This incredible dress is from the Fall 2004 Yves Saint Laurent collection and it's twin walked the runway that season. With it's brilliant rose print the dress has such a joyful feel to it. And it feels very French. I am always excited to find examples of Yves' work from this time period and this one is extra special with the addition of its runway provenance. We also found video of the show so you can see how the dress moves. I love it

The dress is exquisite and I love that you can see just how wonderful it is on the body from the runway reference photos and video that we have found for you. It is made from a light silk chiffon that weighs next to nothing. The sleeves are cut to be very full above their elastic ends and this adds to the flowing feel the dress has. I love that the sleeves are cut to sit fully off the shoulders. This allows your entire upper shoulders to show and the bare skin of your shoulders balances the show of legs under the skirt. The bodice has a built in inner corset that holds the dress in place and gives it hidden structure. Over the inner bodice the fabric is draped into place in a series of gathers and soft pleats. This gives the illusion that the dress skims over the body rather then being so fitted underneath with the built in corseting. The waist is nipped in and I have added a grosgrain ribbon for shape. If you wanted to wear it like it was shown on the runway you could easily pin a rose onto the waist. The skirt under the waist seam is quite full and cut short. There is a ruffle at the bottom of the hem that adds more fullness. Underneath the skirt is a silk chiffon underskirt. Both that underskirt and the top rose printed layer have a touch of transparency as do the sleeves. It is a very subtle addition of sexiness to have these fabrics be so light and with that hint of transparency. The result is that you get a stunning bit of volume through the skirt as it flares out around you and moves when you move and then both the skirt and the sleeves have a touch of transparency to them so you get a suggestion of leg and arm showing. It's killer. The dress looks to have been unworn or worn very little. Excellent condition  

The built in corset acts as the lining through the bodice and it is boned and shaped. The skirt has a light silk chiffon lining. The dress closes with a side set zipper. The grosgrain ribbon belt is not original to the dress but will be included. The front seam at the waist curves up slightly to one side and it does not look to have ever been altered. I think its deliberate to accommodate a flower as you see it placed in the runway photos.  It appears to have been unworn or worn very little. Tagged a TSL 38 

Sleeves: approximately 22" from the drop
Inner bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bust: 8" from the top of the neckline to the waist
Skirt: 22.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3819

Reference Photos & Video: F/W 1994 Yves Saint Laurent Runway Collection.

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did and still do retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This dress is absolutely stunning. It weighs ounces and is made from the most beautiful fabric. Netted lace is placed over a nude silk chiffon lining. The lace is then detailed with little swirls of cording that have little ivory iridescent sequins running through. This allows the dress to catch the light from every angle and create the most beautiful effect in the light. It all cleverly closes at the front with hidden snaps running under the edges of the fabric. I love how all if the edges follow the curving pattern of the lace so that everything has that touch of romance and detailing. Once on, the front plunges right to the waist. The fabric closes under that point and overlaps slightly. This leaves a subtle slit running up the front so that you see a flash of leg when you move or sit. The back is equally incredible. The front halter curves up and over the shoulders and meet in a band that runs behind the neck. Extending out from that are two wide straps made of the same fabric. These are set to curve and drape away from the body for this pretty 3D effect. The back is left completely bare under that right to the waist. I love how the seam at the bottom of all that bareness is set on a slight curve. No detail is too small with John's dresses. It is incredible. It is one of the most romantic and beautiful dresses I have ever had in the shop and I feel that this would make an extraordinary wedding piece for a bride looking for something not as traditional. It would work for any event really where you want to feel like a goddess. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a nude silk chiffon and closes at the front with a series of hidden fabric covered slaps. Hand finished throughout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Note that it is slightly creamer in person then how it photoed.

Bust: each halter provides 6" of coverage across 
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 62" from neck to longest point of the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3829

Reference Photos: Spring 1984 John Anthony Runway.

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This is a dress that when you see it in person seems impossible to have the level of detail that is does on the silk and netting fabric. It is magical in person. The dress is made from a beige nude silk chiffon through the body and then the upper bust and back are made out of a nude silk netting. It is cut to skim over the body with a suggestion of a waist worked in by vertical seaming. The netting above the front edge of the bodice curves up to the shoulders and then down the back. The back is dipped very low so you see your lower back peek through the netting. Onto the netting is a design that reminds me of coral in the way that it has been executed. A fine silver colour metal thread is first used to create the organic feel of the pattern. Then onto that is a dense application off silver sequins, soft pastel blue beads and rhinestones. These are applied thickly enough that they sit up and off the silk to give a 3D effect. They run over the entire dress and over the netting as well. When this is on the body the effect that this creates is astonishing. I think it is one of the most beautiful textile examples I have ever seen. A long slit up the side allows a flash of leg to show when you walk or sit. It is magnificent. Besides being a very wearable dress for any special evening  this would make a stunning wedding choice for the bride looking for something not as traditional or as an option for an event over a wedding weekend. Excellent condition with a minor note below.

Fully lined in a node silk chiffon and closes with a hidden side set zipper. One of the shoulders has a Velcro close to help get in and out of it. There is a very tiny break in the net near one arm hole at the front and two teeny stress areas near seams. Please see the three photos after the label shot.

Bust: the front covers to 16" flat across and the sides are open right beside the bust
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 54" from top of shoulder to hem
Slit: 24" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3833

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This dress is very sexy and shows off a lot of skin but in the best possible way. The metallic lame jersey that he has chosen as the fabric weighs mere ounces and it is heaven on. Once it is on it feels almost weightless. It is completely cut on the bias so once you slip it on, the seaming and bias cut drape the dress over you and it feels like you are wearing nothing. The halter of the bodice curves up and behind the neck. At the back this leaves you entirely bare. Its scoops down right to the waist and your entire back and sides are a bare expanse of skin. At the front the halter gathers in toward the base of the plunge at the waist and there is a knot of the gold lame there for detailing. To wear it you slip it on, wrap it and then it hooks at the waist under the front knot. The skirt falls under that in a ruffle of gold down the front. It is slit down the center with the ruffled edges of the fabric keeping it covered. When you walk or move you do get a mile of leg showing. The edges curve down and around the hem and the back is cut longer. It is pure golden magic and one of the best lame dresses I have seen. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Unlined and closes with a back hidden set hooks. It has an inner waist stay that has a hook. You could probably move the hook a little up or down to get more or less room if needed. Cut on the bias and is feather light. Hand finished throughout. The strap at the back of the neck has been folded and tacked to shorten it a notch. It would be easy to adjust this if needed.

Bust: each side of the halter front will expand to cover up to 9" across 
Inner waist: is currently 12" flat across from side seam to side seam but it would be expanded to get another inch easily and maybe more. 
Hips: open
Length: approx 60" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3836

Reference Photo: (1-2) Fall 1980 John Anthony Runway.  /  (3-4) John Anthony Ad for Bergdorf Goodman, October 5th, 1980

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This is an amazing dress that is heavily beaded and extremely sexy. The base of the gown is made of a red silk chiffon that then has hundreds of vertical bands of red coloured glass tube beads laid out in vertical rows that fully cover the dress. The dress is already spectacular on its own and the addition of the thousands and thousands of glass tube beads give the dress an extra layer of texture and glamour. Every square inch of the dress catches the light and sparkles. As a result the dress is fairly heavy off the body because of that extensive bead-work, and yet once on the body it lies and drapes in a way that it is balanced and not at all unwieldy. And the colour... If you even remotely love it in the photos you will gasp to see it in real life. This needs a body to give it a life of its own and the camera cannot capture just how gorgeous it is and how the beads catch the light. The bodice is cut with a deep plunge that goes right to the waist. There is no structure inside the panels that sit of the bust. They are meant to just skim over you. They curve up and over each shoulder to turn into thin straps that run down the sides of your back. The back is otherwise left completely open and bare. The sides plunge equally as low so there is an expanse of bare skin there as well. I love how there are no horizontal seams added at the waist so that the front remains a long unbroken line right to the hem. The skirt widens out as it nears the hem and the combination of the silk and beading give it incredible drape. A slit runs up one side so that when you walk or sit you get a flash of leg. As good as it photoed, the effect that this dress has once it is on an actual body is far more dramatic and fabulous. If you even remotely love it in the photos you will dance when you see it in person as it is so much better in real life. Extremely well made and made to demi-couture standards. Excellent condition with one minor note below.

Fully lined in a red silk chiffon and it closes at one side with hidden set silk covered snaps and a hook & eye. Hand finished throughout. It has a good weight to it since it is fully beaded from top to bottom with glass beads but feels balanced when on and comfortable. There is a small part of a row of beads missing near the back scoop and a part of a row at the back. Please see the photos after the label shot. The straps have been folded and tacked to shorten a bit at the top of each one.  This could be easily reversed if needed.

Bust: each halter covers approx 5.5" across
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 60" from top of bodice to waist
Slit: 21.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3834

Reference Photo: (1) Fall 1975 John Anthony Collection.  /  (2) Dayle Haddon in John Anthony, photographed by Hiro for Harper's Bazaar, September 1975.  /  (3-4) Fall 1975 John Anthony Runway.

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

The dress is stunning. It is made from a sleek black silk mix that falls and drapes beautifully. At the front it is cut in a simple sleeveless sheath with a high scooped neckline. The back dips into a very low squared off cut out that goes right to the waist to show a bare expanse of skin. Each side is also cut to go right to the waist seam so you get a flash of skin there that is very sexy. Inside it is lined in a hand jet black silk that feels amazing against the skin. The waist seam is set in a slightly curved line up towards the bodice and then the skirt falls from there to the floor in a stunning sleek column. It is cut super model long in length. I love that on one side there a very high slit. This leaves your leg exposed to the thigh and it is very sexy but in an insanely subtle and refined manner. The dress is just heavy enough to keep its sleek sculptural shape. It is very beautiful. It is stunning on the body. Excellent condition 

Fully lined in a hand set black silk and closes at the back with a low set zipper . All the interior work is done by hand to demi-couture standards. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 

Bust: the fabric will cover to 14" across and it is open a each side
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 13" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 50" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3830

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This dress is exceptional and a wonderful example of his work during this time period. It is made from a black stretch jersey that allows it to drape beautifully over the body and highlight every curve. The stretch in the jersey and the netting on the top allows the dress to show off your curves while still feeling unbelievably comfortable once on. The top of the dress is spectacular and it is so well made that you could wear it either way around depending on just how bare and daring you want to be. The entire bodice mixes curved cut outs of the black jersey with a back netting. This makes it very sexy despite the fact that the dress completely covers you. The net sleeves are long and followed the curve of the arm. Panels of jersey curve up from the waist and wrap over you. If you wear it with the more covered side to the front then the back is left almost bare under the black netting. If you turn it around and wear the more exposed side to the front it creates a more halter effect. The dress skims over the body and falls to the floor in a beautiful drape of jet black jersey. It is cut super model long in length and I love how the bottom of the skirt flares out just a touch. A zipper sits at the neck of the more opaque side and this allow you to show a little skin there or zip it up to the neckline. It is incredible and made to demi-couture standards. Excellent condition.

Unlined and slips on to wear with a zipper at the neckline. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Hand finished. The fabric does have stretch so should fit a range of sizes. The measurements below give you the comfortable range the fabric has when lying flat.

Sleeves: approx 25""
Shoulders:
Bust: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 67" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD3828

Reference Photos: From the John Anthony website.

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

The level that this dress is made to is a beautiful thing to see. It has all those lovely details that you expect in a couture level garment. The skirt is made from a black silk taffeta and then the bodice is very elaborately finished. These fabric choices help to hold its intended shape and give it a high glamour feel. The bodice is more fitted and the neckline is cut wide across so that you can wear it off the shoulder. The bodice is entirely covered in thousands of tiny black sequins. Glass beads in gold and red create a diamond pattern that runs over the bodice and then gold roses are embroidered into that. Onto the gold embroidery sits little clusters of 3D rosettes of metallic pinks and gold. It is incredible and very elaborate. The top is cut to follow your curves and the waist is cinched in. The sleeves are long and are as covered with the sequins, beads and rosettes as the bodice is. All of the edges are bordered and the zipper is hidden under the border that runs down the centre at the front. The skirt is equally well made. It curves out from under that elaborate beading widening out as it nears the hem. Inside the skirt are built in panniers at each hip to help give it shape and volume. This technique helps to hold the shape of the skirt and when on the body it poufs out perfectly. The hours of work that it would have taken to implement the detailing on this dress is mind boggling. It is extraordinary and the kind of quality and beauty that you will only find with vintage. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk. There are built in hip panniers on each side of the inner skirt. It closes with a hidden set zipper down the front. Each sleeve buttons to close with a series of jet buttons and loops. Hand finished.

