This is an amazing suit from the Yves Saint Laurent label that dates to the F/W 1989 runway. I have included a photo that shows the same fabric in blue that was used for the presentation that year. The fabric is absolutely stunning and takes center stage on this piece. Both the jacket and skirt are constructed from a metallic silk brocade done in a vivid hues of pink with shots of a brilliant metallic green running through it. It is also interesting as it builds on the ideas from the the collection he did in tribute to Pierre Bonnard for Fall-Winter 1988. It is cut perfectly in that Yves way, with strong shoulders, a wide notched lapel and classic double button front. Two top seamed pockets sit just below the waist. Large gold metal buttons close the jacket and four smaller versions finish each cuff. Each of the buttons on the sleeve are there for decorative purposes only, however, each still has a proper finished buttonhole underneath - I love that attention to detail!. The skirt is stunning. It wraps and closes at the side with four of those same huge gold buttons with a flash of leg seen underneath. One scooped pocket sits on one hip. Excellent condition.

Both pieces are fully lined in a fine, high quality pink silk. The jacket closes with the gold toned metal buttons as shown and the skirt closes with the same huge gold buttons and a large flat hook & eye at the waist.

Jacket:
Shoulders: 16" from seam to seam
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 24" from neck to bottom hem
Sleeves: 22" from shoulder seam to longest point

Skirt:
Waist: 13" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Total length: 22" from waist seam to bottom hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD501

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 an amazing Geoffrey Beene and I would bet was a custom or runway piece. It is absolutely impeccably made and the amount of fabric in it is astounding. Lots of couture level details - like the tissue silk chiffon lining that feels like nothing else when you wear it! The top is made of an almost chenille like fabric but with a finer and tighter plush - its been puckered and gathers - I suspect by hand so the illusion of a bed of flowers is created. It is fitted and made to follow and form exactly to the body. The skirts billow out from the waist and three full, full layers of silk chiffon have been used. Each has yards and yards of fabric in them - the amount of silk used is mind blowing! The layer between is a different shade of red so you get this fantastic effect and when you sit the layers show separate for the most delicious effect. Each of those layers is weighted with a wide silk satin edging so they have some weight and drape. A double peak belt in the deeper shade of red used in the middle layer of the skirt wraps and cinches the waist. Its astounding and appears to have never been worn! Mint condition.

An amazing Trigere set in her signature tulip print done in a brilliant green set against a inky black backdrop. The fabric is a fine semi sheer silk or silk georgette mix that holds the color amazingly well. It has an almost rough feel to it and adds a subtle texture to the print. This is backed in a black version of the same so is wearable! I The top is cut deceptively simple - an almost box cut through the body but with the subtlest of gathers along the shoulders. The sleeves are a single layer of the fabric and have elastics at each wrist so have the slightest balloon effect. This tucks into a modified sarong look skirt except its all closed - that front knot is built into the front skirt and the cut is long and lean. It looks like nothing special off a body but once on - wow. Tiny couture detail I love - the skirt has one of those little tags that say front along the skirt band! Love it! Amazing concept and a beautiful couture level piece in mint condition!

Extraordinary runway eighties Kenzo smock dress is just magnificent. I have just found a photo of this piece as presented in the Autumn/Winter 1984-1985 on page 242 of the book Fashion the Twentieth Century by Francois Baudot.† I will add a picture when I can!

It captures all that is great about the brand!† This piece would have been from when Kenzo Tadaka himself headed the brand and you can see the influence of his early study of art in the beautiful floral print. He is known for this use of color and print so this dress is very desirable and collectible. Made of fine fine wool it has a stunning red color base with a virtual garden of flowers strewn across its surface. Its is cut full and plays on volume - there is a bit of break where the skirt meets the bodice and the op is collared and yoked beautifully. I love the wide sleeves - they narrow though a vertical seam and then are cuffed to create a billowing effect. The Back drapes perfectly. You can of course wear this with a belt but I love it as it was meant to be worn - loose and with in your face volume!† Mint condition.

