This is a stunning and extremely rare example of the Haute Couture work being done by the house of Lanvin during the years that Antonio Castillo headed the atelier. Castillo started off his career at the houses of Paquin and Piquet. He also did a stint designing accessories for Chanel. He quickly became known as one of the most promising designers to emerge after WWII and that reputation was part of why he was chosen in 1950 to become the head designer at the House of Lanvin. The press at the time lauded him, along with Balmain, Dior and Balenciaga, as the new generation of the Paris Couture designers. During his time at Lanvin the house was known for the simple and elegant lines. This is a very rare and early Haute Couture coat and we found a reference photo of its near twin that was styled with a belt, dramatic gloves and matching hat added. It is very beautiful and the colour is exceptional.

This coat is beautifully tailored. The double row of buttons at the front and curving cut makes it feel as chic and wearable now as it was when first made. It is entirely finished by hand and has its numbered couture tape under the label. It is so chic and a very important and rare piece. This is truly a vintage gem. It has a deceptively simple cut that hides the precise seams and masterfully tailored cut. It is constructed with the absolute minimal seam work to create the curves of the coat that you see. It is more fitted through the upper bodice and then skims over the waist and flares out slightly as it nears the hem. The collar is neat with a notched front and each sleeve ends in a turned up cuff. A half belt is attached at the back and you could add a belt over it to emphasize the shape even more. The fabric is amazing with a soft finish to it. I believe it is an Alpaca or perhaps a type of cashmere and it is extremely luxurious. The fact that it is dyed that amazing blue makes it that much more brilliant. It is even better in person and the fabric has to be seen and felt to truly be appreciated. This fabric choice allowed Castillo to be able to sculpt the exact shape that he desired. The front has detailed seaming that becomes part of the actual design and inside that is a double row of blue buttons that run down the front to the waist. You can wear this one open or do it up right to the neck like the reference photo. I love the sculptural effect the coat has once on and that beautifully full lower skirting. No shortcut was taken in the construction of this lovely coat and it is an outstanding piece of fashion history in every possible way. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a hand set black silk taffeta and closes with the button down the front. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand. The Haute Couture numbered tape label is present under the main label and is numbered 15.418. This is a medium to heavy weight coat 

Sleeves: 22" and 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 45" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4489

Reference Photo: Model in Lanvin, 1952.

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.

Philip Hulitar designed under his own namesake label from 1949 to his retirement in 1964 so his pieces fall in a very defined window for dating. He was known for his sophisticated dresses and evening gowns. Shortly after the launch of his label a journalist gushed that; 'The star of a gifted designer has risen recently on the fashion horizon'. Prior to launching his own label, Mr Hulitar was the in-house designer and head of the women's dress division for Bergdorf Goodmans for 18 years. His work is amazing. This would absolutely make for an amazing wedding dress for the bride or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. And of course it could also be worn to any event. It is just beautiful.

This dress so beautiful to see. The fabric is that rich ivory champagne colored silk that seems to have been done nest during this time period. The cut of the dress is magical. The bodice is fitted and strapless and I love how it has a slight curve across the top of the bodice. Inside it is boned to help to hold the shape that you see. There is a little bow at one side for detailing that is so pretty. It is cut to follow your every curve. The waist is brought in but there is no horizontal seam there to break the eye. Instead it is held in place inside so you just get this beautiful unbroken curve to shape the body. The skirt curves over the hips and then widens out to fall to the floor in a stunning expanse of silk. The entire dress is shaped by the seam and the use of long vertical panels which give the skirt the volume that you see. You cod make it even fuller by adding a full crinoline underneath too. On the front and back are those inset panels of the same fabric bit for the panels they have been hand gathered across. This creates these long and wide panel of intricately gathered silk that run the full length of the dress. I love how they are used to add to the hourglass shape of the dress by being set wide across the bust, coming in at the waits and then expanding out across the width of the skirt. It does the same at the back but in a not so exaggerated way. The back is cut slightly longer for a beautiful sweep of fabric there. It is just a beautiful and rare piece of 1950s couture. Excellent condition with small notes below.

Fully lined in a tea coloured silk organza and closes at the back with a hand set metal zipper. Hand finishes throughout. Boning through the bodice. Beautifully made. The inner lining has a variation throughout that of course does not effect the outer dress at all.  I see a tiny foxing mark on one side of the outer skirt and the edge under the arm has started to give on one side and it is just starting a tiny on the other. These could easily be altered out by reducing the width of the band there a little. Please see the photos after the label shot. The construction throughout is to demi-couture standards. The colour is a bit more ivory then how it photoed. You could easily alter this one down if needed

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam with room to a C cup at the front
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 53" from top of bodice to front hem and 62" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD4373

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 am very excited to bring you our latest mini capsule collection. This is one of nine dresses from a single owner collection. Her collection was lovingly sourced over decades and she has decided that it is time let them back out into the world for others to enjoy. For this capsule we have moved forward to the 1940s and 1950s. Really good examples from this era are becoming increasingly hard to find and these are all gorgeous little examples of that time period. This is just a tiny sampling of her overall collection and I hope to have more of these capsules for you in the future.

