This amazing and so very easy to wear a dress is a production piece from the Valentino 2019 Resort collection. His inspiration for this collection was Rome in the 1970s. In Vogue's review, they noted that Pierpaolo's goal for pre-collections was always to create clothes that women could wear and really live in. I love that. One of the things that made this particular collection a stand out was his reworking of the Valentino logo. He told the press that he called these 'bootlegged logos' and I love the swirling way that he worked the logo in to create the print that covers this dress.

The dress is so cute and chic. It is made from a light jersey that is super easy to just slip on. It also holds colour fantastically. The sleeves are cut to be very full above their simple cuffs and this adds to the easy feel the dress has. The entire upper bodice of the dress is finished with an elastic so you can wear it fully off the shoulder. This allows your entire upper shoulders to show. The jersey fall over the bodice in an easy manner to the waist. The waist is finished with an elastic and there is a little ruffle just underneath that elastic. This makes fitting the dress extremely easy as it will move with you. If you wanted more of a cinched in look, you could easily add a belt, but it works perfectly well without one. The skirt falls to the just below the knee or a little longer depending on your height. The jersey has been pleated into soft pleats that open out as they near the hem. This gives it beautiful movement as you move. It is killer. The dress looks to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition  

Unlined and slips over the head to wear. Elastic around the top of the shoulder and waist. Each cuff buttons to close with a single button. The elastic at the waist and shoulders give it some room in the measurements. I have listed the comfortable range when laying flat below. Tagged a modern Valentino small.

Sleeves: 24.5" and are 16" around the upper arm
Bust: 18-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 16" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 52" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD4961

Reference Photos: (1-3) Resort 2019 Valentino Look 22 & 23

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The Oscar de La Renta boutique label first appeared in 1967. His boutique label is important as it is know for being the first ready-to-wear line for a Seventh Avenue designer to be launched. These early pieces have lots of hand finishes and are just stunning examples of his work during these early days of his career. I am certain that this dress is from Spring 1971. I have had dresses in other colours with the same bodice treatment and that is the only collection that I am aware of that he did under this label with this type of treatment through the top. 

I love this dress. It is not only so easy to wear and so cute, but I don't think it was ever worn. The cotton is as crisp and bright as if it had just come off a rack. It is light in weight and feels exactly what it looks like - an early rendition of the bandana. The lightness of the fabric mixed with its crisp finish is what lets it move so beautifully over the body once it is on. When you walk, the fabric of the skirt and that fabulous handkerchief hem catch the air and move around you. The colour is a beautiful true red and the print layers white and black on top of the red cotton in a classic bandana design. The top is fully finished with horizontal elastics that give it the stretch and feel of a tube top. He has left a bit of a ruffle around the neckline. The sleeves have the same elastic treatment with another ruffle at their ends. I have photoed the dress with it sitting fully off of the shoulder, but you could also wear it higher up on the shoulder if you wished. The gathering goes to the top of the hip so you get an amazing shape through the body. The skirt falls from there skimming over the hips. Depending on your height the skirt falls from just below the knee to mid-calf. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition

Unlined and slips on to wear. The fabric through the bodice where it is finished with elastic has a lot of stretch. I have put the comfortable range of measurements below when laying flat.

Sleeves: approx 8.5" and the upper arm will stretch from 12-20" around
Shoulders: no defined seam
Bust: 15-22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 24" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 18" from top of shoulder to where the elastic ends
Total length: 51" from top of shoulder to longest points of the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD4959

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 Spring 1982 collection marked the 20th anniversary of Yves' Couture house. In the book Yves Saint Laurent: Catwalk they note that the historical importance of his collection made him feel very anxious. He was quoted as saying "I am frightened of this collection. I am far more anxious than I was for my first collection. It is a reassessment of 20 years… It is the end of adolescence, the beginning of maturity. I really feel like a beginner." But of course, it was a masterpiece of a collection and raved about.

The collection was extravagant and was heavily influenced by India and the beautiful work done by Indian artisans. There was a play on proportions with wide shoulders and a narrowing at the hips. This tunic was one of the more simple pieces in the collection but it still has the touch of an oversized shoulder and the ease and elegance of a beautiful silk in its making.

I love that you can wear this as a tunic over something else. It was shown over a skirt and a modern girl could easily wear it on its own as a dress. It was shown belted with a silk sash in the advance photos for the collection and you could easily add a belt or ribbon if you wanted to have more shape. The shoulders are padded and set a little wide. The sleeves are cut wide through the upper arm and even as they narrow to the wrist, they are still wide set by the cuff. The cuffs and collar are done in a black silk and I love the contrast to the ivory of the body. It is meant to be worn fairly loose and easy to skim over your bust, waist and hips. It falls to about the knee or just above depending on your height. A slit runs up each side and you can see that he has lined the entire inside of the piece in that same black silk as the collar and cuffs. When you walk and move the slits let you to see that flash of black which ties the whole piece together perfectly. The silk is a rich and heavy weight that drapes beautifully over the body. This is a dress that really needs to come to life with a body in it and my dress form photos are nowhere near to doing it justice. It is completely made by hand and an absolutely beautiful, refined and easy piece of true Couture. Excellent condition with a small note below.

Fully lined in a handset black silk and closes at the back with a hand set zipper. Handmade padding in each shoulder. It is completely made by hand to Couture standards. Has it proper YSL numbered Couture label. There is one small mark near the elbow of one sleeve. Please see the photo after the label shot. The easy cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes. On a smaller frame, it will just feel more oversized.