Stunningly beautiful silk satin petal dress is absolutely to die! Ingenious example of the care to construction and the high level of execution of the period. The fabric alone is brilliant - it changes from a soft pale pink gradually deepening as it nears the petalled hem to a deep true pink. The jacket does the opposite with a deeper hue at the shoulders and then gradually softening at the waist to match the color of the dress. The jacket is a stunning, sculptural masterpiece with curves shoulders and seaming to create a fitted, yet rounded shape. The dress is just magnificent - a simple strapped bodice tops that stunning petalled skirt - the petals change not only color but size - starting as small petals around the waist to huge and gorgeous ones at the final bottom layer. The high level of workmanship that would be required to make a piece like this is astonishing! It's a gorgeous, unusual and wonderful set. Excellent condition

Did you just die a little? I did too when I first saw this! My client swears it is Claire McCardell and I find it hard to disagree. It does not have a McCardell tag present however so is priced accordingly, if that tag was there this would be several hundred dollars higher! It's an extraordinary piece and an absolute wonderful, unusual design that really adds to the conviction that this is indeed a McCardell piece. Wonderfully full puffed style bloomer bottoms are striped in cream and red on cotton. Each leg has an elastic - that elastic and the flat knife pleats at the waist help create that fantastic, full shape! The bodice is cut to fit and one whole side buttons up in a precise, tight row of buttons. One tie is short and hooks into place and the other extra extra long and ties. Absolute amazing piece of fashion and of history! Excellent, unworn condition.

I have added some pictures so you can see some McCardell pieces that are similar in structure (all are in museum collections). Most telling is the dress - it's the same striping fabric and plain cream fabric on the top - I would imagine that this is from that same collection!

This is a rare Agnes adaptation piece from the 20s. Its also a day dress that is in excellent condition making it even rarer, good examples of day dresses are always the hardest to find as they were worn. The girl that owned this one must have had a closet full of frocks, as this on is in deliciously good shape. The amount of work in this dress is astounding - those pink scalloped bits at the collar and cuffs and all around the hemline are all made from hand by piping silk, flattening into perfectly even flatted tubes of fabric and then those were hand sewn into place to create that amazing design! I love the panel of soft pink silk that peeps out under one sid eof the apronned over skirt. Under neath are weights so it drapes perfectly and the entire piece is all hand done. Adaptation dresses where done in the US and based on or where straight copies of the Parisian design house that issued them. I could fill this page with the small details this dress has. Needless to say it is a beauty!† A superb, rare and early flapper day dress and in excellent condition.

Important Jacques Fath late 1940s, early 1950s day dress in a deep navy blue silk. Many Fath devotees say that his designs influenced Dior and the "New Look" silhouette and you can see that in this piece. The skirt is actually very full and the silk cut on the bias so it has a delicious amount of movement to it. The top is cut loose and easy with a nipped in waist. He loved pleating details and you can see that in how the skirt flows from the flat front detail at the lower waist. This little detail gives a flat stomach and adds to a girls hourglass shape with still being comfortable to wear for day. The collar is wide and has a pretty top stitch detail. I love that it notches back and up and behind on itself and then picks up that same button detail on the front of the skirt. You can barely see it when worn but it is there - a testament to the devotion paid to details then! Stunning and rare!

An amazing couture Pierre Cardin is in such excellent condition it may as well have just stepped off its 1960s runway and into my hands! Constructed of a linen look mixed fabric it is an amazing soft pale peach color. The color alone makes this special and collectible! Its is cut architectural style as typical of the nest of the Cardin pieces are. The body of the dress is almost flapper-esque in style with little definition through the waist area - it falls in one smooth tube to that dropped skirt. Once you reach the skirted area it is full on cardin. A padded top stitched band with bog circles worked into the design encircle the lower hip. More amazing it that this is done over flat knife pleating which then flares out to create a low swingy skirt. It has so much movement and impact! Truly amazing and a work of art. Immaculate condition.

Helena Barbieri pieces are as rare as rare can be and I am blessed to have had some wonderful examples on the site and now this stunning dress & jacket set! This piece is a cocktail length version and is constructed from a rich, luxurious, green tinged gold silk brocade that is shot through with a wonderful gold thread design. The cut is very simple, the skirt is a long and lean pencil silhouette with the most subtle of pleats set in at the sides of the waist so that is has just a touch of fullness through the hips. A pretty inverted V detail contours the nipped in waist. The bodice has high neck, simple lines and is a scooped V at the back, mimicking the V detail on the front waist. The jacket is a study in constraint with a simple box cut and† hidden closures. Only on simple tie at the neck adds any decoration. Barbieri specialized in evening & cocktail wear and its easy to see why her pieces are so highly prized. The construction of this set is impeccable. Stunning and in excellent condition!

Insanely rare and insanely fabulous gold eyelash fringe one shoulder dress from Stephen Burrows is hands down one of my most favorite pieces ever, The gold is a true gold in person and its almost a tinsel that is applied to a black silk chiffon backing. The rows between the gold are actually semi sheer but you get enough coverage from the tightly spaced rows to feel decent when wearing it! Its one shoulder and fitted tightly tot he body through the chest and then swoops out in a A-line. A 22" high slit on one side adds a flash of leg. A real collectible and a real rarity! Mint condition!

