Christian Dior...

"The cardboard boxes were huge:  long, wide, thick and solid.  For photo sessions or exhibitions they would be brought up to Paris from the small town in the Touraine where the House of Dior stores more than fifteen hundred haute couture dress, and almost as many boxes of accessories.  Within these boxes are the gowns that are too fragile or too heavy to put on hangers.  Witnessing their opening is almost akin to taking part in a minor rite.  Two people are required to bring out each box; the heavy lid is then lifted to reveal the sleeping beauty within.  These fragile creatures must be woken with care, the tissue paper shaken gently away in order to restore them to life.  

And what a life it is:  The litany of dresses for all occasions from collections of the day -- “robes de jour, robes de fin d’aprés-midi, robes de cocktail, robes de restaurant, robes de cabaret, robes á danser, robes de petit diner, robes de grand diner, robes de gala, robes de grand gala” -- conjures up a whirl of images.  But already the dream is working its magic.  Age cannot wither their beauty, unique as it is to each of them and knowable only in their presence, like human beauty.  Few of them are now in pristine condition.  The great majority bear traces of their former days:  a worn patch, a faded color, a hidden mark, a tiny snag.  But above all this hovers an overwhelming sense of their presence, of the certainty that one day, one evening, a woman wearing this gown must have felt she was truly alive."

If you can only afford ONE vintage fashion book, then I can honestly say, this is IT. This oversize book contains 384 pages and is filled with the most beautifully photographed haute couture clothing you will ever find.

Christian Dior by Farid Chenoune

Published by Assouline Publishing 2007

ISBN: 9782759401628

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The Golden Age of Couture, Paris and London 1947-1957

Cocktail dress by Christian Dior, London. Organza 1957, Illustration created for the Victoria and Albert by David Downton.

Of all the books about vintage fashion that I own, this book is my ABSOLUTE favorite.  If you're interested in this subject, you will definitely want to add this to your collection!

"The Golden Age of Couture celebrates a momentous decade in fashion history that began with the launch of Christian Dior's famous New Look in 1947 and ended with his death in 1957.  It was Dior himself who christened this era fashion's 'golden age', a period when haute couture thrived and Paris enjoyed renown worldwide for the luxurious creations of designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain and Hubert de Givenchy.  While never competing with Paris in terms of glamour, London has proved itself a burgeoning fashion capital, boasting Savile Row, the undisputed home of bespoke tailoring, and prominent couturiers such as Charles Creed, Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell, who dressed debutantes, aristocrats and the royal family." 

 

'Bar' suit by Christian Dior, modelled by Renee.  Photograph by Willy Maywald, 1955.

 

'Bar', suit by Christian Dior, Vogue French Edition, May/June 1947.  Illustration by Christian Bérard.

"The New Look required a complete change of accessories.  Neat hairstyles replaced the flowing hair and complex millinery of the war years.  Shoes changed from clumpy wedges to slim, elegant courts with narrow toes and high heels supported by steel rods."

 

Shoe by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior, 1954.

"Although Dior went on to design many other important collections, the New Look caught the public imagination, and the long, full-skirted ballerina look continued to be a part of the vocabulary for popular fashions right up to the 1960s." 

 

Evening dress by Hardy Amies, satin, c. 1950.

Evening dress by Victor Stiebel at Jacqmar, embroidered silk satin, 1950s.

Evening gown by Cristóbal Balenciaga modelled by Dovima. Harper's Bazaar (British edition), December 1950. Photograph by Richard Avedon.

"Superb examples of evening gowns, cocktail dresses and tailored suits from the V&A's collection are shown alongside fashion illustration and evocative photographs by the likes of Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton and Irving Penn."

 

'Ecarlate' cocktail dress by Christian Dior. Red silk grosgrain, Autumn/Winter 1955-6.

Coat by Cristóbal Balenciaga, modelled by Lisa Fonssagrives. Vogue French edition, 1950. Photograph by Irving Penn.

 

Evening dress by Madame Grés, modelled by Sunny Hartnett, Le Touquet, France, 1954. Harper's Bazaar American Edition, September 1954. Photograph by Richard Avedon.

This book was "published to accompany a major Victoria and Albert exhibition" and "pays tribute to the impeccable workmanship and creative flair behind some of the most famous couture styles of all time."

 

'Zemire' modelled by Dior house model Renee. Paris, 1954. Photograph by Regina Relang.

Evening dress by Cristobal Balenciaga (detail). Silk, 1955.

"97 colour plates, 80 black and white illustrations."

♥

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Has Anyone Seen My Handbag...?

A very favorite research book in my vintage fashion library is Vintage Handbags, Collecting and Wearing Designer Classics, by Marnie Fogg, published by The Five Mile Press in 2009 (ISBN 978-1-74211-667-9).  I promise you, if you are a keen lover of vintage purses, you will just go GA-GA over the photos in this gorgeous book!

I absolutely adore vintage handbags, especially Corde handbags from the 1940s.  I actually use my handbags on a daily basis, even though you pretty quickly get the idea just exactly what women DIDN'T carry in their tiny little handbags whenever you start to use one.  Women in the 1940s didn't have to deal with mobile phones, MP3 players, Blackberries, etc.--all they required was a hankie and a tube of lipstick and they were set for whatever life could throw at them!

Here's a few photos from this MUST HAVE book just to whet your appetite.  You won't be disappointed if you add this lovely book to your reference collection.

American Bamboo and Plastic, 1953 by the Philadelphia Company, Ingber

Gown and Clutch, 1952, by Christian Dior

Hard-Framed, Double Handle Handbag, 1952

Pauline Trigere, 1952

American, Red Calfskin, by Koret, 1953

1950s Fur Handbag by Greta

Large Leopard Skin Handbag, 1946

Clutch Bag, 1952

Clutch Incorporating a Watch, 1935

I hope you've enjoyed this little snippet of vintage handbag heaven!  This lovely book is just full of fascinating handbag history from the 1920s-1980s and is VERY, VERY USEFUL!

♥