• This appears to be the actual Haute Couture sample coat that walked the runway for the Fall 1985 Jean Patou collection for Look 12
• Made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix 
  
• This is an extremely rare and important piece of fashion history. Very few pieces of his work at Patou come up for sale and this is more then likely the only piece to exist.
• Made in the Paris atelier
• Made of a soft orange wool shaped in an enveloping cocoon shape highly reminiscent of a 1920s flapper coat.
• It is all cut on the bias so once it is on the body it wraps around you beautifully. It is extraordinary. 
  
• The sleeves are quite extremely wide and they have a long wide cuff that flips up and over the sleeve. The cuff is completely covered in hand dyed feathers.
• More of the same hand dyed feathers are used to create a huge shawl collar that drapes down and over the shoulders. It continues to run all the way to the hem and circles around to the back hem.
• The coat narrows in as it reaches its bottom. This is a classic cut for this style of cocoon coat
• It feels wonderfully decadent and opulent, both key design elements in Lacroix's work. It is literally like wearing a work of art.
• Partially lined in a silk through the upper body of the coat and through the sleeves. The rest is unlined.
• Has its hand written Haute Couture sample label in place and attached metal couture tag
• Excellent condition

It is very full and open and has no closures so should fit almost any size. It is approximately 52 inches from neck to hem but that will come up a bit once it is on the body.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD5048

Reference Photo: Fall 1985 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

The twin of this dress in a different colour walked the Fall 1990 runway and we have included the reference photos of that so that you can see just how fabulous this one is on the body. This dress is extra special as it  includes the incredible brooches on both the front and back of the dress just like the runway piece. It is unlabeled but came to me directly from the original couture client from whom many of the other Haute Couture pieces I have had in the shop. She was fitted by Christian himself for the dress which makes it that much more special. It is a stunning example of his Couture work during this time period. 

The dress is made out of an iridescent silk taffeta. I love how the colour changes depending on how the light hits it. It can go from a deep bronze to a more iridescent blue / purple tone. The  sleeves are long and there is a row of five silk covered buttons at each wrist. It is gathered at one side at the front with the first of two incredible jewelled brooches the dress came with. The brooch is hand made from a gold toned metal with large golden topaz glass crystals mixed with brilliant blue crystals. The neckline angles down and across your shoulder to leave one shoulder bare and exposed. At the back, the neckline dips dramatically down into a deep open V that leaves your skin bare and exposed. The second huge jewelled brooch sits at the base of that. A panel of silk flares out to one side to create a half bow, half bustle feel. The interior of that panel has extra structure so that it stays perfectly in place. The skirt falls below that and depending in your height will sit at about the knee or just above. It is fabulous. Excellent condition with a minor note below.

Fully lined in a black silk organza and closes with an elaborate mix of a zipper, snaps and hooks at the back with one panel looping through the other over the inner closures. There is a fused strip of rubber ribbon along the inner neckline to help hold it in place and this has degraded a touch here and there. One stone is missing at the bottom of the front brooch. The brooches are tacked into place at present but are removable. You can see little marks on the fabric under them where the pin has been pushed through in different places. There are a couple teeny pinhead snags on the fabric where the brooches have caught on the silk near the brooches. These are all very minor and mentioned for accuracy. Sourced from the original couture client and Christian Lacroix told me through instagram that he remembers fitting her. 

Sleeves: 19.5"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 36" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3602

Reference Photos: Fall/Winter 1990 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Runway.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This suit is from Christian Lacroix's Luxe label that was only produced the very first couple of seasons after launching his label. It was very high-end expensive ready-to-wear that was made to demi-couture standards and was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. It was also the predecessor to his regular ready-to-wear collections. It is said that this label only lasted a couple of seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces. Very few pieces were made of this line so they are almost as rare as finding one of his Couture pieces.

