Bill Blass launched his label in 1970 when he bought out the Maurice Rentner label and re-launched it under his own name. Blass was arguably one of the most famous of the American designers. His forte was the ability to mix simple styles with unexpected materials in way that was very flattering to the wearer. These pants are so unusual and I absolutely love them. This is the type of piece that you are only going to find in vintage.

These are based on the classic harem pant that you see in many cultures around the world. You have to wonder if he travelled somewhere and was inspired to make a version for the western market. They are made out of a beautiful black silk chiffon with another layer of chiffon inside acting as the lining. Onto the chiffon is an amazing pattern of flowers and vines done in metallic gold, red, green and purple. This gorgeous design completely covers the pants from top to bottom. As they near the hem of the pants the pattern changes to horizontal stripes that anchor the entire design. They have no closure. Instead there is elastic around the waist so you just pull them on and go. The bottom of the pants also have elastic and this lets them blouse and balloon up around the ankles. It is an extremely simple design that is easy to wear. The gold and metallic colours are so striking. These would be fantastic to travel with and you can easily dress them up or down. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black chiffon with elastic at the waist and cuffs. They appear to have been worn very little if at all. The elastic at the waist does give them flexibility in measurements. I have given the approximate range of measurements and I think if you were smaller you could have the elastic at the waist tightened. They are very easy to fit.

Elastic waist: 12.5-21" flat across from side to side
Hips: open
Length: 43" from waist to hem
Inseam: 29"
Gusset: 16" from back waist to inner seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-LRG

Item# DD4964

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 overlay skirt walked the runway for the Fall 2019 season for Look 36. This was the show where Maria took a look to the past for her inspiration for the collection. Vogue's Sally Singer noted that; "Chiuri sought inspiration for this collection from Britain’s postwar Teddy Girls, those working-class, rock ’n’ roll–loving beehived vixens who hit the clubs in a mix of men’s Edwardian jackets, full skirts, blue jeans, leather, velvet, and eyeliner galore. She was struck by the similarity in silhouette and the optimistic excess that characterized Christian Dior’s designs of the same period. She was also moved by Yves Saint Laurent’s addition to the Dior pantheon of a men’s black leather jacket for women in the late 1950s. So, heritage, hipsters, and herstory" This skirt is one of the ones that felt most like a heritage piece from that show while still having a modern flare. It is just absolutely lovely.

The skirt is made out of a beautiful black silk net and the fabric choice is what allows it to hold the shape that you see. It is also the perfect fabric to have been able to add the extensive bead and sequin work that have been applied to it. At the waist there is a thin band that cinches it in. The skirt is full under that and will fall to about mid-calf to the ankle depending on your height. There are two layers of the net that make up the skirt and it is fully split and open at the front. It wraps over itself just a touch at the front and there is a little flat bow for added detail. I love that this gives you a piece that you can layer over existing pieces in your wardrobe. You can take a simplest little dress that you have, pop this over it and all of a sudden you have an amazing and elaborate look. The entire skirt has been appliqued with little floral sprigs that are made of hand set metal coils, tiny seed beads, sequins and what look to be mother of pearl finished paillettes. All of the work is done by hand and it is extraordinary. It looks to have never been worn or worn very little. It is a very little special piece that has a huge array of styling options. Excellent condition.

It is made out of two layers of the black netting and meant to have a slight transparency since you layer it over other pieces. It closes with snap and hook an eye at the waist and is fully open down the front.

Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 36" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4963

Reference Photos/Video: Fall 2019 Look 36. Model Hyun Ji Shin.

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.

This is a beautiful skirt by Adolfo. Adolfo started his career under Balenciaga and like Halston, he was a successful milliner before opening his own fashion house. He became know for his Chanel inspired suiting and beaded pieces. Adolfo often did custom work for his clients who ranged from the Duchess of Windsor, to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Gloria Vanderbilt and Nancy Reagan. He even won a Coty Award in 1969. I love his work and am very pleased to have this exceptional skirt in the shop today.

The skirt is made out of a beautiful back chiffon that is has a second layer of black silk floating underneath it. The waist is banded for shape and then two layers of silk fall from there to float over you. It will fall all the way to the floor or just above depending on your height. Onto the top layer of chiffon he added a geometric pattern that combines black eyelash velvet and gold metallic eyelash fabric. This pattern covers the entire skirt. The bottom hem of both the outer and inner layer are both finished with a band of metallic gold lame. I love the effect that the touch of metallic gives to the skirt. It is fabulous and it looks to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a second layer of black silk as described above. It closes with a zipper and a hidden set snap and a hook and eye at the waist.

Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 41" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4962

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.

