What started out as a simple TikTok asking people for leads on an antique Christian Dior dress led one woman down a fantastical rabbit hole.
After making a post showcasing her grandmother’s dress , one she kept stored away for over two decades, people flocked to one TikToker’s account to share leads and ideas about its origins, helping her learn more about her grandmother than she could have dreamed of.
RELATED STORIES
Earlier this year, a woman posted a video about a dress on TikTok.
Her name is Adeline Vining, and in the video (that now sports almost 8 million views and over 1 million likes), she tells the story of a dress that once belonged to her grandmother. Well, what she knows of the story anyway.
She shares that she inherited the dress almost 25 years ago.
Despite that, she still knows very little about it. She knows it’s a Christian Dior dress, it’s made of silk and velvet, and she thinks it might have been made specifically for her grandmother. She showed it off and asked the world to help her learn more about its origins.
And boy, did the world help.
The video went viral, and Vining was able to learn tons about her grandmother’s dress.
Thanks to the attention the video garnered, Vining was able to connect with fashion historian Henry Wilkinson . Wilkinson has a large bank of knowledge about vintage fashion, and was able to tell by the label alone that this dress was an early Dior piece.
He revealed a lot about where the dress’ features originated.
“The hourglass silhouette was reminiscent of his revolutionary ‘New Look’ that began in 1947,” he explained. That, along with other details like the trim, lead him to the conclusion that this dress was from Dior’s autumn/winter 1949 collection.
That would mean this dress was designed by the founder himself.
Wilkinson reached out to Vining and urged her to get the dress insured.
In an interview with Insider, Vining said, “Henry encouraged me to get my grandmother’s dress valued and put me in touch with Kerry Taylor Auctions in London.” Kerry Taylor then shared that the dress was worth between $36,700 and $42,800.
“This completely floored me,” said Vining.
More good was yet to come regarding this dress, as it got her whole family talking, with many people sharing old photos of her grandmother.
One of her uncles even managed to find a photo of her grandmother dancing in the dress!
Vining was never able to meet her grandmother.
She passed long before Vining was born, but this dress having a viral moment allowed her to connect with her in a very special way.
“I’m glad through the dress I’m finally able to meet my grandmother,” she said. She plans on digging further, wanting to learn about her grandmother’s death next. “The story seems straight out of Disney and once I have confirmed all the facts I will be sharing it on TikTok.”
h/t: Insider
