• This dress is from the Spring 2006 Christian Dior collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of John Galliano.
• Galliano began his own label in 1984 and he was instantly a bit of a 'boy wonder' in fashion. He was British Fashion Council Designer of the Year in 1987, 1994 and 1995. In 1991 he made his Paris catwalk debut. In 1995 he was asked to head Givenchy and then went to Dior in October of 1996. 
• His work, especially the bias cut pieces that he did, have a feeling of the decadence and abandonment of the twenties and they are beautifully cut.
• They marry Old Hollywood with the minimalist spirit of the nineties and early 2000s and the results are stunning.
• This is an amazing example of his work from the Spring 2006 season and it is gorgeous. We believe that some of the detailing is based on / loosely inspired by the opening look of the Couture 2006 collection. We have included a photo of that dress for you and you can see similar bead work through the skirt of that dress that has similarity to the pattern of the beads on this dress.
• The dress is made out of a deep blue silk crepe chiffon that has a slight bit of texture to it and a slight grey undertone. 
• It is completely cut on the bias. The dress falls from the shoulders and then drapes down and over the body to the floor. It is very beautiful. The signature bias cut that he often did allows the dress to skim and drape over you so that is shows every curve but is not overly fitted.
• The seaming is highly reminiscent of the work you see from the twenties and thirties which became another of John's signatures.
• The fabric has been pieced together with both curved and angled seams through the bodice and lower skirt to create the fantastic lines of the dress that you see.
• Wide straps extend out from the bust to curve over your shoulders. The front is set in a V and the fabric is gathered across the front of the shoulders.
• I love the angled cut of the front bodice where he has pieced the two side of it together. These are set into a high curving seam that highlights the waist but still stays easy in cut.
• That seam curves around the back curving upwards there as well.
• The back is scooped into a low curved open expanse. The straps become smaller and run down the back to join into each side of the lowest part of that curve.
• An attached panel of silk drapes beautifully down the back in reference to the best of Old Hollywood.
• The dress glides over the body from there and flares out as it reaches the hem. The widening and length of the back hem is created with angled silk chiffon panels inset into the back skirt. It is an incredible feat of patterning.
• This creates a longer bit of a train at the back for a bit of a sweeping feel behind you.
• There is an incredible amount of fabric through the lower skirt which gives you so much movement when you walk.
• The entire dress to just past the knee is beaded with silver beads mixed with the tiniest silver sequins. These are laid out vertically over the dress in beautiful curving lines that cover the dress. They catch the light from every angle and take the dress to another level.
• His signature row of tightly spaced buttons run up one side.
• The dress is even better in person and on the body as the static photos cannot fully convey how a bias cut dress moves. They only truly come to life when worn.
• It has a matching silk inner slip dress that loop through a stitch so that they are attached at the top of the inner shoulders. You could easily remove this to get more room if needed. The bias cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes and we have provided the comfortable range of measurements for both it and the outer dress below. It closes at the side with a series of silk covered buttons. It looks to have been worn very little if at all.
• Tagged a FR42, GB14, IT46, US10. 
• Excellent condition

Dress
Bust: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam 
Waist: 15-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: approx 59" from the top of the shoulder to the front hem and approx 74" to the back

Inner slip
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner lining at hips: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD5662

Reference Photo: Fall 2006 Dior Couture, Look 1.

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