This stunning little dress is from the Jobere label out of New York and it is made from a bright emerald dress silk satin mixed with a cotton muslin and beaded detailing.  This is a fabulously beautiful little labelled 1950s piece. It is very well-made. The colour is spectacular and I love the contrast the green has with that detailing that runs around the top of the bodice. The panel there is made out of a pale nude cotton muslin. Its edges are finished with hand done bead-work and prong set glass rhinestones. The neckline sits wide across so that you see the collarbone. It curves up and over the shoulders to create tiny cap shoulders. The green falls under that and there’s a bit of an illusion that it’s extremely low busted by the way the green is curved underneath the bust. The waist nips in and then the skirt flares out. The dress has its own built in underskirts so it is full on its own. For some of these photos I added a light crinoline but it is full even without. It is very pretty and fresh feeling. Excellent condition with a note below.

The dress is fully lined and has its own attached inner tulle skirts. It closes with a back zipper. The beads and rhinestones are hand applied. Slightest barely fade at the edge under the arm. There is light fraying to the very edges of the shoulders - please see the photos after the label shot.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 42" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# D644

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.

Madame Gres' work has had profound effects on Haute Couture and her influence still resonates to this day. Her attention to detail, master draping techniques and respect for the female form is unparalleled. She was known for designing and creating garments directly on her models and this became a signature of her work. She opened her first atelier, La Maison Alix in 1932. A partnership briefly changed the house's name to Alix Barton and then the label went to simply Alix. In 1942 she married, and the label made its last change to became Madame Gres, which was a partial anagram of Serge, her husband's first name. Her work spans over five full decades with the vast majority of it, with the exception of a short-lived RTW line begun in 1980, dedicated solely to creating Haute Couture. She is one of the greatest couturiers of our time and her pieces are very rare and hard to find.

This Haute Couture dress is exceptional. It comes to me directly from the family that the other recent Gres pieces have come from. Her son told me that 'Madame Grès would let her wear many dresses as she was size model and those she really liked she purchased afterwards.' This was one of those that she kept and it is a very special piece. He remembers her wearing this around 1960 to some galas. This is also the time period that she would have had that relationship with Madame Gres. In the course of researching the dress we found that the 1958 and 1959 collections in particular were ones that featured braided details and cape elements like this dress has. I have included here some examples other dresses by Gres that share some of those common elements to this one from those years for you to see.

This is one of the most stunning dresses I have ever had in the shop. It is made from a biased cut silk chiffon with a small abstract print on it. From a distance it gives you that beautiful mottled red effect. Then as you look closer at the fabric you see that there is a deeper red, coral, soft green and a blue that all work together to form a pretty abstract floral print. The dress itself is simple and minimalist. It falls from the shoulder with wide straps that are made from hand gathering the silk chiffon and hand stitching them in these incredible little curved sections to create the illusion that the silk has been braided. These curve over the shoulders and then follow the neckline for a square off feel at the front. At the back they run down to the mid back and then run across in a straight line there as well for that same squared off finish there. The body of the dress falls from under that detailing in a swoop of bias cut silk. By the time it reaches the hem it is quite full. When you are standing still you get a soft column feel but then when you move you get incredible movement. The dress is lined in a layer of biased cut ivory silk and this gives the top layer and that pattern more depth. The silk is as light as air. Every seam on the dress has been finished by hand. Working with a silk chiffon as fine as this makes that an incredible achievement that would've taken countless hours of handwork. The dress is stunning on its own but this is a set and it comes with a incredible matching caped piece that has such  an unusual and beautiful design. Two wide panels done in a single layer of silk chiffon are sewn together at the top of the neck at the back and then they hook together at the front. The panels fall over each shoulder to the floor and just past the hem of the dress. It is incredibly light in weight. This allows the slightest bit of air to pick them up so that they waft and float around you as you move. If that was not already beautiful enough the cape is topped by an oversized hood made of the same silk chiffon. It is cut extra long at the back and in such a way that when it is off the head the ends twirl on their own. I have taken a photo of this for you because it is just such an incredible detail. It's something that happens naturally and on its own as a result of how the silk has been placed and sewn into place. When the hood is up it falls gently around the face to frame it. The dress is in incredible condition and appears to have never been worn. It is literally a work of art and one of the most special things I've ever had in the shop. This is truly an extraordinary piece of modern couture and is exceptionally beautiful. No matter how good you think it looks in the photos, it is better in person. Excellent condition.

The dress is lined in a fine ivory silk. There is handmade soft inner corset set inside and under the ivory layer and it closes with its own zipper. The ivory silk lining closes over that with its own zipper and then the outer layer of the dress closes with hidden set tiny snaps. The cape hooks to close at the front. An inner waist stay hooks to close with metal couture hooks. I see a very tiny and finely done seam at the base of where it snaps to close at the front and I'm not sure if it is there deliberately or if it was a repair at one time but it's invisible when the dress is on. Please see the photo after the label shot. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. The dress is finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely made by hand. The proper Haute Couture label is present. The bias cut of the dress does allow for a range of measurements and I have listed those below to the comfortable range laying flat where that applies. Note that due to the value of this dress returns will not be accepted so that it ships only one time.

Inner waist stay: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 58" from top of shoulder  to hem
Cape: 65" from neck to hem and will come up a touch when on the shoulders

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4254

Reference Photos: (1) 1958 Madame Gres Evening Dress in The MET Collection. /  (2) Madame Gres evening dress, L'officiel de la mode, 1958.  /  (3) 1959 Madame Gres Evening Dress in the Chicago History Museum Collection.

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.