Item# DD602

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

When I saw this gown my breathe literally caught in my throat. After the recent excitement about the Madame Gres pieces exhibited this summer and the strong 40s trend happening to have a gown come in that is so exquisitely perfect and representative of that wonderful draping done in the plate 30 and early 40s was just too perfect timing! This piece is seriously extraordinary and I hope that girl that decides to make it hers truly will love and cherish it. Rosenstein pieces are very hard to come by and you can see the master draping techniques she employed in this piece. Made of a very early silk knit jersey the fabric is very fluid and drapes perfectly. The bodice is completely gathered in soft pleats held in place by the vertical bands that run down the front. I love the cut work shoulder straps. The looped pleating technique that create the front (or back - it really can be worn either way) panels is incredibly beautiful and has that art deco, architectural feel to them. The panels give the gown movement and lightness. Just a really extraordinary piece that is highly collectible and in excellent condition.

Modern Sizing equivalent: XS-SML (0-6)

Item# DD609

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

Op art, insanely fabulous poly knit jersey print dress from Givenchy couture! It seems odd to see a piece done specifically for a client in a poly jersey but don't forget that at the time this was a cutting edge fabric. The ability to screen colors onto the fabric and get crisp, true color was a huge benefit and this fabric travels like a dream and wears well. It would definitely have been made for the jet set girls of the day! It slips over the head and buttons to just below the waist so you can leave it open as low as you please. It is cut sheath like with a loose fitting waist. It has it's original belt to cinch it in. The colors are still bright and crisp and it is in excellent, seems to be unworn, condition!

An amazing Halston made of a slinky nylon jersey in a taupe brown. Halston best and most iconic designs center around the concept of as few seams as possible and working around bias cut fabric so a dress that seems most unassuming on the hanger transforms and drapes itself miraculously on a girl when it is slipped on. This little beauty is a perfect example of just that. It has no closures - you just step into it and tie the top center knot of fabric above a small keyhole to keep it on. The dress then drapes from there and is cleverly cut on a spiral. Super sexy in that perfectly understated, girl next door kind of way Halston has with his pieces. It is in excellent condition and truly fabulous!

Bust: 17" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Waist: 18" from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20" from side seam to side seam
Total length: 43" from top of bodice at the back to bottom hem

The fabric has some stretch and is cut on the bias so you can comfortably add or subtract an inch or two to any of the listed measurements above

The dress is unlined and slips on to wear. You tighten the front knot to hold it in place.

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD623

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

Shockingly rare, limited edition, Alexander McQueen piece based on the pictured runway dress from the Spring Summer 1999 collection. Very few of these were made and this particular collection was not well photographed except for the closing Shalom performance where she is painted in her dress while standing on a moving platform built into the stage.

The dress is amazing a precursor to many of his iconic design elements in later collections. The buckle bondage elements became a common theme and his workmanship in leather in unmatched. The dress buckles behind the neck and drops in a wide swoop from there. The back is left completely and utterly bare. The patches are a combination of glossed palest green leather, a white suede and then that sea blue leather. The natural color leather straps at the back of the neck and at the lower back add a stark contrast. Heavy rawhide whip stitching finish. An amazing piece and utterly collectible.

This dress ended up being sold to an important museum and is now held in their archives. From the same, original owner as the dress shown here, we also have available a runway skirt and halter ensemble in pink and cream patchwork leather - click here to view and purchase that one

Runway pieces have become iconic and shockingly rare. This extraordinary patchwork leather set is from the Spring Summer 1999 collection. McQueen's 1999 Spring/Summer collection was untitled so is simply referred to as "No 13" as it was his 13th collection. The collection was based on the "Arts and Crafts" movement and which focused on the contrast and opposites of man and machine, craft and technology. The show ended with Shalom Harlow being spray painted by two robots live on the runway, while she stood on a moving platform built into the stage. (In the runway still we took from the show video you can see the robotic arm in the left hand of the background.) The finale dress from this show is now one of the highlights of the exhibit "Savage Beauty" that has gotten so much acclaim. This particular show catapulted McQueen into the spotlight and cemented him as a design who used the catwalk as "spectacle" presenting themes and drama. The clothes were often not produced as shown on the runway so whenever you have a piece as presented it is that much more collectible. I actually had two of these sets, this one, that is available here - and a second version in blue that is now in the permanent archives of a museum.