Sleeves: 19"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: approx 32" to hem once on the body

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3832

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971 his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This jumpsuit is gorgeous just on its own with its cut and line never mind the fact that every square inch of it is completely covered in thousands of tiny sequins. Under all of those sequins the base fabric is a pale green silk onto which are thousands upon thousands of the tiniest sea green sequins. The sequins are all placed in a way that they slightly overlap each other which uses twice as many then if you laid them out side by side. This heavy coverage means that it catches the light magnificently. These literally cover every inch of the jumpsuit and create a moving, sculpture as they fall and drape over the body. The combination of colour, sequins and cut make you instantly seem taller and leaner. The top has a high collar that is detailed with a thick rope of sequins. This snaps into place around the neck and then snaps together at the front. This same piping of sequins also sits at the end of each cuff. The bodice is cut to skim over top and the sleeves are long. A matching sash covered in more sequins hooks into place around the waist for shape. The pants are cut wide and straight as they reach the hem and they help add to the sense of being long and lean. Because the base fabric is a very light silk the entire jumpsuit is shockingly light despite the heavy coverage of the sequins. It is just beautiful and extraordinary once in a lifetime find. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a green silk chiffon and closes with a back zipper. the collar snaps into place and the matching sash belt hooks to close. Light padding in each shoulder. Hand finishes. I see no bare areas. There are literally thousands of discs covering the jumpsuit. It is even better in person.

Sleeves: 24'
Shoulders: 14.5
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam, though the open back will allow for a larger cup size
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from neck to waist
Pants: 45" from was it to hem
Inseam: 33"

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3835

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

Perhaps one of the most iconic of all the Yves Saint Laurent pieces, the laced safari corset top is a piece coveted by anyone who loves vintage or is a collector. When Yves introduced them to the world in the Spring of 1977 they caused a sensation. They are as important now as they were then if not more so. This particular one is extra special for two reasons. The first reason being that we found a reference of this exact colour as it walked the runway that season and the second that it comes with its matching skirt. The skirt is a different one then the one the corset's twin was shown with on the runway because once these pieces hit the shops they were sold on a mix and match basis. I love the pattern with the solid top. I think it gives it more pop then the solid coloured skirt did. The corset tops were produced in a small range of specific colours and I love that I have found one in the exact colour match to the runway piece. 

The top is edged in a white and brown braiding with a chevron design that offers a wonderful contrast. It is made out of a canvas weight cotton that gives it its shape and a little extra structure. To wear it you just slip it on and then it laces into place at the front as shown. The top is rounded at the corners and the waist is seamed for even more shape. The peplum effect at the hip adds to the bombshell effect and curves the corset created. I love that you can lace it in tightly so that it is completely closed or leave it looser for a bit of skin to peek through down the front. The skirt is a classic shape from this time period in YSL's history. It is banded at the waist and then has lots of volume underneath that. Pockets sit at each side of the hip and I love the big oversized paisley print that pics up the colour of the corset top and also has bold pops of blue and red worked through the print. It is gorgeous and seriously chic. Bonus points for being able to mix and match both pieces with other things in your wardrobe. Excellent condition.

Both pieces are unlined. The top laces to close at the front and the skirt closes with a side set zipper and a flat hook & eye at the waist. The skirt is labeled the top is not.

Note that the top is measured with the front edges lined up and completely closed. You will get more room by creating/leaving a space between the edges when lacing it closed.

Corset top - fully laced up to the edges meet
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 22" from top of the shoulder to the hem

Skirt
Wast: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 31" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3816

Reference Photo: S/S 1977 Yves Saint Laurent Runway Collection.

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

Stella McCartney started at Chloe in the Spring of 1998 and forever changed the brand. She was intrumental in reviving the Chloe name and her years there produced some of the most iconic looks of the brand's history. This dress is the twin of the one that walked the runway for the Spring of 2001. Vogue's review of the collection said in part; 'VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards Designer of the Year 2000 Stella McCartney certainly did not disappoint her legions of fabulous young fans who rely on Chloé for the season’s hot new trends. But this season, in addition to delivering sexy new T-shirts and plunging bathing suits (with playful pineapple motifs), McCartney explored grown-up territory. Perhaps drawing inspiration from Schiaparelli’s inventive chic, McCartney worked graphic horse prints (borrowed from Stubbs and Géricault) into loosely structured diagonal-seam dresses and beautiful jackets with a softly draped triangle shoulder.... This was a very strong collection for McCartney, and one that confirms her considerable talent and potential as a major designer.' We all know in hindsight how true those words were. The horse print pieces from this collection are some of the rarest and hardest to find and this is a piece that will only increase in value and get more important as time goes by. 

This dress is especially interesting as it is an impoertnat part of modern pop culture too. In the show Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, wears it as as a coat. Stylist Patricia Fields paired it with a tulle petticoat underneath and left Carrie's nude bra exposed. In 2001 this was almost scandalous and it shows you the strength of amazing styling and how pieces can play double duty under the right eye. When worn as a dress it is a very sexy piece. The silk has a bit of a crepe texture to it and there is a touch of transparency to the fabric. To wear it you simply slip it on and it wraps over you at the front and secures at the waist by two tiny little buttons and loops. This leaves it plunged right to the waist at the front. The skirt part wraps over itself right across the front to make it safe and secure to wear without it opening on you. I am obsessed with the sleeves and how they have a poufed fuller area at the top of each shoulder. They then narrow down to the wrist. The runway version was shown with a belt and you could easily switch up the look by adding one of your own. The print is her now iconic horse print and it runs over the entire dress to make it instantly recognizable as being from this Chloe collection. It is fantastic. It looks to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Unlined and closes with buttons at the waist. You could easily adjust the waist measurement if needed by moving the buttons. Tagged a Chloe 36 and has a slightly generous cut. It should fit a range of sizes 

Sleeves: 22"
Slighty inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 44" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD3817

Reference Photos: Spring 2001 Chloe Runway Collection, Look 11. Model: Colette Pechekhonova.

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

On the runway this was shown as a skirt but for production they did it as a full dress. Vogue's Sarah Mower said in part of this collection; 'This time, her (Miuccia Prada) address seemed aimed directly to youth. There were cycling shorts and duchesse satin A-line tunics and baby doll dresses; plunging bodysuits with straps under the breasts; sheer black knee-highs implanted with Prada’s triangular logos; and iterations of her ’60s–’70s throwback print jersey ladylike coats, all of it topped off with puffy Alice bands. “I wanted to break the rules of the classic,” she said. “To discuss a wish of freedom and liberation and fantasy, and, on the other side, the extreme conservatism that is coming—the duality out there.' This dress has the added provenance in that Rachel Brosnahan wore its twin to the 2019 PaleyFest which is wonderful as it shows you just how fabulous the dress is on the body.

The dress is classic Prada and it is a simple but refined silhouette. The top is cut the skim over the body and the shoulders are soft and unpadded. The sleeves end just above the elbow and have a black satin button detail on the cuff. This same detailing is picked up on the collar where a ring of black silk satin circles your neck. I love the little bow and gold button detailing it. It is an extra little quirky touch that is so in line with the Prada brand. The front of the top is bloused and there are two pleats running down the front for detailing. You can wear it without the belt if you want it to fall more loose and easy on the body or use the belt to give it shape. Adding the belt does pick up on that same black satin detailing and the use of the gold buttons. The skirt is gorgeous. It is a cut in a series of flat pleats set to run all the way around you. These allow the skirt to open up and have tremendous volume when you move. When you stand still the skirt falls smooth and flat and as soon as you move it flares out around you. The most astonishing thing about the dress is the fabric. It is a silk crêpe that’s been tie-dyed in shades of blue that range from a deep navy to an almost purple. This is then combined with an almost acidic neon green. It is fabulous to see and a definite showstopper. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Unlined and closes with a back hidden set zipper. Each cuff has a decorative button. The belt buttons and hooks to close. The fabric has Prada embedded in the print. Tagged a 42

Sleeves: 13"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from neck to waist
Skirt: 25" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3815

Reference Photos: (1) Spring 2019 Prada Runway Collection, Look 41.  /  (2-3) Rachel Brosnahan in Prada at the 2019 PaleyFest.

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

The twin of this coat walked the Fall 2002 runway. In the review of the collection that year Vogue's Janet Ozzard commented; 'There was a whiff of far-flung exoticism throughout the collection, although it was grounded in city-smart sportswear. De la Renta started with nubby cashmere sweaters, limpid ruched tops and soft wool poet-sleeve blouses, paired with tailored flannel pants and skirts in gray, moss green, taupe and black. But almost every outfit got a touch of spice via embroidery, a dusting of sequins, even a cowrie-shell fringe, along with exotic belts trimmed in coins, studs or smooth horn buttons' and mentioned the coats specifically; 'Beautiful, delicately decorated coats have become fixtures in de la Renta's collections, and this one was no exception: There were opulent styles, like the silk patchwork version lined with sheared mink, alongside low-key versions in black cashmere or silk twill with a light touch of embroidery or beading.' The coat is in mint condition and is just as good as the runway shots if not better in person. 

The coat is made from a wool cashmere mix that gives the base fabric an incredibly rich feeling. I love the neutral tone of the colour. It makes it easy to pair with just about anything. It is cut with a long straight silhouette and you just slip it on and go. The shoulders have light padding for shape and the sleeves are long. It is meant to just skim over your body and widens out slightly as it nears the hem. It closes at the front with hidden set fabric covered snaps so that when it is closed there is no break to the pattern at all. I love that detail as it gives it such a clean look with no buttons or zipper to distract from the gorgeous embroidery work. Inside the coat is lined in the most incredibly soft wool and cashmere jersey so that it feels like heaven on. On the exterior the coat has been embroidered extensively. The the outside of the coat is covered in a snowflake feeling pattern and then the edges, cuffs, waist and collar have all been densely embroidered to highlight the cut of the coat. There are little 3D flowers worked through the pattern that are done in the same ivy cording that the embroidery is done in. If that was not enough there are also little ivory sequins that are scattered and worked into the design for the a subtle bit of glitz. It is gorgeous and even better in person. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a soft wool and cashmere mix jersey and closes with hidden set fabric covered snaps down the front. Hidden pocket set along the seams of the coat. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Tagged a vintage Oscar de la Renta size 10

Sleeves: 24"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 50" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# C578

Reference Photos: Fall 2002 Oscar de la Renta Runway Collection, Look 14.

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

I have a small collection of historically important, key designer labelled vintage furs and fur trimmed pieces stored away in my archives that I will be slowly posting on the site over the next couple of years until I have none left. I will no longer be buying furs for the shop moving forward and have not purchased anything for several years now. I feel like times have changed and while there still is a place for vintage furs for some, including collectors and historians, many modern girls are choosing other options. Many of the pieces in my collection are representative of the designer during a set time period in history that was different then our modern outlook. I have decided that the best course to handle this controversial issue is to let the pieces I have go rather then sit in a cold storage unit. Fur coats are final sale.

This was Look 14 in the Fall 2004 line-up from fashion icon Miuccia Prada. This collection is still thought of as one of her most stellar achievements and I doubt the pieces and prints used in this collection will ever truly go out of style. The reviews were spectacular. Vogue.com said of this collection: 'Audiences always arrive at Prada shows tingling with anticipation, braced for Miuccia Prada's next departure from the last season's plot. This time, she confounded expectation again, not by taking off in a new direction, but by developing the cache of ideas layered into her spring collection. That, of course, was famously about the fifties lady tourist, with an overlay of hippie-ish tie-dye among the circle skirts and knits. For winter, she took that same woman into new realms of intellectual exploration on the print front: back to the future, in fact. This time, she confounded expectation again, not by taking off in a new direction, but by developing the cache of ideas layered into her spring collection...."It was a dream of extreme romanticism," she said. "The idea of eighteenth-century painting, with video games. A romanticism between past and future."....For colder months, she added more layers, adding in dip-dyed cable knits and buttonless cardigans betwixt tweeds and bejeweled fifties-style couture-like pieces. What held it all together, literally, were the cinched waists, circled in narrow grosgrain ribbon or with tie-on belts encrusted with sparkle. It was that idea of jeweling, on collars, belts, and fabric brooches, that added the news.' 

