Dior Galore

Last summer Federico Marchetti, founder and CEO of Italian e-commerce site yoox.com, came across a sale of Forties screen idol María Félix’s personal memorabilia at Christie’s in New York. He was so intrigued by the actress that he snapped up her black and white 1967 Christian Dior haute couture cocktail dress. The purchase inspired him to revisit the designer’s work and, before long, he was planning an online sale of vintage Dior for yoox.com. “I came back to Italy and said, ‘Let’s do Dior now,’” Marchetti said. Since then yoox.com’s team of fashion experts have combed the globe for special designs. The approximately 100 items they’ve assembled, which the site will put on sale in June, span the history of the house, from Monsieur Dior through the reigns of Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré and John Galliano. “Though each designer put his own stamp on the brand, you can trace an attitude about elegance, a modern romanticism that runs through all the eras,” said yoox.com creative consultant Holly Brubach. The pieces include the Félix dress, priced at $1,630; an organza haute couture Forties evening dress, for $9,900; and a 1964 crystal, pearl, cabochon and gold-tone necklace, for $1,125. “When you buy a piece of vintage, you buy a story,” Marchetti said. “You buy a bit of poetry.”