During John Galliano's years from 1996-2011 at the house of Christian Dior he arguably produced some of the most amazing bias cut and chiffon dresses in the house's history. His work often has a feeling of the decadence and abandonment of the twenties and thirties with their beautiful cuts. They marry Old Hollywood with the minimalist spirit of the nineties and early 2000s and the results are stunning. This is an amazing example of his work from the Boutique line and it is gorgeous. It is so classically Galliano for Dior in its shape and cut. It is a real beauty.

The dress is made out of the palest possible peach / pastel salmon nude silk chiffon that has a slight bit of texture to it. It is completely cut on the bias which makes it so easy to wear. The dress is cut wide across the shoulders with a scoop at both the front and the back. From there it drapes down and over the body to the floor. That signature bias cut that he did so perfectly allows the dress to skim and drape over you so that is shows every curve but is not overly fitted. The sleeves are cut a bit wide through the upper arm, narrow down just slightly to the cuff and then have a full ruffle to finish them. The bead work that you see over the dress is continued over the sleeves so you get an amazing little glitz in the light from every angle. The bodice is heavily finished with an intricate pattern of silver tube and seed beads and these catch the light beautifully. The bead work continues around the back of the dress and then you have scattered medallions of beads down the front and back all the way down to where the skirt begins. The cut of the dress is meant to simply glide and skim over the body and then it flares out dramatically through the lower skirt. The seaming is a nod to the work you see from the twenties and thirties. The fabric of the lower skirting has been pieced together with a series of angled chevron panels. The widening of the hem is created by the way those angled silk chiffon panels are stacked on top of each other with each panel getting wider than the one above. This gives you so much movement when you walk. A row of tightly spaced matching silk covered buttons run up one side for the perfect finish. The dress is even better in person and on the body as the static photos cannot fully convey how a bias cut dress moves. They only truly come to life when worn. It is an incredible example of his work and looks to have been worn very little if at all. In its original uncut length. Excellent condition

Fully lined in the same silk chiffon and closes at the side with a series of silk covered buttons. You can see the hand work that was done to apply the beads on the inside of the fabric. The bias cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes and I have taken the comfortable range when laying flat for you below

Sleeves: approx 23" to their longest points and are 16" around the upper arm
Shoulders: Approx15-16"
Bust: 17-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19-22.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 68" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD4954

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.

During John Galliano's career he has arguably produced some of the most glamorous dresses in the fashion's history. His work often has a feeling of the decadence and abandonment of the twenties and thirties with their beautiful cuts. They mix Old Hollywood with the minimalist spirit of the nineties and early 2000s. This is an amazing example of his work that I am dating to 2006 based on similar work he was doing that season for both Dior and his own self named label. It is gorgeous. This is a production dress made for the shops in limited quantities. It is a really beautiful dress.

This sleek little number is cut so very beautifully. It is suspended from the shoulders by straps that curve over and down the back. The dress is cut to follow the curves of your body but without being super tight. The neckline dips in a scoop at the front and I love the elaborate sequin detailing that you see set across the bust area. The upper front bust is a single layer of silk organza and then below that heavy sequin work wraps around you to the back. I love the lace panel that peeks out above the scoop. The sequins and beads on the bodice have been heavily applied and sit up and off the dress slightly. The waist is a double layered band of the silk organza and then the area around the upper hips is a single layer that sits over an inner slip edged in a wide band of lace. He has created the shape around the hips with a series of vertical darts that go all the way around you. The long triangle shaped strips of fabric that make the darts become a design detail in themselves. The lace edged built in slip underneath is made from nude silk chiffon. This is what you see under the skirt in these photos. It is very sexy. It skims over the hips and then falls to the floor flaring out as it falls. The lower part of the skirt widens out as it reaches the hem and extra fabric has been worked all the way around so you get a sweeping feel. This one is so well made we think you. could wear it either way around and the those two full length shots grouped on their own are of it the other way around. It is so good. Excellent condition with minor notes below.

Fully lined to just past the hip with a built in inner nude silk and lace slip. It closes at the side with a hidden set zipper. There is some light snagging that goes across the waist and light stress on some seams. I see some very faint whitish coloured marks here and there around the hem and near some seams where the silk organza has faded slightly and some marks on the inner lining of the bodice that do not go through. Please see the photos after the label shot as I took a close ups of the waist area all the way around. 

Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 65" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4980

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.