It is also important to note that in the accompanying book to the Savage Beauty exhibit, on page 23, they remark that this is the only show to make McQueen cry. He said of his motivation behind this collection "I suppose the idea is to show that that beauty come from within"

The set itself is amazing. McQueen's methods of cutting and construction were both innovative and revolutionary. His work in leathers was second to none and this two piece ensemble is the perfect illustration of that. The leather is used as one would a fabric and cut and placed for his masterful draping and The halter top is cut exceedingly low in the back.The buckle bondage elements became a common theme and his workmanship in leather in unmatched. The top buckles behind the neck and the back is left completely and utterly bare. The skirt is meant to sit low on the hips and flares out in the perfect slightly exaggerated A-line. The patches are a combination of glossed pale pink leather, an off-white colored suede and then a deep burgundy leather. The natural color leather straps at the back of the neck and at the lower back on the halter add a stark contrast. Heavy rawhide whip stitching finish both pieces. An amazing piece and utterly collectible.

Both pieces are fully lined in white cotton. The halter top buckles into place at the neck and low back. The skirt has a back hidden set zipper. Both pieces show some small scuffs and areas of pink color transfer to the suede parts and some very slight silvering to the darker leather patches from being folded in storage prior to acquisition. I am confident that these could be removed by a leather/suede specialist. The pieces are otherwise in excellent condition and the color transfer actually adds to the patina and "deconstructed" raw feel of the set. It has been priced with this in mind.

The complete show video is included below and you can see this ensemble at approx the 13:00 mark.

Top
Bust: no defined side seams
Waist: approx 16" across - the buckles will change this slightly depending on the hole used
Length: 24" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 15" flat across the back with no real defined side seams
Hips: 20" flat across the back with no real defined side seams
Length: 24" from waist to bottom hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD626

Video and Runway reference photo credit: style.com

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

Super sexy little black knit Patrick Kelly dress is amazing and form the same collection as the other color block piece. Made of a black knit it has amazing primary color thick stripes worked on the diagonal into the shawl like detail that goes over the shoulders. The colors run across in blue, red and yellow - this makes for an eye popping contrast and endless styling possibilities. It's fitted to the Tee through the body and is cut to sit off the shoulders at the top and a just above the knee at the hem for maximum leg exposure. I love the long skinny sleeves - it's the perfect balance to to the short hem line, fitted silhouette and bare shoulders. Appears to have never been worn and is in excellent condition.

Sleeves: 21"
Bust: stretches from 16-19" comfortably when measured from side seam to side seam
Waist: stretches from 13.5-16" comfortably when measured from side seam to side seam
Hips: stretches from 17-19" comfortable when measured from side seam to side seam
Length: approx 30" from the mid back on top of the bodice to bottom hem

The dress is knit jersey with some stretch. It slips on to wear with no closures

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML

Item# DD628

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

Castillo is of course for his movie costumes and his work at Lanvin. Pieces from his Lanvin days are highly collectible and to find piece that pre-date that are as rare as rare can be. This piece is just that as it is from the 1945-1950 time period when he worked for Elizabeth Arden's design salon and on top of being rare is exceptionally beautiful. This is the dress for the girl that wants a LBD but with the kind of details you only find in couture or very high end master level vintage. A simple day dress with not so simple details, the subtly and attention to detail are absolutely fantastic and I hope my photographs can come close to how wonderful this dress is. The top is made of a fine, soft wool with rounded, slightly padded shoulders that end in a zipped, tight to the wrist cuff, with hand set zippers of course. Proper buttonholes under a refined collar close the dress to the waist and the line remains clean at the back with a mid back hand set zipper. The skirt is marvelous. It appears to be full at first and you could certainly add a crinoline between the layers of it if you wish. The inner skirt is black silk crepe and cut long and lean and fitted. The exterior is quite full and is a marvel of fine wool panels intercepted with extremely fine mesh and some of the finest stitching i have ever seen. Truly a collectible and masterful piece it is in excellent condition!

Shoulders: approx 15" but with no defined seams
Bust: 20" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" from side seam to side seam
Hips: Inner skirt under top layer is 19" from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from shoulder to waist seam
Skirt: 30" from waist to bottom hem
Sleeves: 23" from shoulder seam to cuff

The dress is unlined through the bodice and the skirt has an inner skirting of black silk under the fuller top skirting. It closes with fabric covered buttons to the waist at the front and has a mid back set painted metal zipper at the back. Each cuff has a zipper to close.

