christian dior
Important Fall 1959 Christian Dior by YSL Couture Black Silk Tafetta & Chantilly Lace Dress w Pouf Sleeves
This exquisite Christian Dior Couture dress was designed during Yves Saint Laurent tenure at the house. It is from the Fall 1959 collection and comes to me from the grand daughter of the woman who owned it. Prior to her passing she had donated many of her things to one of the major museums in the US but had held this one back. Which to us feels like this one meant something a little extra special to her. This is a couture piece that would have been ordered through I. Magnin's couture salon, made to her measurements at the Dior ateliers and then sent to the US. The theme of the 1959 collection was the 'new woman' to hail in the advent of the new decade. Audrey Hepburn famously sat in the front row of the show. Yves mentioned the skirts in the collection specifically saying 'The secret of my silhouette is on the skirt and the way it is worked'. Many of the evening pieces had this high low cut skirt in several variations so that you get a glimpse of the leg. Vogue said at the time that it was 'the most French collection in Paris'. This dress is a variation on the highly documented strapless version of it that was presented in the show. The model name of the dress is 'Labia' which is scandalous in itself. The dress was photoed on China Machado, appears in the Dior coffee table book published by Assouline. House muse Victoire wore it for Vogue that September. We even found one of the original sketches of the dress and the dress was a part of the 2015 exhibit at the Bowes Museum. The exhibit, Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal, was done in collaboration with the Fondation Pierre Bergé and was the first exhibition in the UK to present a comprehensive display of the French fashion designer's work and life. This version has the identical cut to the strapless one but my client's grandmother ordered hers with the amazing poufed silk taffeta sleeves that set to sit off the shoulder.
The dress is extraordinary and is a testament to master techniques used in couture construction. It is made out of a black silk taffeta that is feather light yet holds and retains the intended shape. The bodice is fitted and comes up slightly at the front in a soft curving line. Inside the the bodice the work that creates its foundation is exquisite. There is a full boned inner bodice that wraps around the wearer and holds the dress in place. This inner corset hooks into place and then the exterior dress zips over this. The sleeves are attached along the side and each is a work of art on its own. There is hidden netting placed between the layers of the silk that hold the sleeves up and off the body and give them the incredible volume that you see. The sleeves are the only detail that differs from the runway model and I love them. I think they are an extremely clever addition to the dress and add even more drama and balance the skirts better then it is without. I love the gathered silk at the top of each sleeve that add that little extra detail at the top of each shoulder. They are cut to leave the shoulder exposed and bare. The skirt is set to feel full at the front and there is an exaggerated, almost empire feel there with multiple soft gathers that bring the fabric in towards the waist and create the fullness that you see. The skirt is cut to fall shorter at the front and then curves around and down to trail out behind you. The bottom edge is finished with a handmade French Chantilly lace. Under the skirt are multiple layers of silk tulle that are also finished with that same chantilly lace edging. These fall in just slightly different lengths around you and add both volume and also fill the inner space under the skirt. The silk taffeta is so light that when you walk the skirt has a billowing effect behind you that it just magical. Around the waist is a wide flat bow that cinches you in and adds a pretty touch of romance. The matching shawl is long and rectangular in shape with three sides of it edged in the same wide panels of Chantilly lace. All of the work on it is to Haute Couture standards down to the hand finished inner seams. This is truly a once in a life time dress and one of the most well documented pieces of Yves time at Dior. It is extraordinary to have the connection to both China Machado and Victoire Doutreleau along with all of the other documentation on it. Excellent condition
The dress is made to couture standards. The bodice is interlined with a combination of muslin and silk and then there is a full boned and lingerie net corset attached. The corset closes with a series of lingerie hooks and the dress zippers to close over that. Each sleeve has netting between the exterior and the lining. The belt is partially attached and hooks and snaps into place. The inner skirts are made from multiple layers of a netting silk tulle edged with hand made French Chantilly lace. Hand finished inner seams. Appropriate numbered couture label for a couture piece ordered through I Magnin for this time period. I see one small repair to the silk net in one of the inner skirts but otherwise looks to have never been worn or worn very little. There is a panel on either side of the hooks that looks to be a later addition to expand the size of the dress. There is some machine working one side of where the sleeves attach. The family always remembers the sleeves being on the dress that may be a later reinforcement. All the work is otherwise done by hand to Haute Couture standards. Sourced from the grand daughter of the original couture client
Bust: 17-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 8" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 31" from waist to shortness point on the front hem, 58" to the longest point at the back hem
Shawl: 21" x 86" including the lace edging
Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED
Item# DD3638
Reference Photos: (1) China Machado wearing the Labia dress, photographed by Richard Avedon, August 1959. / (2) Previous photo as seen in the book "Dior: Yves Saint Laurent. 1958-1960." by Assouline. / (3) Victoire in paper-thin silk taffeta gown with raised hem in front with deep lace ruffles and lace stole by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior, photographed by Irving Penn, Vogue, September 15, 1959. / (4) Christian Dior, 1959. / (5) Bergdorf Goodman Custom Salon sketch of a House of Dior black evening gown, Christian Dior, Inc., 1959, from the FIT Collections. / (6) Christian Dior A/W 1959 Labia gown, Bowes museum 'Style is Eternal' exhibition.
This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.
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