Bill Gibb was one of the most influential designers in 1970s Britain and his clothes were sought out and worn by the rich and famous. His work always has a high fantasy element to it and he was crowned Designer of the Year in 1970. Much of his work verged on couture and he was unrelenting in striving for perfection. Every piece I bring into the shop that was made by him is very special and this one is no exception. Bill had a great fondness for history and looked globally for his inspiration. This set pays homage to Asian culture and I love how he combined the traditional cherry blossom print with English roses. It is gorgeous.

I love that you can wear this set together or as separates to extend their wear. It is absolutely gorgeous either way. The skirt is made from two long panels that are attached along the waist band and part way down each side. This creates this wonderful line from the hip to the hem. It is seamed down each side to just past the hips and then below that it is completely open. When you move or sit you get this long flash of legs all the way up. It is almost scandalous for its time period. The jacket is cut with more of an oversized feel. The front has no closures. You just slip it on and go. The top of the collar flares out for a bit of detail and the sleeves are cut wide and full. The jacket is detailed with black flat braiding that highlights the cut and adds detailing. More braiding runs along the edges of the skirt. The fabric is a beautiful red silk with little cherry blossoms and English roses woven through it in a slightly metallic finished thread. This is one of those pieces that in person and on an actual body it is even better then how it looks on my dress form. Excellent condition with a minor note below

Both pieces are fully lined in a red silk. The skirt closes with a metal and nylon zipper. The jacket has no closures and slips on to wear. I see a tiny touch of foxing on the side of the skirt, a tiny pen mark on the front of the jacket and some slight lines running up the satin on one sleeve. Please see the photos after the label shot. All these are very minor. Tagged a vintage UK 8. You might be able to add a little extension at the waist to get a bit more room if needed

Jacket
Sleeves: 24.5
Shoulders: 15" across
Bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 13" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 11.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 43" from neck to hem
Slits: 20" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3436

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 Fall 1987 runway and I love that we found a reference photo so you can see just how fantastic this is once on. It is one of those dresses that looks amazing on the dress form but is even better on an actual person. 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. This dress is so unusual and I absolutely love it. It is truly one of the most spectacular of his dresses that I have had in the shop.

This dress is incredible. The fabric alone is a work of art. The base is a rich blue silk and then onto this is a fantastic design made of out a black velvet. The velvet is very soft to the touch with a chenille like finish that gives the design a beautiful texture and softness. The dress has the feel of an antique 18th century gown and I love this reference back to the past. The top is a fitted and strapless with a band of black silk wrapping around the breasts. The blue silk and black velvet fall from there to skim outward over the waist and hips and then narrow back down to the floor as it reaches the hem. This gives the front of the dress a more long and lean feel but with a hint that something special might happen as you turn. The back is the star of the show. Sitting over the top of the closure at the back is a large black velvet bow. This tops an added panel that has the feel of a bustle. I is made out of a tremendous sweep of the same fabric. It  expands outward and then loops back in to attach just under the hips. A second black velvet bow sits at the base of where it swoops in. The sheer volume of fabric used to create this nod to a bustle is fantastic. From every angle of the dress you get these wondrous sweeping views because of this unusual detail. There is a slit under that at the back to allow you to walk. The combination of the beautiful fabric and that extra detailing is just amazing. It is one of the most beautiful dresses I have seen from him. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silk. It closes with a back painted metal zipper hidden under a seam and there is an inner hooked waist stay. Light boning through the bodice. Hand work throughout. 

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 56" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4995

Reference Photos: (1) Fall 1987 Bill Blass Runway.  /  (2-5) Mikey Madison wearing this dress to the Oscars Nominees DInner, February 2025.

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 runway documented Givenchy Couture dress from the Spring 1998 ready-to-wear collection "Rhinestone Cowgirls". It is the twin of the one that walked the runway. This is from the small period of time that Alexander McQueen was the Creative Director for the house. At just 27 years old he succeeded John Galliano as head designer in 1996. In 2001 his contract ended and he departed, telling the press that his creativity was constrained. His appointment had been tumultuous from the start. Hubert de Givenchy had describe his appointment as a "total disaster” and McQueen had shot back that the founder was “irrelevant”. Of course now in hindsight we see his collections for the genius that they were. It also showed his ability to design Couture. He said in later interviews that he walked away from the label with a greater knowledge about the process and techniques of couture, which benefited his own label afterwards. 

In the 'Givenchy Catwalk' book they note that the collection was heavily influenced by Westerns and said that "the hairstyles were inspired by the 1970s, especially Farrah Fawcett's iconic look with thick hair and flicked out ends. Dresses and suits made out of dip, lambskin, covered with flames and star motif created with insets of fabric appliqué." This is one of the most recognizable dresses from the collection and its photo also appears in that same book.