On the runway this was shown layered over a jewelled skirt that ironically we just had in the shop in a blue tone. It is one of the most instantly recognizable coats that she’s ever done I think. The coat is made out of a shearling with the sheepskin facing towards the inside to keep you warm while the leather side is on the exterior. When the coat is closed you only see the shearling interior on the flipped up cuffs. If you don't want any shearling to show you can flip them down. Putting the leather on the exterior gives it this amazing feeling of a natural patina and a slight vintage feel to it that I love. The coat falls from the shoulders and gradually widens out as it nears the hem. The shoulders are cut to slouch a bit which gives it an easy to wear feel. Most of the seaming is done on the vertical and cut so that it has some shape through the body. Pockets sit on each hip for a cozy place for your hands. Running down the front and over the hidden set fur hooks is a strip of luxurious natural coloured mink. There is no collar but there is a wide band of golden toned silk inset around the neckline. This was then covered in a pattern made up of gold beads and big oversized glass crystals. They have been applied by hand are are densely set to all the way around to highlight the neckline. It is just gorgeous. This is an iconic piece of Prada history. Excellent condition.

The leather is fully backed in sheepskin shearling. The jacket closes with hidden set covered fur hooks down the front. Pockets on either side. The cuffs can be flipped down. The leather has a natural bit of scuffing that is part of this type of leather and a desired effect. Tagged a Prada 46.

Sleeves: 23" with cuffs turned up, 25" with them turned down
Shoulders: 16"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 45" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# C580

Reference Photos: Fall 2004 Prada Runway Collection, Look 14.

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

I have a small collection of historically important, key designer labelled vintage furs and fur trimmed pieces stored away in my archives that I will be slowly posting on the site over the next couple of years until I have none left. I will no longer be buying furs for the shop moving forward and have not purchased anything for several years now. I feel like times have changed and while there still is a place for vintage furs for some, including collectors and historians, many modern girls are choosing other options. Many of the pieces in my collection are representative of the designer during a set time period in history that was different then our modern outlook. I have decided that the best course to handle this controversial issue is to let the pieces I have go rather then sit in a cold storage unit. Fur coats are final sale.

This dress was made by hand in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway. The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is beautiful. A truly iconic piece of couture 

The dress is made from a combination of a black velvet bodice with an attached brilliant emerald green silk skirt. The bodice has been kept sleek and simple with the richness of the black velvet taking centre stage. The shoulders are squared off with light padding to give them shape and the sleeves are cut to be wider at the top and taper down as they reach each wrist. The bodice skims over you and drops on an angle past the waist. At that point the skirt is attached and it is cut to sit on an angle down one hip for a bit of a swag feel. A panel on the skirt wraps and snaps into place from the back, perfectly following the seam. When it reaches the hip it hooks into place under an attached large bow. This gives it the effect that you just wrapped it around yourself and tied it in place. It is quite flattering once on. My dress form definitely does not do it justice and like all couture it really needs an actual body underneath to bring it to life. Every seam is done by hand and the craft put into making this is exquisite. The green of the skirt in person is so much better then how it photoed. It is a clear crisp emerald green and the silk is rich and heavy so that it holds the drape perfectly. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

Fully lined in a black silk through the bodice and the skirt is unlined. It closes with a hidden set zipper at the back and there are hidden set zippers at each wrist. The skirt snaps into place as described above. Hand finished throughout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. 

Sleeves: 24"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 57" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3814

Reference photo: Yves Saint Laurent collection Fall 1983

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

Galanos was known as the designer that could rival the French in terms of construction and design. He launched his atelier in 1951 and although his atelier was never formally designated as Haute Couture by the French, he certainly produced clothing that met the parameters of couture and he is often referred to  as one of the great American couturiers. This stunning dress was custom made, and my client acquired it from the estate of 1950s model Betsy Pickering Kaiser. Betsy appeared on several Vogue covers in the 1950s and it was during that time period time period that she met Galanos. They were friends for over 60 years. She collected and wore Galanos pieces her entire life and was his friend and muse. He once told her husband ‘I would rather have Betsy wear my clothes than any other woman’. She was a constant presence on the International Best Dressed List and and was added to the Best Dressed Hall of Fame in the early 1970s. It is a wonderful thing to have such a beautiful piece of her history in the shop 

This is one of my favourite Galanos pieces. Betsy was a model and was tall and this dress is cut to a supermodel length that reflects that. It is beautiful. It is made of a printed light weight silk chiffon that is combined with a black lace. The entire thing weighs ounces and you will be delightfully shocked at how light it is in person. The black silk chiffon is covered with a vivid floral print. The colours are bright and true with a slightly washed watercolour feel and they pop against that black backdrop. He made the body of the dress by layering three layers of chiffon over each other. The top layer is the one printed with that huge floral design and then the two layers under that are done in a black. The layered effect of the silk gives it lots of movement and creates a light floating effect when you walk. Each layer is finished with a black ribbon piping along the edges and the dress does up along each side with a series of black frog knots and loops made of the same fabric as the piping along the edges. It is cut in a long column that skims over the body to the floor. Each side has an opening along either side and the lower frog knots are functional so that you can control how open the slit goes. Leaving more open creates a sexy flash of skin when you walk to offset the more easy fit through the body. The bodice is scooped at both the front and the back. Both of the scoops are finished with a panel of a fine black lace. This allows your skin to peek through. The back is scooped very low and that bare expanse covered with nothing but the black lace is fabulous. The contrast between the lightness of the silk, the see through quality of the lace, and the boldness of the colours is killer. Excellent condition

The dress is made of three layers of silk chiffon and closes with a hidden set side zipper. Frog knots run over that and then down each side. This is a one-off unlabeled custom piece made for Betsy and came from her estate. The cut is loose and easy through the body.

Bust: 18-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 56" from top of shoulder to hem
Slits: to 28" on one side and to 23" on the other

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3004

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

This dress was made by hand in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway. This particular jacket seems to be done based on either the Fall 1977 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture collection or the Fall 1980 one. Both those collection featured several variations on this same gold metallic silk brocade fabric. The jacket would have been made during the time period my clients aunt lived in Switzerland, from the late 70s to 1993 and that fits in with the dates of the other pieces from this second round. The jacket is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is extremely well tailored and cut.

The jacket is incredible. It is insanely cut and tailored to a master level. It is made from a rich metallic silk brocade and it feels like it has actual metal in the fibres. It is a good weight and I think it is because of the metal in the fabric. It is incredible. The camera really doesn't capture the depth of the colour or how much the metallic glints in the light. There is a pattern worked into the fabric and parts of it are raised and puffed with a different finish then the parts that are not raised. The jacket is tailored with a sleek cut that has some fullness through the upper body. The collar curves around the neck and has a soft rounded shape around the notched front. Two angled pockets are set on the front at each hip and the shoulders are padded for volume and shape. Each sleeve is cut wider at the top near the shoulder and cut on a curve to follow the arm in the traditional way of tailoring a sleeve. As each sleeve narrows down to its end it is caught up in a series of big gold toned metal buttons. Each is made to look like a wrapped cord but done in gold. Four of these buttons sit on each sleeve on top of properly done button holes. Four more of them close the jacket at the front. The ones at the front are slightly larger in size for more impact. Once on the jacket transforms. If you even remotely like it in the photos you will be overjoyed when you see it in person as it is far far better in real life and on. Yves' suits change the way we approach woman's wear and this jacket is a particularly wonderful example of how he combined strong tailoring with full on glamour. It would be so easy to mix and match this with other pieces in your wardrobe. It is spectacular. Excellent condition with a small note below 

Fully lined in a rich heavy gold toned silk. The jacket closes with four gold metal buttons at the front. Four more buttons on each sleeve for a total of 12 buttons. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. There is a spot on one side where the metal fabric has oxidized a bit and the edges show some minor grubbiness and wear. Please see the last two photos here 

Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 17"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 25" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# S956

Reference Photos: (1) 1977-78 Yves Saint Laurent China Collection. Photo by Lothar Schmid. From the book "Yves Saint Laurent: Images of Design."  /  (2) A/W 1980-81 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture from the book "Yves Saint Laurent: Haute Couture Catwalk."

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

The suit is a marvel of construction and is in wonderful condition. I love that it even comes with its original silk top. It is so rare that you get all three pieces to a suit and it gives you incredible versatility with it since you can mix and match all of the pieces with things you already own. The suit's simple appearance belies the masterful cut and tailoring that lies behind it. The jacket is tailored with a sleek cut that has some fullness around the upper body and a wonderfully wide notched collar. Angled pockets are top set on the front of each hip and the shoulders are padded for shape. The nubby wool fabric has enough weight that it holds the lines perfectly once it is on. The belt that comes with it is intended for the skirt but you could easily wear it on top of the jacket if you wanted to cinch in the waist and add more shape. I love the big glossy crocodile patterned buttons. These sit at the low from top the jacket and then three run up each sleeve. The skirt is cut in a simple pencil shape. The waist is banded and has attached loops that match the suede of the belt. On each hip of the skirt are angled pockets. The original matching silk top has a high neckline and padded shoulders for shape. One shoulder is gathered across the top and buttons in place with hand carved wood buttons. The sleeves are fuller at the top and taper down as they reach the wrist. The body of the top is cut loose and easy. I love the puffed effect that the silk has. It is an incredible mix of textures against the patchwork print that is worked thought the wool of the jacket and skirt. Once on, the suit transforms and I think you will be shocked at how much better it is in person and on then how it looks on my dress form. Yves' suits change the way we approach woman's wear and this particular one is a particularly wonderful example of his strong tailoring and cutting skills. Excellent condition

Both the skirt and jacket  are lined in a rich heavy blue-purple silk. The top is unlined. The jacket has two buttons at the front and three on each cuff. All the buttons holes are properly tailored to couture standards. The skirt has a zipper and hook & eye at the waist and the top slips on and buttons along the one shoulder. Two pockets on the jacket and pockets on the skirt. Shoulder padding in both the jacket and top. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into the construction of all three pieces. It looks to have been worn very little if at all. 

Jacket
Sleeves: 23"
Shoulders: 16.5"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 25" from neck to hem

Top
Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 25" from neck to hem 

Skirt
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 22.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3810

Reference Photos: (1) A/W 1991 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Runway Collection.  /  (2) Catherine Deneuve Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture A/W 1991 Suit from the Sale at Christies.

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

The Spring 1966 Dior collection was inspired by a recent trip to Mexico by the then Creative Director Marc Bohan. In the book 'Dior: Catwalk' the notes for this collection include a quote from the New York Times that said; "Fuchsia is the preferred colour and appears throughout the collection, accompanied by acid green, intense yellow, bright pink and deep purple" Besides the many caftan silhouettes in this collection - a young Barbra Streisand was photoed for Vogue in one of the evening pyjamas from this same collection that was taken immediately after the show - Bohan also did a series of chic little suits and this is one of them. It is exceptional and an excellent investment piece as well. Dior prices continue to skyrocket and finding Haute Couture examples like and in this condition this are getting harder and harder to find. 

This is an amazing suit that still feels perfectly on point for our modern girl which shows you just how well great design holds up even after 50+ years. The skirt is exceptional. It is cut in a sleek little flare that skims over the hips and then flares out under that into a series of large flat pleats. These are set in a series of flat pleats with deep gussets of precisely the exact same size as the one next to it. They run all around the skirt and when you stand still they lay flat and smooth but when you move you get an incredible burst of movement and volume. The jacket is beautifully constructed and it is cut to fit and flatter the body. The shoulders are soft with the barest minimal of hidden padding to hold their shape. The sleeves are left long and simple and are slightly cropped. The shape through the body of the jacket is a long box silhouette with just the tiniest suggestion of shape through the waist. In the lining around the hem there are hidden weights to ensure that the jacket falls perfectly in place at all times. I love that there is no collar. It just simply scoops around the neckline and then closes all the way down the front with a series of hand carved buttons dyed to match the pink fuchsia in the print. Each button hole is precisely made by hand and perfectly finished. I love that you can wear it on its own without needing a top underneath. It is genius and meticulously tailored. The fabric deserves its own mention as it is a very high end silk twill. Onto that is the beautiful bright pink fuchsia that was so very relevant to this collection. If you are looking for a statement suit this is it. It is simple, chis and elegant, yet extremely glamorous because of that stunning colour and silk twill fabric choice. Excellent condition

Both pieces are fully lined in a fine pink silk. The jacket buttons to close at the front and the skirt has a metal zipper and hooks. Hand carved and dyed buttons on the jacket. Soft padding in shoulders and hidden weights in the hem of the jacket. It appears to have never been worn of worn very little. The color is slightly different in person and more a true fuchsia pink then how it photoed

Jacket
Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 23" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3812

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

This is from my same client whose aunt purchased from Ady Couture who I explained in depth in this listing while she was living in Switzerland during the eighties and into the nineties. Prior to that, during the late sixties and into the early 80s her aunt lived in both France and Brussels where she purchased pieces from Louis Mies. Mies was a small independent couturier who did custom work for his clients to couture standards. He designed many piece for the Queen of Belgium and like Ady, he had permission from several of the Haute Couture ateliers to produce their Haute Couture pieces using the patterns and buying the fabric direct. I have some new information that he might have sold actual couture pieces through his salon as well. So this may be an actual Yves Saint Laurent. Either way it is definitely the Fall 1976 dress that I have included several reference photos for here. That 1976 dress was especially interesting because it was also one of the dresses chosen to walk the 2002 retrospective show. It is beyond beautiful in person and one of my favourite personal pieces from her estate so far. 

