Spring 2012 Salvatore Ferragamo Runway Metallic Gold Silk Chiffon Animal Print Dress

This is a spectacular runway piece from the Spring 2012 collection. From the day the label officially launched in 1923 as a repair and made-to-measure shoe shop in Italy, the label has had a loyal following. Salvatore only designed his first bag in 1949 and added scarves in 1955. In 1960 Salvatore passed away and his wife took over the business. It was her that launched a ready-to-wear line in 1965 and began the label on the path to what we know it as today. Women like Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot were huge fans of the label. The Ferragamo label has been known world-wide for pieces that incorporated gorgeous graphics and cutting edge designs. This dress is extremely well made and a very dramatic and bold dress that will definitely turn heads. 

I love that we found some runway footage so that you can see just how spectacular this dress is on and moving. The fabric is feather light so that your slightest movement causes the dresses to float and billow around you. It is made from a feather light silk lame chiffon with various animal prints across its surface. The gold is created by gold lame thread woven directly into the silk with some areas of the print having a denser application of the gold and some less. This causes the entire dress to catch the light and shimmer from every angle. The bodice is made from single panel of fabric that is attached at the front of the waist and then extends up and over the breasts to a high collar. An attached panel of the same fabric can be wrapped around the neck, tied onto a bow or be left to trail down the back. I love how the halter is set slightly in an off-set angle so one side of your collarbone is slightly more exposed than the other. Under that is a band set around the waist for definition and shape. This circles all the way around you and then above it at the back you are left completely bare for a very sexy exit. An attached softer belt in the same fabric wraps over that. The skirt is remarkable. It is in its original supermodel length and made out of three layers of silk. It is constructed to have this incredible fullness and movement. The fabric is so light and fine that when you stand still it falls in a pretty column around you without adding bulk. You still get a hint of the fullness that it has but when you move the many yards of fabric that is actually there allows the skirt to billow out around you. The fabric is so light and airy that when you walk it creates this incredible floating sensation. There is also a high slit on one side that allows some leg to flash. As good as it looks here it only really comes to life once on. It is an incredibly beautiful dress and no matter how good it looks in the photos the sensation and tactile feeling of the fabric and lightness when you have it in hand is just phenomenal. It is a beautiful and glamorous dress that is red carpet worthy and would make an amazing wedding dress for the bride looking for a non-traditional choice or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. And of course it could also be worn to any big event. This dress was well over $10k when it was first released. Appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition with a minor note below.

The halter is backed with gold silk so it is opaque and the skirt is lined in an layer of neutral silk chiffon and then a layer of a gold finished silk chiffon lies over that. It zips to close with a low set zipper at the back and then the attached waist band hooks to close with a slide hook. Another slide hook closes the collar at the back of the neck. The tie is attached to the collar. I see some minor repairs to the hem of the skirt. There is so much fabric that you would only ever see them if its laid out flat and looked for. There is a slight pull near the waist. Please see the photo after the label shot. Tagged a Ferragamo 40.

Bust: has no fixed side seams. The halter covers to approx 18" across at the widest point
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: Approx 15" from neck to bottom seam of .75" waist band
Skirt: 48" from bottom seam of band at the waist to hem
Neck: 13" from end to end
Slit: 32"

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4026

Reference Photos/Video: Spring 2012 Salvatore Ferragamo Runway Collection, Look 38. Model: Daphne Groeneveld.

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.