This suit is everything you want to see in a Lacroix. The colour is that bright vibrant Lacroix pink that is now associated with his name. The colour is even better in person than how it photoed too. Both pieces are made of an almost grosgrain ribbon feeling silk that has black velvet dots fused onto the top of the fabric. The fabric choice allowed him to cut the suit to really hold the shape that he intended. The jacket has a gorgeous notched collar and big faceted black jet buttons down the front. It closes with hidden set snaps behind those buttons. I love that you can close it all the way up to the neck which means you don't have to wear anything underneath it or you can leave it partially or all the way open. The shoulders have some padding and the sleeves are set into the shoulder with a slight capped feel. Each sleeve ends with an upturned cuff. The jacket is meant to fit the body with a structured and seamed waist and then the hips have a peplum that adds to the hourglass feel that the suit has. I love the extra flap that gives the peplum a double hem. That skirt is high waisted so that your waist is very defined and then it is a poufed, almost bubble skirt under that. It goes out and around the hips and then comes in at the hem. This was a Lacroix signature shape and it is gorgeous. Everything about the suit is meant to invoke curves and I love the play on curves with the curve of the dots on the pink silk. It is gorgeous. Excellent condition with a minor note below.

All pieces are lined in a black silk. The jacket snapped to close and the skirt closes with a hidden set side zipper. There is minor wear to some of the velvet on the dots here and there. Both pieces are tagged a vintage Lacroix 38.

Jacket
Sleeves: 23.5" and are 13.5" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips at the bottom seam: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from neck to waist
Total length: 22" from waist to hem

Skirt
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 22" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4821

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This dress is very special and an extremely well documented piece from Spring 1988. It has the special added provenance of being the twin of one of the four dresses portrayed in that instantly recognizable photo taken in his atelier that year. That photo is perhaps one of the most famous photos in the Lacroix history. The dress is from his Luxe label that was only produced the very first couple of seasons. It was very high end expensive ready-to-wear that was made to near couture standards and was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. It was the predecessor to his later regular ready-to-wear collections. It is said that this label only lasted a couple of seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces. We found numerous reference photos of the dress as it appeared on the runway so you have an amazing idea of how this dress looks on the body.

The dress is gorgeous. It is made out of a textured silk organza that has a slight texture running through it. Onto that is a glorious floral pattern in pinks and yellow with pops of green. It feels so vibrant and beautiful with that gorgeous print. The sleeves are long and they are cut on a slight curve in the traditional couture manner. The shoulders are lightly shaped and the front falls into a shallow V. The dress has a little bit of gathering just at the bust area down the centre seam and then it falls smoothly  to the hem under that. It is cut to skim over you through the body with just a suggestion of shape through the waist. At the back the bottom 9 inches of the skirt has an inset bustle. The fabric there is gathered into a curving seam and there are three black organza half bows stacked one on top of the other to create a bustle feel. This is one of his most famous dresses and its amazing. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

The body of the dress is fully lined in a black silk and the sleeves are lined in a white silk. The dress zips to close at the back and each cuff has a zipper to close it. Light padding in the shoulders. Tagged a vintage Lacroix 44

Sleeves: 22.5" and 13" around the upper arm
Slightly dropped shoulders: 17"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 35" from top of shoulder to hem with 2" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD4401

Reference Photos: (1-5) Spring 1988 Christian Lacroix Collection.  /  (6-7) Models in Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Atelier, Paris, 1988. Photos by Arthur Elgort.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This appears to be the actual Haute Couture sample coat that walked the runway for the Fall 1985 Jean Patou collection for Look 12
• Made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix 
  
• This is an extremely rare and important piece of fashion history. Very few pieces of his work at Patou come up for sale and this is more then likely the only piece to exist.
• Made in the Paris atelier
• Made of a soft orange wool shaped in an enveloping cocoon shape highly reminiscent of a 1920s flapper coat.
• It is all cut on the bias so once it is on the body it wraps around you beautifully. It is extraordinary. 
  