The level that this dress is made to is a beautiful thing to see. All of the finishes are by hand and it has all those lovely details that you expect in a couture level garment. It is made out of a combination of a pink silk taffeta for the skirt and a black velvet for the bodice. These fabric choices helps it to hold its intended shape. The bodice is more fitted and the neckline is cut wide across and you could potentially wear it off the shoulder like reference photos. It has an elaborate detailing of hand braided silk cord, beads and tassels that circle all the way around the neck. Another even more elaborate band of the same goes around the waist and falls over the top of the hips. The top is cut to follow your curves and the waist is cinched in. The sleeves are a work of art. Each is made on a curve to follow the shape of the arm. They are softly set into the shoulders and then taper down to the wrist. The skirt is equally well made. It curves out from under that elaborate beading and falls to the floor where it widens out as it nears the hem. Inside the skirt is a full built in black silk under-skirt. That inner skirt is finished with an edging of black velvet and it set slight below the top skirt in length. So when you move a certain way or sit you get just a glimpse of the velvet under the hem. This technique also helps to hold the shape of the skirt. The hours of work that it would have taken to implement the detailing on this dress is mind boggling. The interior is made to couture standards with all the inner seams finished by hand. I have included some shots of the inner seams for you to see. It is extraordinary and the kind of quality and beauty that you will only find with vintage. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined through the bodice in a black silk crepe chiffon. There is a built in black silk taffeta inner skirt. It closes with a hidden set zipper at the side. Each sleeve buttons to close with a series of jet buttons and loops. The inside is all hand done and it is finished to couture standards. 

Sleeves: 25"
Shoulders: no true defined seam
Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 43" from waist to longest point of the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3809

Reference Photos: (1-3) F/W 1976 Couture Yves Saint Laurent. (First two images by Barry Lategan. Book image from "Yves Saint Laurent: Icons of Fashion Design" by Schirmer/Mosel.) /  (4-6) Spring 2002 Couture Yves Saint Laurent.

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

I am now on the second batch of very interesting pieces that are coming from a client whose aunt had most of her clothes made. This dress was most likely made by in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway. She also did buy Haute Couture pieces from the ateliers so this may be an actual Yves Saint Laurent. She tended to remove the labels from the actual couture pieces from the ateliers. Either way it is absolutely the twin of the Fall 1980 piece that we all know of. There are so many references to this particular dress it was almost hard to include them all. It has been exhibited, photoed and is in several books on Yves' work. The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is beautiful. A truly iconic piece of couture 

The dress is made from a combination of that gorgeous patchwork appliqué for the skirt and a black silk velvet for the top. These fabric choices allow the dress to hold the beautiful lines that you see. The dress is absolutely stunning and a testament to the level of design that you only see in couture pieces. At the front the neckline is scooped and cut wide across. The sleeves extend out from the shoulders and taper down slightly as they reach each wrist. The bodice is made out of a silk velvet and is cut to skim over you. The waist is seamed and brought in further by the matching pink silk sash. This adds shape and I love the strong band of vibrant pink there. It compliments and allows the colours in the skirt to really pop The skirt is set into the waist in a series of soft gathered pleats that allow for the fullness that you see. The skirt curves gracefully away from the hips and widens out to be quite full as it nears the floor. It has an incredible amount of volume with several yards of the base black silk taffeta used in its construction. Onto the base fabric are those incredible patchworks. Each has been individually applied and they are fabrics that range from silks to velvets to crepes. It is incredible. All of the volume is created by the cut and the fabric alone. The interior of the dress is completely finished to couture standards with every single seam done by hand. I took a detail shot for you to see the fine workmanship inside. It is an incredible piece and just beautifully made. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

The bodice is fully lined in a black silk and the skirt is unlined. It closes with a hidden set zipper at the back and there are hidden set zippers at each wrist. Hand finished throughout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. The pink silk sash belt is original to the dress. slight wear here an there to the bottom edge of the skirt. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. 

Sleeves: 24"
Shoulders: no defined seams
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 4" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3807

Reference Photos: (1-2) F/W 1980 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Runway Collection. (Book photo from "Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture: Catwalk".   /  (3) F/W 1980 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Collection Board.  /  (4-6) Henri Matisse Homage in the Yves St. Laurent Style is Eternal Exhibition, Bowes Museum, 2015.

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

I am now on the second batch of very interesting pieces that are coming from a client whose aunt had most of her clothes made. This dress was most likely made by hand in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway. This one is similar to the work that a few of those ateliers were doing at the time so is a bit of a mystery. She also did buy Haute Couture pieces from the ateliers so this may be one of those pieces. She tended to remove the labels from the actual couture things so it is a bit of a mystery. Either way it would have been made during the time period my clients aunt lived in Switzerland, from the late 70s to 1993. The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is beautiful.

The dress is made from a combination of a deep brown silk taffeta for the skirt and an embroidered silk netting for the top. This fabric choices allows it to hold the beautiful lines that you see. The dress is absolutely stunning and a testament to the level of design that you only see in couture pieces. At the front the neckline dips into a deep plunging V that goes almost to the waist. This is edged with an elaborate ruffle that follows the plunge down and then circles the neck. The ruffle is made from an incredible six layers of silk that are stacked on top of each other. They alternate between a black and nude colour. They are incredibly full as a result and the effect they give is very dramatic. The ruffles are also used to finish each incredible sleeve. Here they circle around the wrist and then go up the back of the arm. It makes each sleeve feel like a work of art. The sleeves are set into the shoulders with a subtle capped feel and have very light padding inside to give them the perfect touch of shape. The bodice is made out of a soft embroidered netting in a muted coppery gold colour thread. This is backed by a black silk chiffon so that it has just a hint of transparency to it. The waist is seamed and it is tied with a long grosgrain ribbon for shape. The skirt is set into the waist in an elaborate series of closed pleats that give shape, detail and structure around the hips. The skirt then curves gracefully away from the hips widening out as it nears the floor. It has an incurable amount of volume with several yards of silk taffeta used in its construction. Underneath is a half length interior skirt around the inner hops to help hold the shape. Otherwise all of the volume is created by the cut and the fabric alone. The interior of the dress is completely finished to couture standards with every single seam done by hand. I took a detail shot for you to see the fine workmanship inside. It is an incredible piece and just beautifully made. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

The bodice is fully lined in a black silk chiffon and the skirt is part lined as described above in a black silk. It closes with a hidden set zipper at the front and there are hidden set zippers at each wrist. Light padding in each shoulder. Hand finished throughout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. The grosgrain ribbon belt is probably not original to the dress but is included. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. It might fit a larger size if you are narrow through the shoulders. 

Sleeves: 25"
Slightly inset shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 16" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 41" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item#

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

This dress was made by hand in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway. This one has a decidedly YSL feel to it. This dress would have been made during the time period my clients aunt lived in Switzerland, from the late 70s to 1993. The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is gorgeous.

This is a gorgeous little dress that is even better on the actual body. The top is made of a fine silk netted lace with an open weave. It is backed by a black silk organza so it has just a touch of transparency to it once on the body. The lace is then covered with burst of densely applied sequins that form large flowers over its surface. The shoulders are lightly padded for shape and then the sleeves are cut to be fuller at the top and then they taper down to the wrist. The bodice skims over you to just past the waist to transition into a dropped skirt. The skirt is the perfect contrast to that decadent top. It is a simple black silk taffeta and set into the dropped low seam of the top with a series of soft pleats. This gives the skirt tons of volume. Inside and circling around the hips is a built in inner peplum to help hold the skirt away from the body. If you really wanted to create a very full shape you could easily add a crinoline underneath and really exaggerate the shape that you see. Inside the dress is all made by hand and has the haute couture details we all dream of. It is fabulous. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

The top is fully lined in a black silk organza and the skirt is a double layer of the silk taffeta. It closes with a back metal zipper. The interior shoulders are lightly padded and there is a built in inner hip peplum. Each cuff zippers to close. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. 

Sleeves: 23"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Dropped seam at top of skirt: 18"
Hips: open
Bodice: 20" from neck to dropped skirt seam
Skirt: 17.5" from dropped waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3798

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

Alber joined Lanvin in 2001 and served as the labels Creative Director until 2015. His first break as a designer came when he landed the senior assistant role at Geoffrey Beene. He stayed there for seven years until he was recruited to design for the Guy Laroche label in 1996. in 1998 he took over the Rive Gauche ready-to-wear for Yves Saint Laurent for three short seasons. A stint at Krizia and then a break happened before his time with Lanvin. The Alber years for Lanvin are ones that are much loved by all and with his recent passing owning these pieces seems even more poignant. This dress is extra special as it is both a runway pieces and also one of the dress that was featured in the now iconic ad campaign movie featuring Karen Elson & Raquel Zimmerman. 

This dress is exceptional and really represents the best of Alber's work. It is made out of a fabric that is a silk and cotton mix. This allows it to really hold the shape that you see. There is quite a bit of fabric in the dress and it is a decent weight as a result. It feels like couture once on. The design that covers every square inch of fabric is a huge rose print done in a graphic grey scale. This gives it this lovely dark romantic feel. The twin of this dress walked the runway for Look 39 and having all these reference points gives you an amazing idea of how it will look like on. The bodice has a slightly dropped waist and it meant to skim over the body. Each sleeve is cut to just below the elbow and then explodes out into a wide cuff that gets it fullness from built in soft pleat work. The skirt mimics this same volume and there to you see the quirky and irregular pleat work that gives it a sculpted volume all the way around you. It is also gathered in a slight curve under at the hem so that it has some volume there. The shape is reminiscent of a tulip or slight bubble skirt shape. At the back there is one of his signature exposed and chunky zippers that runs right from the hem to the top of the neck. All the elements of this dress taken one by one are a little quirky but together they showcase his genius. It is just fabulous. It looks to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

Fully lined on a black silk and closes at the back with the exposed zipper that you see. Tagged a 38 but runs generously so please go by the measurements below. Slight padding in the shoulder and top of the sleeve to hold the capped shape you see. This might fit a larger frame as well if you are narrow through the shoulders

Sleeves: 19.5"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist:15 " flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 17" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 22" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3799

Reference Photos: (1-4) F/W 2011 Lanvin Runway, Look 39. Model: Freja Beha Erichsen.  /  (5) Fall 2011 Lanvin Ad Campaign. Karen Elson & Raquel Zimmerman by Steven Meisel.

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

This dress was made by hand in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway. This one has a decidedly YSL feel to it. This set would have been made during the time period my clients aunt lived in Switzerland, from the late 70s to 1993. The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is gorgeous.

Black is sometimes so hard to photo and I really feel that this set is not being done full justice with these photos. It  is so much better in person and on an actual body. The jacket is just exceptional in real life. It is entirely made by hand and the majority of the jacket is made of a fine silk netted lace with an open weave. It is backed by a black silk organza so it has just a touch of transparency to it. Then onto that it is covered with burst of densely applied sequins that form large flowers. The shoulders are a solid fabric and this extends down into angled panels at the front and the back. Each shoulder is lightly padded for shape and then the sleeve are long and also have that hint of transparency to them. The bodice skims over you with just a suggestion of of shape through the waist. Big glassy faceted buttons close the jacket down the front. The collar is small and neat and set back from the front of the jacket. The skirt is the perfect simple contrast to that decadent jacket. It is a simple black pencil shape and it is also entirely by hand. The more simple and sleek silhouette balances the drama of the jacket. Both piece are made by hand and have all the couture details we all dream of. It is a fabulous suit that can be made to be a very glamorous evening look. I love that you can also mix and match the pieces with things from your own existing wardrobe. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

The jacket is fully lined in a black silk organza where the lace parts are and the opaque panels are lined in a fine black silk. The skirt is also lined in a black silk. The jacket buttons to close down the front and the skirt closes with a side set zipper. The interior shoulders are lightly padded. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. 