This is a very rare piece of vintage and it is a delight to have it in the shop. It is from the 1988 Spring / Summer "Blanche Dubois" collection. The show had a total of 96 looks in it. My client purchased this right after the show and has had it since. The inspiration for this collection was Tennessee Williams 1947 heroin from the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" combined with the idea of the English country lady. An integral part of the collection were the way that he had the hems of the skirts and some sleeves done. He described then as "blown away" hems. Galliano had given his pattern cutters a book on origami and asked them to incorporate the feel of it into the clothing. He wanted the hems to look as though it had been blown up in the wind hence the name "blown away." Interior buttons and button holes along the hems were added to allow the skirts to achieve the draped bubbled effect that you see here and in the reference photos. The collection was critically acclaimed and it was his most commercially successful to date. US Vogue noted that he went from fashion cult to pacesetter with this collection. 

When we photoed the skirt we did it to show how you can change the look of the hem depending on if you choose to button the buttons up, or leave them undone. there are many configurations that you can do, including buttoning some of the button holes onto the same buttons inside or leaving them all undone and having a longer length skirt. Another key component of the show where these extremely high waists that you would then put a large belt around. My client told me that she often wore this as a strapless dress as well and if you are small enough through the bust to do so, you can have that added option. There is boning through the sides of the waist that help to hold it up and in place. The amount of fabric that the skirt has, and that unusual way the hem has been sewn combined with the buttons, really does give it the most fantastic and fascinating movement when you move. The fabric is at ultra soft white cotton or cotton mix. This piece was only ever owned by one person and it was loved and worn. It does have some faint marks on it but it doesn't take away from the importance or rarity of the piece.

This is an exceptionally rare piece to come up for sale from one of his very early collections. Excellent overall condition with a note below.

The skirt is unlined and closes with a hidden set side zipper. There are buttonholes hidden along the hem of the skirts and then button sit along the seams inside the skirt which is what allows you to change the look and length of the skirt. I see a repair along the back but because of the asymmetrical hem you would actually think that this was deliberate if you did not know better. I see another tiny area at the front where someone has put a stitch near the seam. There are some marks on the front and along one side of the hem. I did have this cleaned and they faded quite a bit but we were not overly aggressive in the cleaning. You might be able to fully get these out with more specialty cleaning. Please see the photos after the label. It is a remarkable piece of fashion history

Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total Length at its longest and unbuttoned it is 45" and then it can be adjusted with the buttons shorter

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4785

Reference Photos: Spring 1988 John Galliano. (Third image from the book "Galliano: Spectacular Fashion" by Kerry Taylor for Bloomsbury.)

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.

I have a small grouping of Chanel pieces that will be listing over the next week or so and they all come from an avid Couture and Chanel collector. Many of these pieces were extremely difficult to source when they were released and were only made in very limited quantities. They are in pristine condition and all but one have their original shop packet that has the extra fabric and style information. These are exceptional pieces for the collector and each is extremely special.

This skirt is exceptional. It's from the Pre-fall 2020 collection and it's twin walk the runway for Look 37. This is a wonderful piece of Chanel and is extremely well-made. The was a Metier d"Art collection which are always the most expensive at retail as they feature work from all the tiny maison d'art houses. It was also Virginie Viard's first Metier d'Art Pre-fall collection. She titled the show 'Paris – 31 rue Cambon' which is of course where Gabriel Chanel first set up shop as a milliner in 1910. She later expanded her fashion empire by taking over six buildings to house her Haute Couture salons one of which was Number 31. In tribute she mirrored the black, beige, crystal and gold that evokes Chanel's apartment, and the famous mirrored staircase. When asked about it backstage, she said that the show was meant to be "the things we like, a mix of Karl and Chanel – the Chanel codes."

In this skirt we see the high workmanship of the luxury suppliers of the fashion industry. At first glance, you might almost think it to be a tweed Chanel piece but then as you look at it closer you realize that every inch is covered with overlapping silver sequins. The sequins are held in place by an ivory, gold and black thread and this is what gives them the appearance of that classic Chanel tweed. The sequins catch the light from every angle. It is exceptional. Running down the front is a panel of glittering crystals that are bordered with faux pearls on either side and the pearls are all caught into a black corded cage. That same detail runs down the centre of the skirt at the back. It is fitted around the waist, but without an added band so you lose no detail of that stunning design, and then it glides over the hips and flares out to the hem. The skirt has never been worn and has its original Chanel packet. Excellent condition

Fully lined in black silk and closes with a hidden set zipper under the back centre detailing. Tagged a 34 and has its original Chanel packet. Current Chanel fantasy skirts start at $5500 and range up to $8500USD + for pieces with this level of detailing. 

Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 23" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4545

Reference Photo/Video: Pre-Fall 2020 Chanel Runway, Look 37.

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.