Sleeves: 22.5" and each is 20" around the upper arm
Exaggerated shoulders: 16.5"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 39" from top of shoulder to hem
Slits: 11.5" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD4913

Reference Photos: Spring 1982 Yves Saint Laurent  Couture Advance Preview. Model Kirat Young.

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 runway as Look 53vfor the Spring 1983 Haute Couture collection. It was shown under a jacket initially and then the jacket was removed. I love that this shows you how versatile these little dresses can be. We also found the fabric noted in a WWD editorial and then I looked into my folio collection book and found the model number and original sketch for you to see. I have included all these reference photos for you here and it gives you a beautiful idea of how fabulous this is once on the body. The dress is gorgeous and Yves always cut his couture pieces so perfectly. It really is a beautiful piece and owning a piece of his couture work is always one of the ultimate vintage acquisitions.

The dress is amazing and showcases how wonderful Yves Saint Laurent could cut a dress to flatter a woman's body. It is made entirely by hand and the silk has the tiniest ribbed texture running through it. The top is cut to skim over you and blouse over the waist. The shoulders have light padding just at their outer edges to slightly extend them outward. They are set into the bodice with gathers so that they slightly pouf above the shoulder line. The sleeves are slim and pouf out just slightly as they slim down to the zippered cuffs. The neckline is set wide across the collarbones and edged in a black silk band. The waist is seamed and we have added a black grosgrain ribbon there for shape. You can add a belt instead if you wanted a really cinched in look. The skirt falls under that in a simple pencil to just about the knee or above depending on your height. There are hidden set pockets along each hip. The colour of the silk is the best thing about the dress. It is a mix of a bright pink, green, blue and a deep purple set in a large floral design that runs over the entire dress. It is so pretty. Truly a brilliant dress and when you see it in person you will fall in love with how good it is in person. And it is just so good on the body. A masterpiece. Excellent condition.

Unlined through the bodice and lined in a black silk through the skirt. All the work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards. It closes with a back zipper and two buttons at the back of the neck. An inner waist stay hooks to close. Each cuff has a hand set hidden set zipper to close. Light padding in each shoulder as described above. Completely made by hand. Proper Haute Couture numbered label present. The grosgrain ribbon is not original to the dress but will be sent with it.

Sleeves: 22" and 13.75" around the upper arm
Slightly wide set shoulders: 16"
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from top of shoulder to waist but mean to blouse a bit
Total length: 38" from top of shoulder to hem with 2" turned under

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4642

Reference Photos: (1-4) Spring 1983 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Runway.  /  (5-7) Spring 1983 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Advance Preview.  /  (8) Womens Wear Daily, February 1983.

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.

Other then the colour this is the twin of the set that walked the runway for the Fall 2000 as Look 17. The set is incredibly beautiful and chic once on the body. I also have Look 11 from the show in the shop now that has a longer jacket from the same client. True Haute Couture pieces by Chanel are an extraordinary find as they are so very rare and hard to come by. It is an incredibly beautiful and historically important example of the work that Karl was doing for Chanel during this time period. It is absolutely gorgeous to see in person.

I love that this set has both the light car length coat and a chic inner dress. It makes it so versatile and you can mix and match both pieces and wear them in so many different ways. Both of the pieces are constructed from a stunning deep coral pink and moss green version of the Chanel signature boucle fabric. From a distance it combines to give a more rust coloured feel but as you get closer you see the two distinctive colours. It is absolutely beautiful. It is then edged with a fringe made of the two wools. On the jacket this fringing follows all of the edges of the coat and then also circles each cuff. On the dress it circles around the hem. When the two pieces are worn together this extra little detail softens the feel of the set and gives it a nice pretty and romantic touch. The inner dress is cut in the sleek and simple shift that skims over the body and flares out slightly as it nears the ham. Clever and subtle seams shape the dress around you so that it's very flattering. It is hand lined in a rich deep green silk. The jacket slips over that and has shoulder pads for a structure and  the sleeves are long. It has meticulous seaming set in curving lines to create the shape that you see. It has no closure except for a hook and eye at the neck. What really makes it exceptional is that ruffled piece that goes from the neck right to the hem. The ruffle gradually narrows down as it reaches the bottom hem. This adds an unexpected touch of detail and softness to the jacket. It also creates movement as it slightly moves as you move. The jacket is lined in that same extremely high-quality green silk and there is a signature Chanel chain set around the hem. This is a classic Chanel set that will never go out of style and it is exceptional. The fact that it is true Haute Couture is just the icing on the cake. It is meticulously made to the highest standards. It is a beautiful piece showcasing the work that the Chanel ateliers are capable of and of Karl's time there. Excellent condition.

Both the dress and the jacket are fully lined in a fine deep green silk. The dress closes with a back hidden set zipper. The jacket has a hook and eye at the top of the neck. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Both pieces have an appropriate Haute Couture label and numbered tape present. Both pieces are completely made by hand

The Chanel boucle is created with their proprietary method of weaving that they themselves describe as "by weaving the warp and weft, using a variety of different kinds of threads which creates a unique and somewhat irregular appearance. The warp – vertically strung – is the background of the fabric, the base that will support the assembly of materials. There can be up to 12 different threads used for a single warp. The weft – woven horizontally – gives the fabric its unique character and can have an unlimited number of threads. Tight, perforated, textured, thick, with a relief, plaited, random, twill… the potential number of effects is endless". This technique gives you that classic Chanel look.

Jacket
Sleeve: 24"
Slightly inset shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 39" from neck to hem

Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 38" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4142

Reference Photos: Fall 2000 Chanel Couture Runway, Look 17. Model: Tetyana Brazhnyk.

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.