This is an interesting dress in that it is instantly recognizable as a McQueen piece and yet it was not one that was featured on the runway. It would have been a piece that was produced for limited production in stores. I have seen an all black version of this dress but this printed version is far more rare and more interesting I think. It is truly a wonderful original McQueen piece.

The dress is made from a black silk with that gorgeous feather print screened onto it. Once on it drapes beautifully over the body. It is strapless with a built-in inner cupped corset bodice to give you support and to hold the dress in place on you. The top of the bodice is curved and it crosses over itself at the front. This adds a pretty softness to the front. There is a skinny band of patent leather that sits under the bust and then the rest of the dress drapes  down and over the body from there. The silk through the body of the dress crosses over itself at the front and the edge is curved down one side and then around the hem. The choice of feather light silk for this one keeps it light and easy and as you move the silk billows around you. It also creates this incredible movement when you walk. I love how the feather pattern is laid out specifically to follow this beautiful curve of the dress. The silk would've had to be specialty printed in order to achieve this feel. I also love how the pattern is carried up and over and into the bust so wonderfully. It is spectacular. Instantly recognizable as his work. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk and has an inner boned structured corset with wired cups. The inner corset closes with its own zipper and then a hidden set exterior zipper closes over that tagged a vintage McQueen 42 and appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Bust: 16-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Band under the bust: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner corset waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open because of wrap design
Bodice: 6" from top of bodice to band under the bust
Total length: 50.5" from top of bodice to longest point of the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4985

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 amazing 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 is a suit pieced together from the actual Chanel sample jacket for this look and then the pants were purchased at retail by my client. It is incredibly rare to find a sample piece so that is a little extra special. The twin of the suit was worn for Look 13 for the Chanel Métiers d’Art show. The show was set in the  Hamburg concert hall and that setting held an extra special place for Karl since it was his hometown. The concert hall had just been opened and for this show Karl mixed the modernity of the new space with his memories of Hamburg as a child “I’ve never left; this is part of me,” he reflected after the show. “I like Hamburg as an idea; something in the back of my mind.” Vogue noted 'You saw what that was, the essence of his inspiration, in a flash: Sailors in peaked caps on leave, girls in thigh-high boots and leather, the people who mill around docks and nightclubs. The clothes evoked ’60s beatniks, countercultural girls in sweaterdresses, smartly dressed officers in uniform, and naval ratings in sailor pants—looks that ran up and down the register of the cool, the hip, and the immaculately classic. It was an obvious, simple idea, really, but one marinated in a mind that has the sophistication to align the results with Coco Chanel’s heritage, and with what any girl would absolutely kill to wear right now.'

The lines of this suit are crisp and sharp and the tailoring is immaculate. Both pieces are made out of a pinstriped virgin wool that allows them to retain the exact lines that Lagerfeld intended while still staying light in weight. The jacket is cut so that it is fitted across the shoulders and then falls in a more box shape to the top of the hips. The collar is neat and small and I love how there is an inset of a white waffle weave cotton for a crisp little pop. That same little pop of cotton is set within each cuff so that it feels perfectly tied together. It buttons to close up one side and the buttons themselves are incredible. I took a detail shot so you can see that they are especially done with both Paris and Hamburg noted on them. The bottom hem is banded and there is a little top set pocket on one side. Each sleeve is long and straight and they end in a notched slit held by a button rather than a traditional cuff which falls in line with the sleek minimalist feel of the rest of the suit. Beside the little pop of white at the end there is also a little 'hidden' surprise of another functional pocket that sits at the end of the one sleeve nearest the pocket on the front. I am obsessed with this little detail. The pants are sleek and simple in their cut. They are flat fronted with a slanted slip pocket on each hip under the waist band. Two more pockets are at the  back and each is still tacked shut. The legs fall wide to the ankle with just the tiniest bit of a flare at the ends. Each leg is finished with a precise wide cuff. The inside of the suit is as immaculate as the outside and it is lined in a deep grey silk embossed with the Chanel logo. A signature Chanel chain runs along the inner hem of the jacket. Every stitch is perfection. Excellent condition with a minor note below. 

The jacket is lined in a grey Chanel embossed silk and closes with the buttons along the front panel as seen. It has a Chanel sample label and is tagged a modern Chanel 38. A pocket on the front and on each cuff. Metal embossed buttons and the signature Chanel chain around the inner hem. There is slight yellowing and grubbiness on the inner collar of the Chanel. The pants zip to close at the front and have hidden hook & eye at the bands. Slip pockets on each hip and two tacked shut pockets at the back The pants have their original Chanel packet and are tagged a modern Chanel 40

Jacket
Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 22" from neck to head 

Pant
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 40.5" from top of bodice to waist
Inseam: 29" from inner seam to hem
Gusset: 17" from waist to inner seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4540

Reference Photo/Video: Pre-Fall 2018 Chanel, Look 13.

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.