Jacket
Sleeves: 22.5"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24.5" from neck to hem

Skirt 
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 23" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3800

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

This amazing little dress is from the days when founder Consuelo Castiglioni was the head of the company and acting Creative Director. The brand launched in 1994 and quickly became known for their innovative prints and the way she mixed and matched colors. This is classic Marni from this time period. The twin of this dress walked the runway that season on Kasia Struss. 

This dress is one of her very easy to wear loose and open smock pieces. They are just genius. It has sleeves that run just past the elbow and the cut through the body is loose and full. On the runway it was worn with the V to the back and you can see how this creates an oversized feel to the dress from the front. The neckline is a simple scoop on that side and then at the back it plunges to a deep V. On the skirt under the V the fabric has been gathered and seamed to create an off-set gathered feel. The dress falls in a loose baby doll smock feeling shape around and below that. This one has the added advantage that you can easily flip it around and wear the deep V to the front. It has such a quirky shape that you can totally get away with it. You can also add a belt to give it more shape and an entirely different look. It is like getting four dresses in one as you can wear it both to the back or front and then belted either way as well. It is also very easy to wear and travel with. The fabric is a synthetic crepe and it stays virtually wrinkle free and is just heavy enough to hold the shape. It is a great example of her work during this time period. Plus it has pockets. Excellent condition

Unlined and slips on to wear with no closures. Pockets hidden along the hip seams. It looks to have been worn very little if at all. Tagged a 46. The loose and easy cut should fit a range of sizes

Sleeves: 16"
Shoulders: no defined seam
Bust: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 38" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3795

Reference Photos: Fall 2007 Marni Runway Collection, Look 55. Model: Kasia Struss.

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

Marc Bohan began his career in 1945 under Robert Piguet and stayed there for four years. He then became an assistant to Edward Molyneux and then went on to design for Madeline de Rauch for a year. In 1953 he produced one single collection under his own name and then was wooed away to design for Jean Patou where he designed their Haute Couture collections. In 1958 he landed at Dior where he designed the Christian Dior London label until September of 1960. It was at this point that he took over from Yves Saint Laurent and remained the Creative Director at Dior until 1989. This coat would be an early piece under his direction and I found two instances of its documentation that I have included here. I have seen one other for sale out there but this one has the lovely added provenance of having the original owners name embroidered into the lining. A small touch that makes it that much more special.

This is such a lovely piece. It is made out of a coated cotton so that it will apparently withstand the rain but certainly presents itself as a gorgeous light jacket or coat and not a rain specific piece. The cotton is covered in a large rose print that just pops off of the black backdrop. It is in absolutely perfect condition and it looks as fresh as it would have the day out was put onto the rack in 1962. The sleeves are cut to the elbow and each is full above its buttoned cuff. I love the volume that has been added there and the precise tailoring to achieve that effect. The collar uses the same pleating techniques to give it a touch of volume and you can see in the one reference photo how great it will looked flipped up to frame the face. The collar is cut to curve around the back of the neck and then has a notched and angled collar below that at the front. The body of the coat is quite generous and the matching belt can be worn two ways. You can wrap and cinch it for maximum shape or you can slip it through the openings along the seam on either side and run it inside the coat at the back and tie and cinch just the front part. This allows the back to stay loose and very full. I have photoed it both ways for you to see. Pockets run along the front on each hip and the fabric choice has just enough weight to hold the fabric how you wish it to fall once belted. Hand covered silk snaps help to hold everything perfectly in place as well. It is absolutely a little treasure of a piece and I love it. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silk and closes with silk covered snaps and the tie belt as descried above. Pockets on each hip and the cuffs each button to close. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. The loose and easy cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes. 

Sleeves: approx 16.5"
Shoulders: no defined seams
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 39.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD3796

Reference Photos: (1) Dior Fashion in The Salem Ohio Newspaper, 1962.  /  (2) Model in Dior, Harper's Bazaar, April 1962.

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

The Fall 2010 Chanel collection is still one of the strongest and most memorable of the Karl Lagerfeld days. Vogue's Sarah Mower said in part of the show: "Freja Beha Erichsen and three bears on an ice floe. This was the arctic scene at Chanel, where giant chunks of bona fide iceberg, specially transported from Scandinavia, formed the frozen landscape around which models solemnly splashed through a sea of 'berg-melt in shaggy snow boots with ice-block heels. The Karl conceit of the season, no surprises, was an in-every-way extravagant play on Coco in cold weather. Using more fur than he'd even flung at Fendi—the twist being that here the fur was fake—Lagerfeld steered this collection nearer to couture than ready-to-wear than ever. Fur was woven into brown tweeds; formed deep pelmets on the lower half of leather jackets; became almost igloo-shaped capes, bonnets, even—for goodness' sake—furry trousers. Meanwhile, the suit and coat combinations also had a level of lavish elaboration usually reserved for haute eveningwear. Fur-fringed embroideries and ice jewelry conspired to create intensely worked ruffled and beaded silhouettes that glinted with rock-crystal neckpieces and fistfuls of rings. Somewhere in there, a flash of translucent silver seemed to be a clutch in which the quilting of the CC classic bag had been frozen into the likeness of a refrigerator ice cube tray." This dress was one of the knit and fringed pieces and was one of the most wearable dresses shown. It's twin was presented on the runway for Look 21 worn by Anna de Rijk.

This is a stunning and easy to wear dress. It is made out of one of the classic Chanel boucle knits and then has thick rows of yarn woven though that. The yarn detailing it was done in a range of colours going from a white to a deep navy to a deep red with variations of each colour running down each. The wool that the dress is made out of is very high end and surprisingly light in weight. These wool pieces are part of the Chanel legacy and Karl's genius in perfecting them and no one does it better. The cut is simple but perfect. It has a slight scooped at the neck and then skims over the bodice. Pockets sit on each side of the front and the sleeves are capped. Each sleeve ends with an edging of black yarn. This same black yarn edging is used at the neckline, the waist, hem and on the pockets. The waist is cinched in with a wide band and then the skirt falls in a pencil shape that has just a touch of as flare as it nears the hem. The neckline has a heavy fringe bib detailing that tied it into the collection perfectly. The fringe is made of yarn and sequins and it appears to be all done by hand. It is just gorgeous and is an amazing example of his work from this time period. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a fine black silk and closes with a hidden set back zipper. Tagged a Chanel 36. If you are narrow through the shoulders it could fit to a Medium 

Shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 36" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD3796

Reference Photos: Fall 2010 Chanel Runway Collection, Look 21. Model: Anna de Rijk.

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

Look 29 for the Fall 2004 line-up was shown in a more brown colour for the runway but was also produced in this gorgeous silver grey version. The reviews for this season were stellar. Vogue.com said of this collection: "Audiences always arrive at Prada shows tingling with anticipation, braced for Miuccia Prada's next departure from the last season's plot. This time, she confounded expectation again, not by taking off in a new direction, but by developing the cache of ideas layered into her spring collection. That, of course, was famously about the fifties lady tourist, with an overlay of hippie-ish tie-dye among the circle skirts and knits. For winter, she took that same woman into new realms of intellectual exploration on the print front: back to the future, in fact. This time, she confounded expectation again, not by taking off in a new direction, but by developing the cache of ideas layered into her spring collection...."It was a dream of extreme romanticism," she said. "The idea of eighteenth-century painting, with video games. A romanticism between past and future."....For colder months, she added more layers, adding in dip-dyed cable knits and buttonless cardigans betwixt tweeds and bejeweled fifties-style couture-like pieces. What held it all together, literally, were the cinched waists, circled in narrow grosgrain ribbon or with tie-on belts encrusted with sparkle. It was that idea of jeweling, on collars, belts, and fabric brooches, that added the news."

This is one of those jewelled pieces and it still feels as special now as it did then. Pieces from this collection sold out worldwide and were waitlisted everywhere. It is an incredible testament to her ability to take the past and make it feel fresh. The skirt is made from a textured silk that has a slight sheen-like finish to it while still holding the feeling of rawness and natural silk. It was then dyed in a horizontal pattern that gives it an almost ombre feel. This one has some weight to it mainly due to the extensive underskirts and the crystal detailing on it. It is more fitted around the waist and then falls outwards to widen out by the time it reaches the hem. There are soft pleats worked around the waist to help give it the volume you see. Underneath the skirt are two layers of a built in organza skirting to help lift and hold its volume. This also gives the skirt lots of movement and shape. It is just gorgeous. Sewn onto the skirt are little butterfly like embellishments that are made from a silver metal thread and crystals. These are scattered over the entire surface of the skirt. As you near the hem there is a wide three inch band of the silver thread and crystal set into a glamorous graphic grid pattern. This runs all the way around the hem and I love how it adds a subtle bit of glamour that contrasts to the silver grey colour of the silk. It is a very easy way to work a metallic into your wardrobe. It would work equally as well for day or the evening. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Lined with a grey satin around the interior of the waist and upper hips and then there are the two layers of skirting under that as described above. It closes with a hidden set side zipper. Tagged Prada 014 

Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22"
Length: 24" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# S951

Reference Photos: Fall 2004 Prada Runway Collection, Look 14.

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

This is the twin to the skirt that walked the runway for Look 47 of the Spring 2002 Prada show. Vogue's review of this show said: "Combining '50s notions of jet-set elegance with couturelike fabrics and exquisite ethnic references, Miuccia Prada triumphantly opened Milan fashion week..... Then came an exquisite homage to vintage Chanel, with belted, gold-threaded bouclé dresses—just the kind of stunning little outfits Romy Schneider would have sported in the early '60s.....As usual, Prada saved the best for last. In contrast to the dour palette that many designers have adopted lately, her runway positively dazzled. Nude tops and dresses were layered with lightweight, shimmering knits; paneled, imposing skirts glowed under crinkled gold tops and coppery brocade jackets. The result? A vision of bygone splendor that never devolved into gratuitous flash." This skirt was one of the best pieces in the show and it is still infinitely wearable now. 

These gold pieces from the 2002 show are still instantly recognizable as being Prada. They sold out worldwide and were waitlisted everywhere. It is an incredible testament to her ability to take the past and make it feel fresh. The skirt is made from a silk brocade that is surpassingly light. It looks like it should feel very heavy but it weighs next to nothing. The metallic gold thread is woven through the fabric to create a slightly raised floral design that runs over the entire skirt. It is more fitted around the upper hips and then it is perfectly pleated with very wide pleats that have deep folds between them. This gives the skirt lots of movement and shape. This particular pleating technique helps to hold the shape and volume of the skirt so that is falls perfectly at all times. It is just gorgeous. All of the shape and structure is created by the precise stitching and placement of the fabric. The gold is an almost bronze feeling colour and it is a very easy way to work a metallic into your wardrobe. It would work equally as well for day or the evening.  It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Unlined with ribbon finished inner seams and closes with a hidden set side zipper. Tagged a Prada 42. 

Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19"
Length: 21" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# S950

Reference Photos: Spring 2002 Prada Runway Collection, Look 47.

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

The Spring 2005 Prada show is one of the label's most iconic and recognizable. In her review of the show, Vogue's Sarah Mower stated: "Just when the whole fashion world has turned ladylike—thanks, of course, to Miuccia Prada—she's tossed it all in the air, looking for a certain freedom. "A vague idea of birds; birds of vanity, like peacocks, parrots, and swans," was a starting point in her restless search for change, she explained. "I also wanted to move toward something more young and sporty, tall and narrow.... In broad terms, the news from Prada included a different silhouette (short hemlines, worn mostly with flat sandals), a return to one of her favorite palettes (brown-ochre-rust), and as always, lots of artful eccentricity (peacock feathers, flowerpot hats, Bakelite digital watches). There was also a Jamaican dance hall vibe, with reggae on the sound system, Rasta stripes in the knitwear, and Caribbean crochet in the raffia hats and cardigan coats. The birds really took flight for night, in the form of skirts overlaid with peacock feathers, dresses covered with digitalized feather prints, and pretty chiffon gowns whose fan-like pleats hinted subtly at dove's wings." This is one of the printed skirts from that collection and it is wonderful.

This is a fuller skirted version of Look 35 from the runway show and it is instantly recognizable as being Prada. Here we see her masterful hand at mixing colour and print. The colours on the skirt are just extraordinary. They range from a deep navy to brilliant blues and then mix coral, orange and red. The result is this brilliant burst of colour that is just wonderful to see. It is made from a very fine silk with a taffeta finish that gives it a crisp feel. This fabric choice helps to hold the shape and volume. It is more fitted around the upper hips and then it is perfectly pleated with wide knife pleats that have sharply defined edges and deep folds. This gives the skirt lots of movement and shape. It is just gorgeous. The silk is light in weight and all of the shape and structure is created by the precise stitching and placement of the fabric. There is a silk net lining underneath and it gives the fabric just that little extra touch of lift for the perfect amount of volume. It is fabulous. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.  Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silk netting and closes with a hidden set side zipper and hidden covered snaps all placed under the pleats so their lines are not broken at all. Tagged a Prada 42. The fabric is signed throughout 

Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
At seam that is 4" under the waist: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural hips: to 23"
Length: 21.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# S949

Reference Photo: Spring 2005 Prada Runway Collection, Look 35.