Note that there is NO discoloration to the lining - that close up of the label is a lighting issue - the lining is jet black and the label black with bright pink script.

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML

Item# DD645

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

If you watch my twitter feed that you might recognize this coat - I could not resist taking it for a spin when attended one of the Toronto Fashion week shows last week! It is an amazing piece that I styled as a long maxi coat. It was meant to be a maxi dress and works wonderfully as that as well but buy knowing you can use it for either! It's all cashmere so it light and warm. The color is amazing - more of a coral than what has photoed and I love the subtle herringbone pattern that runs through it - really unusual even in his cashmere pieces. It buttons all the way down. I have shown it as it was meant to be worn - long and lean but you can also easily belt this. Versatile and beautiful it is an amazing and rare piece of fashion history and in excellent, museum quality condition.

Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 20" flat across the inside back from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 19" flat across the inside back from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 23" flat across the inside back from side seam to side seam
Length: 55" from mid neck at the back to bottom hem
Sleeves: 24" from shoulder seam to longest point

The dress/coat is unlined and closes with buttons down the front. Each cuff has two buttons. Hand finished inside.

Modern Sizing equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD653

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

Rare and wonderful East West Musical Instruments leather jacket is the pinnacle "holy grail" jacket for anyone bent on collecting those leather pieces from the 60s! These jackets were all handcrafted and made for some of the iconic rock and roll figures of the day - people like Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder and Carlos Santana where clients as were many, many more! Based out of San Francisco, this piece is form their shop based there and has both the highly collectible leather label, numbered and signed and their cloth shop label dated 1967. Many of the jackets made were for men and a lot were cut boxy but this little beauty is cut to create a killer hour glass! It is fitted and sexy and the leather is appliqued in curved, deco like strips with the hem on the cuffs and around the bottom jagged and following the curve of the jacket. No major flaws or marks - just that perfect beat in patina that makes these pieces even better then when they were new! Excellent condition!

An amazing and rare white metal disk version of the infamous Paco Rabanne disk bag. A version of this has recently been reissued and is all the rage - this is the original and in the rarest and most desirable of all the colors you see it in (normally it is silver or gold or black) - the mod, space age white! No missing or damaged disks and all the links are present. The chain is silver and you can carry it like a clutch ro over the shoulder. These have gone for well over $2000 at auction and I believe the new version is more!

Earlier McQueen pieces are getting exceedingly rare as girls are now hoarding them so I love having some of the really spectacular pieces to show you! This is definitely a showstopper. A silk chiffon fitted & corseted dress in leopard is a wonderful example of a modern day designer taking couture techniques from the past and giving it his own genius spin. Drop dead sexy silk chiffon in the perfect leopard print is sewn in flat horizontal pleats over an interior corseted base. Great care has been taken to ensure that all those pleats line up perfectly at the back hidden zipper. The cups are edged in chiffon and the straps are meant to sit low and slightly off the shoulder - you can also tuck them to wear it strapless. It really is meant to mold to a real body so my mannequin is not even coming close to doing this piece full justice. It is in immaculate, unworn condition and you will die when you see the seaming detail on the interior of this piece! The original retail on this piece was over $5,000! Mint condition.

Stunning and unusual this is one of those once in a lifetime pieces that you just cannot walk away form with it sitting in the back of your mind forever! The pictures do not come close to conveying the exquisite craftsmanship of this piece or its sheer impact when it is in front of you. The beads - for lack of a better word - are insanely huge and because many of them are suspended on little tube beaded loops it moves and makes sounds as they click together - it is like wearing a full piece of jewellery on your upper body! The fabric is a stiffened , woven silk and it appears unworn. The effect of the amber color on the cream is stunning. A masterpiece is how Judy described it and I would have to agree! Wonderful, rare and an unusual amazing piece.

Fabulous jumpsuit by one of my favorite of the British labels - the iconic Biba! Biba designs ruled the night clubs of the seventies and have a sexy, easy way about them - a Biba is instantly recognizable and there is nothing like them in the way that they are cut - then or since - they tended to be made of fabulous materials (like this piece which is made of a semi sheer cotton voile) and move well and wear well. This one piece jumpsuit has wide bell bottom legs, the most amazing sleeves with tight cuffs and a huge billow effect just above and buttons down the front with matching fabric covered buttons. The signature dog ear Biba collar sits at the neck! There is only the remnant of a tag at the neck but it is absolutely the real thing. To be honest if the full tag was present I would mark it higher in price so you are getting a steal. It is the real thing and it is amazing and I think the best jumpsuit I have ever seen!