This dress is remarkable. It is strapless and the body of the dress is beautifully seamed. The upper edge of the bodice is finished with a dusty pink suede and the inner bodice is boned and shaped to hug the person wearing it. It is held in place by that inner corset and then it skims over the waist and down to the hips. I love how the skirt is set into the hip with a series of curved scalloped designs. This allowed him to do long vertical panels to make up the skirt. There are eight of them in total and each one spans out to be a full 25" across by the hem. That makes the bottom of the skirt incredibly full and if you lay it out flat, it is more than a full circle skirt. To emphasize the fullness of the skirt he had the model hold the skirt up and flick it around her as she moved. You can see in the photos here that when you are standing still you do have some idea of the fullness that the skirt has but this is really a piece that it is when you have it on and you see it moving that the amazing amount of fabric in the skirt gives it an entirely new dimension. The bottom of the skirt has been inset with the same dusty pink suede in the flame motif that ran so prominently throughout the show. I laid the dress out with the skirt extended so that you can get an idea of just how much fabric is in there. This is an amazing piece of both Givenchy and Alexander McQueen's history. Excellent condition with a note below.

The bodice and body to just past the hip is lined in a black silk. The skirt is backed in black. The dress closes with a hidden set side zipper and the inner bodice is boned throughout with a built-in corset to the waist. A waist stay hooks to close. The suede shows some very slight minor fading and light grubbiness here and there. There is a small area on the bodice where the black has slightly lightened to have a reddish tint and there are a couple areas on one part of the skirt that has done the same. Please see the photos after the label shot. Tagged a vintage Givenchy 40

Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 13.25" flat across from side seam to side seam. Note that the outer waist is up to 15" so you could adjust the corset if you needed more room.
Hips: to 25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 9.5" from top of bodice to inner waist of corset
Total length: 56" from top of suede edge of the bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4872

Reference Photos/Video: (1-5) Spring 1998 Givenchy Runway.  /  (6) From the book "Givenchy Catwalk: The Complete Collections" by Anders Christian Madsen.

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.

John Anthony's business was all done on a made-to-order basis. That means that each piece is the only one that exists or in the very occasional circumstance that there are similar pieces only a very limited amount of pieces were made. And to make things even a little more special.... the pieces I have in the shop come directly from John's archive. He is one of the great American couturiers and he was known for his sharp tailoring and striking evening wear. He launched his atelier in 1971 and he quickly rose to fame, winning a Coty award in 1972 and then again in 1976. This dress is from his Fall 1988 collection and is the original sample from his archives. We found a photo of a dress on the runway from this same collection with the same cut through the top so you can get an idea of how this will sit on the body. John told me that this dress was made for the runway as well and was edited out once the final line up was done. I love this dress and am so happy to let it have its full moment now. His work is amazing on the body and transforms once it is on and moving. 

This dress is absolutely stunning and it is among my favourites from the pieces he has sent to us so far. It is very light in weight once on the body. It is made from the most beautiful feather light silk chiffon. Bias cut silk chiffon is incredibly hard to work with and for this dress he has layered it with each layer falling perfectly over each other. The dress is made of three layers of the chiffon. The two innermost layers are  unadorned and then the top layer has the black lace detailing added to it. It slips on and zips up at the front and this is all cleverly hidden with a panel that wraps and snaps into place to one side. The snaps continue down under the lace detail on the skirt. The snaps only close it part of the way and a thigh high slit is left so that when you walk you will see a mile of bare leg. The front plunges into a V and there is a caped feeling panel of hand made black French lace that drapes over the shoulders for the prettiest romantic touch. This wraps all the way around the back and I love how it drapes there. The lace at the front curves down and to the side and then trails all the way down the skirt to the hem. A wide order of it is placed all the way around the hem. I love the way the lace is all perfectly and meticulously set onto the silk with thousands of tiny precise stitched done to hold it in place and follow the pattern in the lace. This is couture level detailing. At the back, the skirt extends out a bit past the hem to sweep behind you as you walk. The silk is so light that your slightest movement causes it to float around you. It is very beautiful. Excellent condition.

Made of three layers of silk chiffon as described above and closes with a hidden set front zipper and then hidden set snaps down the side. Hand finished throughout. 

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 14" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 64" from top of shoulder to front hem, 76" to the longest point of the back hem
Slit: 34" from front hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4555

Reference Photo: Fall 1988 John Anthony Runway.

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.