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

Jean-Louis Scherrer was one of the great French couturiers in the grand Parisian style. He counted Sophia Loren and Jackie Kennedy as fans in his heyday and his work in the 1970s especially was wonderful. Opulence, hand beading and rich passementerie were his trademarks. He launched his own Haute Couture house after working at Christian Dior and by 1977, the year that this dress was made, he was just reaching the top of his game as a couturier. It is an incredible find and even more beautiful in person

I love the soft yellow silk organza that has been used for the skirt and the shawl in this dress. This choice of fabric allows it to have the volume that you see but without adding any weight at all. It also is a soft and romantic contrast to the sequin work on the bodice. The bodice is strapless and cut to be fitted to the bust balancing the volume of the skirt perfectly. Thousand of tiny sequins have been hand applied to create that stunning floral design that you see. As you look closer the work just gets more amazing. The edges of the green sequin leafs fro example are all finished with the tiniest glass tube beads possible. Little glass crystals edge other parts of the design and create a border across the top of the bodice. The workmanship is exquisite and the care and time to have created the design using these very small sequins and beads is astonishing. Under the bodice the skirt is cut to skim over the tops of the hips and than flows outwards with its first ruffle. There are three ruffles in total making up the skirt and each is cut to be very wide and each is made out of several yards of fabric. The skirt under the ruffles gradually widens as it reaches the hem. I photos most of the full length shots here with a light crinoline underneath so you could get an idea of just how full the skirt could be. The final full length shot is without anything underneath and even then it has stunning volume. The movement and airiness the skirt creates in person is amazing. At your smallest movement the ruffles float around you. The dress comes with a matching shawl that is so large it really could be considered to be more of a cape. It is made of the same silk as the skirt and is finished with the same ruffled treatment we see on the skirt. It can be wrapped or just lightly held. The entire dress is finished to Haute Couture standards and it is even more beautiful in person. Excellent condition with a small note to review below

Fully lined in the same silk organza that is used on the exterior. All of the work throughout is done by hand done to the edgings of the inner seams. It zips to close with a painted metal zipper and the exterior skirt snaps to close over the zipper. An inner waist stay hooks to close. The bodice is lightly boned. I see one tiny dot of a mark just under the bodice seam and a tiny repair near the base of the back closure. Numbered tag 002576

Bust: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 9" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 42" from waist to hem
Shawl: 9 feet long x just over 5 feet wide

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3393

Reference Photos: (1) 1976-1977 Fall-Winter Women's haute couture runway show.  /  (2) Jean Louis Scherrer with model, 1977.

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

The twin of this dress was showcased in a special presentation for the InStyle & "A Diamond is Forever" Sneak Peek at Red Carpet Fashion for the 2004 Awards Season. I have included photos from that so that you can see just how gorgeous this dress is on. This is definitely one of the prettiest Oscar dresses I have ever had in the shop and I love it. The movement it has when it is on and you walk is just incredible. 

This dress is a dream. It is made out of a yellow printed silk chiffon that has a soft green fern print scattered across its surface. The upper bodice has a soft rounded shape to it and the silk is draped over the bust and then down the the body to fall down and around you. This creates a fabulous draping effect that goes right from the top of the bust to just below the hips crating an hourglass feel. The skirt is set in and under the draped bodice and the entire front part of the skirt has been scooped upwards which emphasizes all those ruffles even more. The skirt has a ton of volume to it that shows best when you move. It is made out of four full sets of ruffled tiers that fall softly to the floor. The lightness of the silk causes the ruffles on the skirt to move with the slightest bit of air. When this is on and you are walking the effect that this creates is absolutely gorgeous. The dress is suspended from the neck by the straps that extend out of the middle of the bodice and wrap around and hook behind the beck. These straps have been made out of the same silk as the dress but it has been gathered in a ruffle and the edges were left raw. He then set little hand made flowers all along the straps for the prettiest finishing detail that adds an extra element of romance and femininity. This is Oscar at his very best and it is a tremendously beautiful dress. Excellent condition with a minor note below. 

The bodice and torso are lined in a matching deep yellow silk. The ruffles of the skirt are set on top of the same silk chiffon so you get a touch of transparency as they move. It closes with an inner zipper to close the built in boned inner support and then a second hidden set zipper over that to close the exterior dress. The straps hook to close behind the neck. Lightly boned through the inner bodice. Inner waist stay hooks to close. The lower front lower part of the bodice looks loose when off the body. This is meant to nee like this so when its on the width of the hips stretch out out and make the light gathers. I see one tiny area of thinning to the fabric on one side. 

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 59" from top of neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5556

Reference Photos: Model wearing Oscar de la Renta for the InStyle & "A Diamond is Forever" Sneak Peek at Red Carpet Fashion for the 2004 Awards Season, January 2004.

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

This is a beautiful example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. I have dated this to the Spring 1980 collection based particularly on the sleeves which were a highlight of the collections in and around this time period. The dress is exceptionally well made and of course being Haute Couture was entirely made by hand. It is beautiful. Finding pieces from this time period in such immaculate condition is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop. 

This exceptional and rare Haute Couture dress from Valentino Haute Couture is wonderful. The dress has a deceptively simple cut but the closer you look at it the more of the numerous couture details become apparent. It is a very easy dress to wear with its simple shift feeling shape but at the same time it is cut to drape over you perfectly. The neckline is a simple and wide scoop at both the front and the back. It runs down and over the body and is meant to skim over your curves. The waist is cut with a generous feel and if you wanted to add shape you could easily add a belt to cinch it in and give the dress an entirely different feel. Under the generous waist seam the skirt falls in a series of small knife pleats, each set precisely beside its neighbour at exactly the same distance apart. These pleats give the skirt lots of movement. Inside and underneath is a second layer to the skirt and it is also finished with the same pleating. That inner layer has a double panel of the pleats so that you actually see the edges of three full layers when wearing the dress. These layers swing over each other and when you move they move to create a stunning effect. The sleeves are the perfect finish and balance out the pleat work on the skirt.  Each is three tiers of ruffled pleats and they also give movement when you move. The perfect finishing detail is the subtle black on black floral print that is woven through the silk. The dress is soft and fluid and it falls beautifully once on an actual body. This is Haute Couture under the masterful hand of Mr Valentino himself and is an exceptional example of his work. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in handset, very high quality black silk chiffon through the bodice and the skirt is lined in a black silk. All couture construction and it closes with a hand set, fine metal zipper at the back. Made by hand to haute Couture standards

Slightly inset shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 14" from shoulder to waist
Skirt: 27: from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3788

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

This is one of my all time favourite Yves Saint Laurent pieces. I am always excited to find examples of Yves' work from this time period and this one is extra special because it is a version of the dress that was photoed for the ad campaign for YSL that season that ran in the September issue of Vogue. I love this dress so much and it is extremely flattering once on. 

This is a fabulous Yves Saint Laurent dress that is made of a classic black silk crepe. The cut has a definitive nod to the forties with its strong shoulder and cut. Every detail on it is perfection and it is a dress that you will reach for again and again. The sleeves and shoulders are a moment on their own. There is padding inside to help support and shape them. The sleeves are shorter and each wraps around the arm and overlaps over itself. This creates a very pretty curving shape and I love this tiny detail. Across the tops of the shoulders the fabric is gathered and this creates soft folds that run over the bust. Again this a very forties detail. The front neckline plunges into a V and then under that a series of glossy black sequin bands start. The bands of sequins are set over top of elastic that is built into the dress. These start just under the bust and run over to the top of the hips, wrapping all the way around you. This makes the entire middle part of the dress elasticized and very easy to wear. It is very comfortable on while at the same time the rows of elastic molds and shapes you into an hourglass. This bandage effect also gives the bodice above and the skirt below the illusion of more volume and that just adds to the hourglass feel as well. Below the last row of sequins the skirt flares outs and it is quite jaunty. It is a dress that really needs a body in it to truly come to life and it is gorgeous on. Excellent condition

The fabric is self backed in a satin. Well finished inside. It slips on and the gathered area between the sequins is elastic for an easy fit. Light padding in each shoulder. Tagged a vintage YSL 38 but the easy cut and elastic should allow it to fit a range of sizes. It looks to have been worn very little if at all

Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 15-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 10-16" flat across from side seam to side seam with stretch
Hips: 14-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from neck to first sequin band
Banding: 15" from first sequin band to last
Skirt: 19" from last sequin band to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD3786

Reference Photos: (1) Reference Photo: Fall 1983 Yves Saint Laurent Runway.  /  (2) Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Vogue, September 1983.

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

Christian LaCroix launched his Haute Couture house in 1987 and was an instant success on the worldwide stage. A ready-to-wear line soon followed along with perfumes and menswear. His collections are always exotic, lavish affairs and his designs seemed to span the decades with their eccentric glamour pulled from multiple sources of inspiration. This dress is from the Spring 2008 collection and is from one of his last collections since the atelier closed the following year. On the runway it was shown as a more cocktail length but I love the ease and simplicity of this full length version.

I actually own the twin of this dress and have had it in my personal archives for many years. I was so happy to have my client send its twin to me so that I have another one for someone else to love it as much as I love mine. I love this dress and how it showcases LaCroix's love of print. The bodice has an almost halter feel to it created by the straps that extend down from the shoulders and into a deep curve at the front that scoops down and under the bust. At the back it is scooped even lower to leave your back bare. The fabric of the bodice wraps around you and is more fitted. Nestled within the scoop at the front there is a dense application of beadwork, crystals and embroidery. This adds a subtle yet beautiful touch of glamour to the dress. The waist is cut generously but there is a matching tie belt in the same fabric that you can use to cinch it in as much as you wish. The tie is long so you can create a gorgeous bow like I have, wrap it around yourself for a more clean and simple look, or simply let it trail down the skirt. Under the waist the skirt falls in a sweeping cut that widens out as it nears the hem. The skirt is made up of yards and yards of silk organza and he has set the hem so that it has a bit of a pouf to it that gives it even more volume and movement. The back is cut slightly longer then the front and it has a wonderful lightness to it. And it has pockets. The entire dress weighs very little because of the fabric choice and this adds to the high fantasy feel that it has. I love the exuberant and joyful print that runs over the organza. It is bright and happy and feels oh so very Lacroix. It is magnificent. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined in an ivory silk and closes with a hidden set side zipper. Tagged a size 40. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of bodice to top seam at the waist
Skirt: 41" from top seam at the waist to front hem, 47" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3791

Reference Photos: Spring 2008 Christian Lacroix Runway Collection, Look 45.

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

This is a gorgeous dress. It is from the 2009 Resort collection and was Look 12 of the presentation. In 2009 Valentino was headed by Alessandra Facchinetti. Vogue's Laird Borrelli-Perrson said of the show; 'In her third collection for Valentino, Alessandra Facchinetti sketched a portrait of a lady in soft hues—pearl gray, icy white, and blush pink—punctuated with pops of chartreuse and rich fuchsia. The chic yet restrained suits she showed for day had soldier jackets with peplumed backs and rows of tiny covered buttons. Release came in the form of ruffles, which fluttered throughout the collection but found their most elegant expression in organza gowns. Smartly paired with metallic flats, these embraced the bodice before wafting to the floor.' This is one of the three stand out organza dresses shown in this collection and I think it was the best one of the three.

This is the kind of dress that you see in real life and it makes you swoon. As good as it looks in the photos it really comes to life on the body. When you move in it the air around you picks uo the silk and organza and it really has beautiful movement. It is made out of a combination of a black silk organza and black silk chiffon. This is layered over inner layers of more silk chiffon. On the skirt there is a doubled inner silk lining topped by two layers of chiffon and then the ruffles are all made from the silk organza. The bodice is made out of the silk chiffon and I love the intricate pleat work that covers it and draws your eye inwards to the detailing. Down the centre front the dress is cut to be fairly sleek in feel with a v cut neckline and nipped in waist. It flows to the floor in a long column and there are ruffles that run down either side of the skirt. These ruffled panels run from the waist all the way down to curve out and around each side to the hem. The effect this creates is wonderful. The back is cut to be longer then the front so you get just the hint of a trained effect. Both the front and back plunge to the inner straight cut bodice and the straps are wide. They curve up and around the shoulder and then angle gracefully in towards the centre of the low back. The entire front is finished with a heavy application of little round glossy black circle paillettes that give the dress a subtle bit of embellishments and glitz. These are denser under the waist line of the dress and take on an almost chain mail feel yet they are very light in weight. The entire dress weighs ounces. It is so pretty and even better in person. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition 

Fully lined in silk and constructed as described above. It closes with a hidden set side zipper. No size tag present. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. It retailed for over $6000 in 2009. Maybe a paillette missing here and there but nothing obvious. 