Very very rare 1970s metallic lurex, super fine weight knit Missoni 4 piece set! It really is one of my absolute favorites in a while and even at this price I feel that the girl who gets it is a getting a steal! The photos do not come close to capturing the beauty of the fabric or the way it moves and how fine and light it is. It is remarkable to find all four pieces together as well! The skirt slips on with an elastic waist and has a subtle almost pleat running through it. It is lined in a fine, light nude jersey. The top is cut to be worn loose and draped with soft shoulders, cuffed cap sleeves and a ruffled at the neckline and a ruffled effect hem. The set comes with two sashes - one a long fabric piece - I have wrapped it around the neck for these shots but you can style it a million ways - as a turban, a alternate belt a neck tie..... It also has a more traditional belt that closes with a bakelite looking clasp in green and silver. It has a strong couture forties vibe but is all Missoni! Excellent condition and a treasure!

The exterior of the dress is fashioned out of black ribbon and crocheted rosettes. Every one of those rosettes has been hand applied into place and the ribbons woven and crossed through to form that beautiful exterior. The base is a block heavy grade silk and the inner construction is as close to couture as you can get. This would be a early piece from her and the rarer example of her crochet work. The pure hours it would have taken to construct this dress and make this fabric by hand are astounding.

I have had this in my possession for quite some time and I acquired and was told that it had been custom made by Sybil for its original owner and had never had a label put in as a result - common practice then. You can see this exact construction technique used in a sleeveless verion of this Connolly dress sold at Christies in 2009:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5280927

The lot notes there state:

Typical of Sybil Connolly's innovative use of Irish traditional handcrafts in her couture, the hand-crocheted rosettes are both charmingly old fashioned and very elegant.

I can not help but agree with that staement - it is really astounding to see the craftsmanship put into this piece! I would consider the dress I have listed here to be in mint condition - it appears to have been unworn. Truly a piece of history and a work of art. A superb example of her work.

Bust: 17" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from shoulder to waist seam
Skirt: 26" from waist to bottom hem

The dress is fully lined in black silky rayon with silk banding applied to all the inner edges by hand for comfort and closes at the back with a painted metal zipper. It also has a inner grosgrain ribbon hand set at the waist with hooks to close. All the applique work is done by hand - you can see the stitching on the reverse side. The rosettes are also hand crocheted. and the ribbon hand woven over the fabric and around the rosettes. Many couture level finishes.

Note that it does do up at the back but is too small to be able to do this on my mannequin. It closes at the back to the top of the neck and there are no issues with closing it! It is also pure black - the slightly purplish tones are caused by lighting only - the dress is black and perfect.

Modern Sizing equivalent: XS-SML (2-6)

Item# DD687

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 an over the top, unbelievable silk taffeta and velvet gown from Chanel. If I am reading the hand written tag correctly it is from the Autumn Winter collection 1986. The dress is both simple and elaborate. Simple in that it is basic black and used two fabrics - one a textured silk taffeta and the other that inky black cotton velvet. Simplicity stops there - the skirt is to the floor and voluminous with bands of velvet applied over the ever widening skirt till it hits the floor. The bodice is all velvet and intricately constructed with a full built in corset underneath so the dress is held magically in place. The sleeves are astounding - huge pouffed crazy pieces that I can see a girl pulling off in a Anna Dello Russo fashion moment. What I love about this is that you can separate those sleeves and wear with jeans or skin tight Balmain like leather leggings and a white shirt...the styling possibilities are endless. The equivalent to buy a Chanel gown now would run you well over $10,000 and upwards into the 6 figures. It is incredibly collectible and absolutely wonderful! Mint condition. Item# DD688

Item# DD690

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 infamous designer who created that dress that Marilyn Monroe was said to have been sewn into when she sang Happy Birthday to JFK. He worked in the movies before starting his own label and its easy to see the sexy starlet influence in this dress. It's a definite statement maker and everything about it screams red carpet and sex. Liquid, draped golden toffee colored silk knit jersey drapes to perfection in this wrapped gown. It is cut on the bias so wraps and drapes to follow your every curve. The skirt is long and lean and the top blouses over. The wrapped styling allows the entire front ot look like you could step out of the dress at any moment but it is designed to stay in place. A mile long sash in the same fabric and with 13" pf silk fringe can be wrapped and ties a million ways - the styling possibilities are endless. It's all old Hollywood meets Studio 54, refined elegance, sexiness and class. Mint condition.