• The sleeves are quite extremely wide and they have a long wide cuff that flips up and over the sleeve. The cuff is completely covered in hand dyed feathers.
• More of the same hand dyed feathers are used to create a huge shawl collar that drapes down and over the shoulders. It continues to run all the way to the hem and circles around to the back hem.
• The coat narrows in as it reaches its bottom. This is a classic cut for this style of cocoon coat
• It feels wonderfully decadent and opulent, both key design elements in Lacroix's work. It is literally like wearing a work of art.
• Partially lined in a silk through the upper body of the coat and through the sleeves. The rest is unlined.
• Has its hand written Haute Couture sample label in place and attached metal couture tag
• Excellent condition

It is very full and open and has no closures so should fit almost any size. It is approximately 52 inches from neck to hem but that will come up a bit once it is on the body.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD5048

Reference Photo: Fall 1985 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• Made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta
• This can be worn as a coat or a dress
• It is made out of a stunning iridescent blue silk taffeta. The fabric choice keeps it light in weight but also holds the lines and shape.
• Big balloon sleeves with cuffs detailed with pleat work
• The body of the piece is cut loose and easy.
• It closes down the front with incredible oversized frog knots that are completely beaded. Another knot sits on the back.
• There are pockets on each side and the bottom portion of the piece is incredibly full and open.
• Fully lined in the same blue silk taffeta as the exterior
• It has a wide inner elastic waist corset that wraps around the inner waist and hooks into place
• It closes down the front with the frog knots and a series of hidden hooks and hidden silk covered snaps. 
  
• Shallow pockets along each hip and light padding in each shoulder
• Excellent condition with some teeny marks and teeny breaks along the very edge of the hem and the front. These make no impact but are mentioned for accuracy.

Sleeves: 28" and the upper arm is full and open
Shoulders: 15.5
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 60" from neck to front hem, 62" to the back

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD5041

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• Early 1980s dress under the creative direction of Hanae Mori
• Made of a pink striped silk chiffon that has a gold thread shot through the striped pattern. The gold picks the light up to give the dress a subtle shimmer.
• V neck and buttons down the front
• Original tie belt in a matching fabric to cinch in the waist
• The skirt is full and widen out as it needs the hem
• The front of the bodice and the skirt are lined in a nude silk chiffon, and the back and sleeves are unlined.
• It closes with the fabric covered buttons down the front and snapped at the waist. Each sleeve snapped to close. Like padding in each shoulder.
• It appears to have worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Sleeves: 22.5" and or 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 56" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5026

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

Pauline Trigere launched her label in 1942. She was from Paris and moved to the US in 1937. That early French influence showed throughout her career. In 1949 she was awarded her first Coty award. She won it again in both 1951 and 1959. The 1959 win coincided with being inducted into the Coty Fashion Hall of Fame. She was a pioneer in the use of cottons and wool for evening and her work with silks is wonderful. In 1961 she made headlines for being the first major fashion house to use an African American model. This is a great and very wearable piece. 

The jumpsuit is  made out of a soft black wool jersey. The cut is very simple and easy and it is cut very generously through the waist. You could also belt it if you want to add shape and then it takes on a completely different look. I added a ribbon for a couple of the shots here so you could get an idea of that. It has a neat little collar at the front that is tacked down so that it sits perfectly at all times. It closes with a deep front zipper so you can actually open this as low as you dare. The sleeves are long and narrow down slightly as they reach the cuffs. There is light padding in the shoulders to help hold the shape. A decorative detail on each hip suggests pockets but without adding the bulk a pocket would add. The legs are cut straight and wide all the way down to their ends. I love the simplicity of it. Excellent condition with a minor note below

Fully lined in a black silk except for the sleeves. It zippers to close at the front. Light padding in each shoulder. Hand finishes throughout. I see a tiny area where the wool has a bit of thinning at the front. Please see the photo after the label shot. The ribbon at the waist in some shots is not original to the jumpsuit but will be included.

Sleeves: 24.5" and are 12" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 59" from neck to hem with 3" turned under the hem
Inseam: 30.5"
Gusset: 32" from the back of the neck to the inner seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5007

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

The twin of this dress walked the Fall 1987 runway and I love that we found a reference photo so you can see just how fantastic this is once on. It is one of those dresses that looks amazing on the dress form but is even better on an actual person. Bill Blass launched his label in 1970 when he bought out the Maurice Rentner label and re-launched it under his own name. Blass was arguably one of the most famous of the American designers. His forte was the ability to mix simple styles with unexpected materials in way that was very flattering to the wearer. This dress is so unusual and I absolutely love it. It is truly one of the most spectacular of his dresses that I have had in the shop.

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

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

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

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4995

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

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.