Bust: 17.5 " flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulders to seam under bust
Skirt: 45" from was it to front hem, 50" to back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3783

Reference Photo: Resort 2009 Valentino Collection. Look 12.

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

Jean Louis is the designer who created the dress that Marilyn Monroe was sewn into when she sang Happy Birthday to President John F Kennedy. Louis worked in the movies and headed the costume department at Columbia Pictures before starting his own label in 1961. Once he began designing under his own label he concentrated on suits and evening wear and was known for his beautiful fabric choices. This is an exceptional example of his work and it is absolutely gorgeous. 

This is a truly beautiful cocktail dress that has the lines and cut that were so suggestive of the work being done in this time period. It is a very beautiful dress and I am very pleased to have it in the shop. It is impeccably constructed with lots of hand finishes and details. You get the feeling that no expenses were spared in the construction of it. The cut follows and emphasizes your curves. The bodice is cut too be more fitted and I love how the straps that suspend the dress from the shoulders are set so wide across the top. This leaves the collar bones bare and open. It scoops down at the front and the back dips even lower. The waist nips in and there is a panel of the same fabric the bust is made out of under the waist seam that skims over the tops of the hips. The entire upper portion of the dress is covered in a black netting. What is remarkable is that the netting has been pleated into perfect little knife pleats and then placed over the inner fabric. This gives the dress an extra added level to detailing that is remarkable. I love the very subtle striping effect it creates while still giving it a soft and slightly transparent feel. The skirt is spectacular. It is made up of three layers. There is an inner silk net layer for volume and then a silk organza covered layer over that and finally the top netting. The very top layer was then detailed with feathers. The feathers hang down past the hem and the slightest bit of air it create a tremendous movement around you. It is all hand finished and just an exceptional example of dresses from this period. I love it. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silky rayon and the skirt is constructed as described above. It closes with a back painted metal zipper. It looks like there is a feather missing but there are so many it is inconsequential. Please see the shot after the label shot for the little spot on the netting it left. Otherwise it looks to have been worn very little if at all. 

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15.5" from top of bodice to waist 42.5
Skirt: 24" from waist to hem, 28 to end of the feathers that extend past the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3579

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

In the 1980s and 1990s Gianni Versace ruled the catwalks. He was the favourite of the Supermodels and they were featured predominately in his runway shows and his ad campaigns. Versace launched his label in 1978 and by 1989 he presented a couture collection. The days that Gianni headed the label were heady, glamourous ones and set the tone for the label as we know it today. He remained at the helm of the brand until his death by assassination in 1997. This is from those years in the 1990s when the label was everywhere and everyone wanted to own and wear a Versace. While researching this piece I found several photo references of different variations of the dress from both the catwalk and ad campaigns. I have included those here. I love this chic graphic version in the black and white. It is an exceptional example of his work from this time period.

The dress is exactly what you think of when you think Versace from this time period and it is instantly recognizable as his because of that famous ad shot. The dress is made from a very fine wool and it is the kind of dress that instantly demands your full attention. The dress is almost weightless once on the body, an effect achieved by the use of the finest, lightest wool that there was at the time. The shape is as simple as you can get. It is a simple shift that is meant to hang suspended over the body underneath. The simplicity of it perfectly captures the mood of 1995 and it allows that little check pattern to take the spotlight. The pattern is a series of small 1/2" squares and I love the care and attention to line the pattern up at the seams and back zipper. It is truly spectacular and that perfect combination of sexy and yet still innocent because of the easy to wear shape. If there was ever a dress proven to be supermodel worthy this one is it. This is a rare and very collectible Versace. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silky rayon and closes with a hidden set back zipper. I see a tiny run on the fabric near the side at the front and an even smaller one a little ways up from that. You would never see these once on. Please see the shots after the label shot. Otherwise it looks to have been worn very little if at all. The easy cut should allow it to fit a variety of sizes

Bust: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 33" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD3578

Reference Photos: (1-3) Fall 1995 Versace Runway Collection (Look 46-Claudia Schiffer, Look 47-Nadja Auermann, Look 48-Naomi Campbell)  /  (4) Shalom Harlow by Richard Avedon for Versace Fall 1995.  /  (5) Stephanie Seymour by Richard Avedon for Versace Couture Fall 1994.

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

James Galanos was just 27 years old when he launched his first label called Galanos Originals in 1951. By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award. By 1958 he was producing clothing that could range in price from $200 to $3000, an astronomical price for ready-to-wear for that time period. when you convert that to modern dollars and realize that it would be just under 30k for his upper range pieces. Part of the reason for those high price tags was that his ready-to-wear was made to couture standards. The workmanship and craft put into them were made to a level that was on par with the official French couturiers. Galanos was a master cutter and draper. Grace Kelly was an early fan and other couturiers looked to his work as inspiration. His work is held in all of the major museums around the world and he is one of my personal favourite designers. I have had this dress in a version that had a sleeved overlay and I loved finding this one that has a more bare feeling bodice. It really allows the emphasis to be on that beautifully draped skirt 

The dress is made from a beautiful silk chiffon that is completely covered with an oversized flower print. The colour combination of the deep rich purple with the pop of deep green for the leaves in the print is just gorgeous. The skirt is cut to suggest that it is simply wrapped around you and could be unwrapped at any moment. It is attached most of the way around and then it simply hooks into place at the side of the waist. This clever little way to set it into the seam is what gives it that lovely curved line at the front. All of the excess fabric has been gathered along that side so that the silk cascades down in a lovely draped manner. The skirt is made up of thee full layers of silk chiffon. This is an important point in itself. Silk chiffon is notoriously difficult to wrk with and he was a master at this layering technique. The draped front lets you see all three layers and the edges of the three lates become their own design element. There is the top floral printed layer, a middle layer that is a solid purple in the same tone, and then the innermost layer that gives you that unexpected bright shot of green. When you move you get flashes of that green and the effect is fantastic. The bodice is simple and perfect. It has a slightly scooped neck and it cut into an say to wear tank that dips low at both the front and back. The dress comes with its long matching silk sash that you can wrap around the waist as I have done for these shots, or you could tie it at the neck or use as a head scarf. A stunning example of his work and beautifully finished. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a bright green silk chiffon. It closes with a hand set painted metal zipper. Bias cut so there is a little  with the measurements which I have given below. Ribbon edge finshes and hand done throughout. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. The bias cut and easy fit combined with the sash to bring in the waist mean it should fit a range of sizes 

Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seamed can be cinched in with the sash
Hips: open
Bodice: 16" from shoulder to waist
Skirt: 46" from waist to hem
Scarf: 15" x approx 140"

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD3576

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

This gorgeous little Oscar de la Renta dress is most likely from around 1968. Variations of these highly detailed dresses were made in both long and short lengths and in a several different colour ways. The label in the dress identifies it as being a part of his earliest main line. When Oscar De la Renta first started his career he began a partnership with the fashion house of Jane Derby in 1965. Jane Derby died shortly after and in 1966 the first labels that bore only the Oscar de la Renta name appeared. That makes this a very early example of his higher end work. The dress is gorgeous and a definite favourite from all the pieces of his that I have had over the years. 

The dress is very beautiful and is an absolute knock out once on. It is also very representative of his work during this time period. The fabric is quite exceptional and the silk threads that are woven through the deep red silk form a stunning design that runs from shoulder to hem. The fabric is lighter in weight then you would think at first glance. It is heavy enough to hold and retain the shape that he desired the dress to have but is still light enough so that it feels easy and comfortable to wear. It has a very refined feel to it but it feels youthful and fresh at the same time. It perfectly sums up Oscar's love of opulence mixed with the exuberance of the decade. The cut is kept simple to allow that stunning fabric to take centre stage. The skirt falls from the waist and widens out slightly as it nears the hem. I love the way the skirt has those deep pleats at either side. It adds a little extra volume and also some visual interest when you turn to the side. The waist is seamed but left more on the open and easy feeling side rather than being severely cinched in. The bodice has simple cut with no sleeves and is cut to skim over the body. The fabric is a rich silk in a deep red that has a touch of coral colour to it. Woven through that are little floral feeling medallions in a mix of silver and gold metallic thread. These have an slight 3D feel to them and add a soft metallic shimmer over the entire dress. The detailing on the bodice is spectacular. It is all edged with an elaborate gold braiding. Large crystal rhinestones are set into the coils of the braiding and little gold studs are spaced evenly along its length. The braiding runs around the neck, each arm and then details the top and bottom edge of the attached belt that gives you shape at the waist. It is gorgeous. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a red silk chiffon with additional strips of silk the inner edges. It closes at the back with a painted metal zipper. The belt is attached. Hand finished throughout 

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam, with extra room created by the folds on each side
Length: 35" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3753

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

The pair behind the La Mendola label met in Rome in 1960 and started their business making dresses and selling them one by one, piece by piece. In 1967 they opened a shop. They soon had a Hollywood following and mega stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Rita Hayworth become regular clients who were buying and even wait-listing for pieces as they were produced. They made all of the pieces in their ateliers and designed their own prints. Clients would be sent swatches of the season's available prints and then they would place their orders. They were beloved and sought after by the jet set travel crowd as their pieces travelled extremely well and the colours used were beautiful. Their atelier closed in 1974 and I am always happy to have their pieces in the shop.

In the past I had one of their dresses come into the shop and the original owner of that dress had kept the fabric swatch options for the 1972 season along with her correspondence with the atelier. They named all of their prints and using that information that I kept a digital copy of, I know that this dress is a version of their Paridiso print. The fabric that they used for their pieces were very high end chiffons and jerseys. This dress uses both to great advantage. The actual dress is made from a beautiful light and fine silk jersey. This exceptional fabric takes colour and print very well and it is as bright and vibrant as when it was first made. Layered over this is a panelled wrap skirt  made from a silk chiffon. This top skirt layer is made of a two panels. Each is a single layer of silk chiffon and they are attached along a waist band with a bit of spacing between the two panels. This leaves a long slit on each side for the dress underneath to show through. You can tie it with the splits towards the side or the front and I have shown both ways here. You can even get clever with the styling and use it as a cape that sits lower across the shoulder. The wrap skirt layer has the same peacock feather print that the dress underneath has. This allows the two prints on each layer to be slightly offset giving the print an extra dimension of depth. The pinks used in the print are gorgeous and it is even better in person then how it photoed. The dress has a high neck and a simple cut through the bodice and sleeves. It skims over the waist and then widens out just a touch as it nears the hem. At the back it closes with a row of tightly spaced silk jersey covered buttons, a finish that was a signature of the house. The jersey has some stretch and is very light in weight so wearing this is a dream. You can wear it on its own or layer the skirt over it for added movement and completely change the look and feel of the dress. It is stunning. Excellent condition

Unlined and closes at the back with that row of tightly spaced silk jersey covered buttons. The over-skirt ties into place. The fabric the dress has stretch and this combined with the easy design of the dress should allow it to work on a variety of sizes. Hand finished throughout. The measurements given are the comfortable stretch when laid out flat. The over-skirt waist is adjustable with the ties. The photo of the swatches is from that previous dress. The actual swatch card is not included. I see one small hole in the chiffon of the skirt that gets lost in the folds once on. Please see the last shot here

Sleeves: 22.5"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 16.5-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 15.5-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Dress length: 60" from neck to hem with just under 2" turned up 
Over-skirt: 42" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD3389

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

Norman Norell was one of the great American designers. His clothes were wildly expensive and he was credited for the unique ability to translate Paris couture into American ready-to-wear.  He started in the film industry and then was hired by Hattie Carnegie. In 1941 he left and and joined Anthony Traina where the Traina-Norell label soon appeared. Upon Traina's retirement in 1960 he launched his own self-named label. He won the very first Coty American Fashion Critics' award ever given in 1943 and then won it again in 1951 and by 1956 was the first designer to earn a place in the Coty Hall of Fame. His signature styles for day ran the gamut from shirtwaists, suits, beautifully tailored coats, and clothes that featured polka dots, checks, gingham and of course, the huge oversize bow. Norma himself once said 'To qualify as a designer one should not be afraid to repeat a good design, and certainly must have his own signature'. He did that and more and I think every serious vintage collector should have a piece of his work in their archives. 

