Phenomenal 1960s Gina Fratini Printed Tiered Baby Doll Maxi Dress w Poufed Cap Sleeves & Feather Details

Gina Fratini created some of the most sought after evening wear in the 1970s and into the 80s. Elizabeth Taylor chose to wear one of her dresses for her second marriage to Richard Burton in 1975 and Princess Diana made several appearances wearing her work. Fratini was a British fashion and costume designer whose label existed from 1964 into the eighties. She was also known for dressing Princess Anne, who wore a Fratini gown for her 21st birthday portrait. She did freelance work for Normal Norell and designed the Ossie Clark lingerie line. She won the Dress of the Year award in 1974. She as known for her use of natural fabrics and her dresses were complicated affairs that were not easy to reproduce, which gave her designs an edge in exclusivity.

More than anything I love the feather detailing on this dress and that gorgeous print. They take the dress to the next level and the details on this dress are truly spectacular. The dress is made out of a beautiful silk organza that has been treated so that it has a slight stiffened effect. Printed onto the silk is a gorgeous design that combines flowers, birds, hands and faces. The backdrop is the softest blush nude pink and the print is done in soft pastels. It is so pretty. The top of the dress is stunning. It has a high scooped neck that is finished with a ruffled collar. It skims over the bust and then is seamed right under the breasts for a baby doll feel. The sleeves are shaped into a puffed cap. They are set so that they curve over the top your arm and puff out around the shoulder. The skirt falls to the floor from under the high set empire wast and it is phenomenal in its cut. It falls in three tiers of silk and each tier expands outwards getting wider and fuller as the dress falls to the floor. This floats over and inner pale peach lining that is also set in tiers and it is absolutely gorgeous. I love the silhouette this creates. It is spectacular. The final touch are the feathers that are scattered over the entire dress. Each feather has been hand dyed to a pastel pink, blue or green and they are each attached to the end of a piped ribbons of the same fabric that is attached to the dress. They are set a different lengths so that they dangle off of the dress from the seams where each tier is attached at a seam. This creates incredible movement as the dress moves around you and then the feathers attached to the strips of fabric move as well. Each sleeve has a longer panel of the silk tied into a bow with a feather at each end The organza keeps it light and easy to wear while the cut and design are phenomenal. This is a truly amazing vintage piece. Excellent overall condition wit a note below

The bodice and skirt are lined in a peach silky rayon and the sleeves are unlined. It closes at the back with a painted metal zipper. There is the tiniest of discoloration under the arms and I see that has been reinforced around the inner arm edges with invisible mending tape from the back. Presents perfectly once on

Sleeves: 12" around the arm opening
Inset shoulders: 13.5"
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 9" from neck to empire seam under the bust
Total length: 56.5" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD4613

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