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements listed below.
  • Excellent condition

Inner bust: 17-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 13-15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 56" from the top of the bodice to the front hem and the back hem extends to a total length of 78"

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5630

Reference Photos/Video: (1-5) Spring 2008 Christian Dior, Look 53. Model Morgane Dubled.  /  (6) Aishwarya at the IIFA 2008.  /  (7) Lucy Hale at the People's Choice Awards, 2024.  /  (8) Emma Naomi at the Bridgerton Season 4 Paris Premiere, January 2026.  /  (9-10) We took some liberty to show you what this would look like in black on the runway!

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SIZE GUIDE

Please review all measurements carefully. More often than not, vintage garments do not fit any size category exactly. If in doubt, measure a garment of your own that fits and is a similar cut and compare it's measurements to the listed measurements below.

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