• The dress is from the Spring 2001 Chanel collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld.
• The show that year took place in the Carrousel de Louvre where the Chanel team constructed a multi-coloured Neon Staircase for the models to walk down. The Chanel 'Catwalk' books noted that the models sported tons of colour to go with that staircase and the collection showcased red, pink, blue, coral and purple besides the standard black and white used so often by Karl.
• The dress is made out of a feather light silk chiffon dyed to the deepest midnight blue.
• As good as it looks in the photos it will only really come to life once on the body. When you move and the air picks up the ruffles of silk chiffon it has the most beautiful movement.
• The dress is cut with a very soft and easy feel much like the dresses of the twenties and thirties.
• The neckline is a simple wide scoop and the bodice is cut to skim over you down to the waist. The waist area has a more generous feel that makes it easy to wear and this extends down to a dropped seam around the top of the hip.
• From there it falls to the floor widening out in a cascade ruffles as it nears the hem.
• The silk chiffon that the dress is made out of is entirely cut on the bias so that it drapes perfectly over you all the way to the floor. If you did want more shape through the waist you could easily add a belt or sash.
• Set horizontally across the bodice are three rows of smaller ruffles which add a sweet little detail. I love how the chiffon above and between these is a single layer so you get a touch of transparency between then and at the top of the shoulder area. 
• The skirt has its own cascade of ruffles with a total of six layers that are stacked over each other. This is what gives the dress its extraordinary movement once on and let it move so prettily when you walk.
• The bands of ruffles get wider and fuller as they reach the floor. This allows the lower skirts to really flare out and move as you move.
• The final finishing touch is the fantastic deep V of the back that is absolutely unexpected given the covered front. It is extremely sexy when you turn around to reveal that bare expense of skin.
• The entire dress is as light as a feather once on and it is almost like having nothing on at all. It is just amazing and even better in person.
• The dress is fully lined in the same midnight blue silk chiffon. It closes with a hidden set low back zipper that starts at the base of the V. The dress appears to have never been worn or worn very little.
• Tagged Chanel FR38
• Excellent condition
  

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 59" from top of the shoulder to the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5836

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• Note that due to new regulations this set can only ship to a Canadian address. If you need further assistance on this please get in touch. 
• The twin of this dress was Look 28 for the Resort 2008 Nina Ricci presentation
• It was made under the creative direction of Olivier Theyskens
  
• I love that we have runway reference photos and you can see how beautiful it is on Chanel Iman. It is a highly collectible piece and is a very special dress from the Olivier Theyskens era at Nina Ricci.
• In Vogue's review they stated that "What makes Olivier Theyskens such a compelling designer is the way his collections tend to riff on and grow from what came before. For resort the ex-Rochas front man continued to explore things he established at his first Nina Ricci show in March. There were more of the twisting around the body evening dresses... he pieced spirals together with patchworks of fabric for an elegant and ultimately more subtle effect than the ones produced by his fantastical fall creations." The said that the collection was "romantic, and rebellious at once, not unlike Theyskens himself."
• The dress is completely cut on the bias and you just slip it on to wear. It drapes over the body in a way that highlights your curves and yet is not tight fitting anywhere.
• Panels in both a black and a deep blue are set vertically on angles over the entire length of the body. The cut has a strong nod to the bias cut couture pieces from the 1920s and 1930s.
• Both the front and back are set in a V at the neckline for a bit of skin to offset the use of the fabric through the rest of the dress.
• The dress skims beautifully over the bust, waist and hips. Once past the hip area the lower skirt begins to flare out dramatically.
• The back is cut to sweep around and out behind you. Yard and yards of bias cut fabric make up the lower skirt and train. This creates the most beautiful movement around you as you move. Even in the still photos from the runway you get the feel of motion in the way the dress falls over the body.
• The very top of each shoulder has been finished with hand dyed black feathers. These are handset over the top of the arm to fall delicate over the top of your shoulders and upper arm. I love the extra drama and movement that the feathers create.
• This is a spectacular and rare dress from his time at the label. All of his work is highly collectible.
• The dress is unlined with hand finishes throughout. The dress is in its original uncut length. It has no closures and simply slips onto wear. The bias cut gives it lots of room through the body so it should fit a variety of sizes. On a smaller frame it will just drape more. I have put the comfortable range of measurements below. I see some light scuffing on the fabric. Very minor. Please see the photo after the label shot.
• Tagged a vintage Nina Ricci 40.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 67" from top of shoulder to the shortest part of the front hem and the back extends another 19" beyond that. 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD5837

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress walked the Spring 2009 runway for Look 62 
• It was made under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld
• This is the actual dress that was worn by Catriona Balfe for the Season 5 premiere of Outlander in 2020. 
• In the book "Chanel Catwalk" the notes on this collection tell us that for this show they rebuilt the facade of 31 rue de Cambron inside of the Grand Palais. The collection played homage to classic Chanel style.
• Many of the pieces in the collection used lingerie as their inspiration and you can see that in the lines of this dress. It was one of the outstanding pieces in the show and it is even more beautiful in person. My photos don't come close to doing it justice but you can see how beautiful it is in the reference photos. 
• The dress combines netting and silk in various transparencies and finishes. 
• The upper bodice and shoulders of the dress are made of a fine silk netting that has a touch of transparency to it.
• At the back it scoops down into a low squared off opening to leave the upper back bare and exposed.
• The cups of the bodice are made from a matte silk satin to creates the bodice piece that wraps around you.  A little bow sits at the centre front for a pretty and feminine touch.
• The skirt falls from just below that in an empire cut. It flows outward to the floor expanding by quite a bit  to be beautifully full as it nears the hem.
• The skirt is exquisite and it is made up of four distinct layers. The top layer is a black silk net. Under that is a more ivory layer and then the two innermost finishing layers are made from black silk organza that sit next to the skin.
• The stacking of the layers keeps the incredible volume and shape of the skirt. It also keeps the dress light feeling and comfortable to wear.
• It is a beautiful example of his work during this era.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk behind the bust area and the inner two layers of the skirt are a black silk organza. The bodice buttons to close  with two pewter coloured silver metal buttons at the back and the dress zips to close under that. I see a couple of very tiny and little minor pulls and breaks in the skirt near the hem that don't affect it at all but mentioned for accuracy. There is a tiny repair near the edge of the arm opening. Please see the photo after the label shot.
• Tagged a Chanel 38.
• Excellent overall condition with the minor note above.

Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10.5" from top of shoulders to waist
Total length: 62.5" from top of shoulders to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5838

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.