I absolutely love this dress. The lines and cut are somewhat similar to a dress I have had in the shop previously that was dated to 1963. This one, with its bright and cheerful pink gingham print, is just spectacular to see. The silk is a very high end and I love the colour. It is cut with a masters hand and the workmanship that is put into it is beautiful to see. The bodice is cut to be more fitted and follow the lines of your body. It cinches in at the waist and to add even more shape there is a wide matching belt that acts like a corset to really bring the waist in and make the skirt under it seem even fuller. I took the first set of the photos here with a crinoline under it and then the last three full length shots are of the dress without the added underskirts. You can see how this really changes the lines and the volume of fabric in the skirt. Even without the underskirt the skirt is full and this volume has been achieved by the way it is set into the bodice. Inside at the waist there is a full ruffle of silk that sits above the interior seam. I took a photo of the inside so you can see how it is gathered up and through the waist. It is just incredible. To wear the dress you slip it on and button it down the front. It has the most incredible buttons. Hand carved, thick mother-of-pearl buttons run down the front. The same buttons in a smaller size have been used on the cuffs of each amazing sleeve. Each of the sleeves are cut on a curve to follow the natural shape of the arm. This is a couture technique that you rarely see anymore and it is just executed to perfection here. They pouf up at the shoulders and are set into the bodice with a series of high gathers. The sleeves are full at the tops and then narrow down to the wide cuffs at each wrist. Each cuff is a full 4" long and closes with four of the mother-of-pearl buttons. The interior of each sleeve is finished in a silk organza so that the sleeves keep that volume that you see. The finishing touch is one of his wide over-sized bows that you tie at the neck with the long attached ties that extend out from the collar. One side is even cut a little longer then the other so that it ties to a perfect length every time. The workmanship on this dress is incredible. This is an amazing example of the work that he was doing during this time period and one of the prettiest Norells' I have seen. Excellent condition with one small note below

Fully lined in a hand set white silk through the bodice and ivory silk organza through the sleeves. The skirt is unlined. Closes down the front with a series of hand carved mother-of-pearl buttons. Each sleeve has four more of the buttons in a smaller size. The only thing I see is that part of the silk on the belt has darkened a touch and there is a bit of grubbiness under the arms on the inside lining. The back of the belt is stamped Norman Norell. Hand finished throughout. The crinoline used on some photos is not included

Sleeves: 26"
Slightly inset shoulders: 13"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 11.5-12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 14.5" from top of bodice to bottom of the waist banding
Skirt: 35" from waist to hem with a 5" hem turned under

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3318

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

This dress is from the Resort 2015 collection from the house of Valentino. During this time period both Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were acting Creative Directors. Several variations of it were shown for the presentation and I an happy to have these as reference photos because it shows you how the lace looks on an actual body. Vogue's Nicole Phelps reviewed the collection and said in part: "Monastic, artistocratic, modest, and even prim have been terms applied to Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli's Valentino almost since they took over in 2009" and indeed that feel is what gives this set its beauty. There is a starkness to it offset but the romance of the lace and the sexiness of it being transparent though the black parts. I love it. 

The set is made up of two pieces. A longer top that could potentially double as a mini dress and then a matching full length skirt. Whether you choose to wear them together or as separates they are gorgeous. Both pieces are made from the very distinctive cotton lace that Valentino used during this time period and still do use now. The lace parts are all set onto a black silk netting so that in between the lace you get a see-through effect. You can see how fine the netting is in my close ups and I love the nude effect that it gives. If you are brave you can wear it with just undergarments underneath for a really nude effect or layer it over opaque pieces. The top is cut in a simple T with wide straight sleeves cropped to above the elbows. It skims over the body and then flares out slightly as it nears the hem. The skirt is maxi length and widens out as it nears the floor. I laid it out flat so that you can see its beautiful lines. The mix of the lace on the netting helps it to hold its shape wonderfully. I love how all of the edges are done to follow the beautiful curving pattern of the lace. Both pieces are in like new condition and look to have never been worn. Excellent condition

Unlined. The top slips on the wear with a zipper at the back and the skirt zips to close with a hidden set zipper at the side. Tagged a Valentino 42

Top
Sleeves: 10"
Slightly dropped shoulders: 16"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 30" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 45" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3750

Reference Photos: Resort 2015 Valentino Collection, Looks 33-35. (Models: Harleth Kuusik & Maartje Verhoef).

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

This dress is from the time period when Karl Lagerfeld was the designer for the Chloe label. I love that this one even has its original hand written label that outlines the fabric and style. Examples of Karl's work during this time period are held in museums around the world and are rare finds. Their place in fashion history is even more entrenched with his recent passing.

This dress is wonderful. In person it is even better then how it photoed. It is always a struggle to show you how perfect a simple back dress is and it is really when it is on an actual body that it will transform and really be showcased. The lower part of the dress that falls from the empire bodice really has tremendous movement that is not conveyed in a still photograph. The actual cut of the dress is kept simple and perfect. It is made out of a fine black silk chiffon that is as light as air. The bodice is a cut in a simple scoop across both the front and the back. The dress is suspended from tiny straps that curve up and around each shoulder. The waist is seamed and set a little higher up to give the dress an empire feel. The skirt falls to the floor from there. The pleats that it is made out of allow it to skim over the hips and then it gently widens out as it reached the hem. The entire skirt is made out of a series of precise, perfectly exact knife pleats. They are what gives it some volume and a ton of movement when you move. The pleats are the only embellishment and it is the starkness and simplicity of this dress that make the statement. The inner skirt is finished in a nude chiffon and all of the work is done by hand and to couture standards. I love it so much and it is pure magic once on an actual body. Excellent overall condition with a note to review below

The bodice is a double layer of the silk chiffon and the skirt is lined in a nude silk chiffon. It closes at the back with a snap and hooks. Hand finished interior to couture standards. Some of the pleats have softened towards the bottom of the skirt. Please see the two photos after the label shot. I think you could move the hooks and snaps at the back to get another inch or so if needed

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
High set waist seam: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 14" from neck to high set waist
Skirt: 45" from high set waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent:  XS-SML

Item# DD3749

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

Halston used this sequin technique predominantly between about 1973 to 1978. Instead of layering and overlapping the sequins, they were laid out flat, side by side, to cover every inch of the fabric. This is a stunning and rare version that is full sequinned and could not have more of an impact once it is on. 

The dress is made from a red silk chiffon for the inner layer, which also acts as the lining, and then the outer layer is made out of the same fabric but in a lighter, thinner weight than the inner layer. That outer layer is what the sequins are attached to. The sequins have all been placed and attached by hand and completely cover the dress from shoulder to hem. The sequins are a glossy true red and they reflect the light beautifully. This makes the dress absolutely incredible to see in person. The technique used of placing the sequins flat and side by side allow the sequins to catch as much light as possible so it gives the fabric a molten, liquid metal feel. The bust is cut to skim over your curves. It has a pointed collar and the front wraps and snaps to close with silk covered snaps at the waist. This creates a deep front plunge but with that chic little collar that you can flip up if you want. There is elastic all around the waist so it is super comfortable when on. It skims over the hips and then flares out slightly as it reaches the hem. Because it wraps and is held in place only by the snaps at the waist you get a long overlapping opening down the front so you see lots of leg when you move or sit. It is amazingly comfortable to wear because of the stretch at the waist. Which was what he was all about - high glamour cobbled with ease. Excellent condition with a note below.

It closes with a hooks at the waist. Elastic through the waist. Fully lined in a red silk chiffon. Hand set sequins. There is the occasional sequin missing but there are sequins in the inner seams that could be used if this bothered you. Some missing sequins on the inside seams mostly on the inside panel near the waist. Obviously not seen once it is on. Minor shattering to the lining near the arm opening and a repair near the seam on the other side. Please see the photo after the label shot. 

Shoulders: no defined seams
Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from neck to waist
Skirt: 43" from waist to hem with 2.5" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3747

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

This is a gorgeous dress by Pierre Cardin and I absolutely love it. There is a certain silhouette that is closely associated with Pierre Cardin but he was actually a designer that had a huge range. At times some of his other silhouettes get overlooked and they should not be. This wonderful Haute Couture example that I believe dates to the late seventies or early eighties. It is a beautiful and elegant piece that may not be as 'mod' in feel as some of Cardin's other pieces during this time period but shows the breadth of his talent and the high level of glamour that he was capable of.

The dress is made from a silk that has a dense application of hand placed sequins running over its entire surface. The colour of the sequins is a red that has a touch of an orange undertone to them. They are laid out flat side by side to catch maximum light. This gives the dress an almost molten feel that is stunning from every angle. The shape is kept very simple so that those spectacular sequins take centre stage. The front is cut onto a peak and then from that peak straps extend out, cross over themselves and then curve over each shoulder to meet the fabric at the back. The back is cut low and deep to leave a wide expanse of bare skin. It falls in a sleek column over the body and is brought in with seaming to shape it through the waist. It curves over the hips and stays fairly snug to the legs and then the bottom skirting flares out. That bottom skirt is a full 14" high and if you lay it out flat it is a true circle. The way it is set into the skirt lets it fall in soft curving ruffles all around you. When you walk it kicks out and has beautiful movement to it. The dress is very chic and very femme fatale. It is a dress that may seem unremarkable on a hanger but transforms into an insanely good piece once on the body. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a red silk and closes with a hand set back painted metal zipper. Hand set lining. It is cut on the bias so has some play in the measurements. The comfortable range is noted below. A tiny bit of patina on the back of sequins near the neck and at the very edges here and there. Very minor  

Bust: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 7" from top of shoulder to hem with 1.5" turned under the hem 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3748

Reference photo: L’Officiel 1976

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

Patrick Kelly is a celebrated African American designer and his work will be seen in the planned exhibit 'Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love' this October at San Francisco’s de Young Museum. It is an expanded version of the original 2014 exhibit that showed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Kelly opened his atelier in 1988 in Paris and quickly became an sensation. Laura Camerlengo, the associate curator of costume and textile arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, said of his work in an interview; 'He was a trailblazer. He was born during the time of the segregated south, grew out of that most racist violent environment, and worked his way to Atlanta, to New York and to become the toast of Paris who had a successful multimillion-dollar company when he died. And remarkably, he was lauded with accolades while being and remaining one of the few designers of any colour to directly address race in his work. Kelly was a pioneer of the “black camp” aesthetic.' His runway shows triggered a wide range of emotions and often made people justifiably uncomfortable. Which was exactly what he intended. Kelly was the first black American designer to be voted into the governing body of the French fashion industry, Fédération Française de la Couture. This is a dress that is instantly recognizable as being one of his pieces. He did series of leopard dresses for the 1989 season and this off shoulder version is one of my absolute favourites. Its twin waked the runway so you can see just how amazing it is in the reference photos. Versions were all over the editorials that year as well. It is a very rare piece and with the attention on American fashion because of the Met exhibit theme this year, it is an even more exciting find. 

This super sexy leopard print stretch velour velvet Patrick Kelly dress is wonderful. The fabric is fantastic and will stretch to hug your curves and show off every bit of the body. That said the velvet keeps it flattering and easy to wear as it gives support at the same time it mold to the body. Kelly cut this one so that is can be worn on or off the shoulder while keeping the sleeves long and lean. On the runway it was shown off the shoulder and that is how I prefer it too. That bare expanse of skin is the perfect contrast to the coverage of the dress. The cut through the body hugs your every curve and the dress is molded to your frame all the way down to the hem. The stretch the fabric has is what allows you to walk as there are no slits or vents in the skirt. The cut is super fitted through the body and that leopard print just makes it completely fantastic. It is a showstopper and an amazing example of this time period and of his work. I love everything about this dress and that it is a true piece of fashion history that is extremely well documented. Excellent condition.

Unlined and slips on to wear with no closures. The printed velour finish velvet has stretch. Elastic through the neckline. The dress appears to have never been worn. The measurements provided are the comfortable range of stretch when laying flat. The stretch fabric should allow it to fit a range of sizes. 

Sleeves: 21" but sit off the shoulder so sit longer on the arm 
Bust: 17-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist:14-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 52" from top of the neckline to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-LRG

Item# DD3742

Reference Photos: (1-2) F/W 1989 Patrick Kelly Runway Collection.  /  (3) Iman in Patrick Kelly, 1989.  /  (4) Model in Patrick Kelly. Photographed by Rico Puhlmann for Harper’s Bazaar, August 1989.

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