Hanae was the first woman of Japanese descent to have presented on the Paris and New York runways and the first Asian woman to be admitted as an official Haute Couture house to La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Her work is exceptional. Hanae Mori excelled at these beautiful prints that combined nature had elements of her homeland. Her caftans are the most sought after pieces and so very hard to find. When I find pieces like this one that is such a stunningly beautify example of her caftans I am very happy. I feel that pieces like this are among the very best representations of her work. This one is extra special as its near twin was used in the ad campaign that year and its actual twin is predominantly featured in the book on her work "Hannae Mori 1960-1989". It is not always easy to date her pieces and I love having such wonderful documentation. It also shows you how beautiful this piece is on the body.

This is everything you look for in a piece by Hanae Mori. It is spectacular. Her caftans especially are almost impossible to find anymore and this one has been in my archives forever. It has one of her custom designed prints screened onto masses of feather light silk chiffon that is layered over an inner silk twill sheath dress with the same print. Think the finest silk scarf you could have in terms of weight and feel. The entire dress has been printed with gorgeous tropical trees, mountains and birds that are seen flitting across its surface. The neckline is high and folded over itself and the shoulders are soft. The inner dress is attached around the neckline and top of the shoulders and then falls to the floor, skimming over the body where it widens out a touch as it reaches the hem. The top layer floats spectacularly over that. On one side is an attached sleeve and that sleeve balloons out beautifully over a more structured cuff. On the other side the silk extends out to cape over the arm and there are miles of fabric on that side. This top layer is spectacularly full and falls on a curve down to the hem of the dress. All of the edge on that side, around the hem, and up the side on the other side are finished with a wide ruffled hem. There are three layers of silk that make up that ruffled hem. It is incredible. As with the best of Hanae's dresses the effect of having the same print on the top layer and the inner layer gives the design added dimension and depth as they float over each other. The movement and drama that all this fabric creates is extraordinary. This is a dress that you slip on and feel completely comfortable when wearing it and yet it has as much drama and impact as you could ask for. I love having that spectacular book photo to really show you how wonderful the dress is. It is a stunning and very rare and well documented example of her work and beautifully made. I love it. Excellent condition with some minor notes below.

The inner dress is a silk twill that is lined in a silk and the outer silk chiffon layer floats over that.  The inner dress zips to close, and then the outer dress buttons to close over that with hook and eye at the neck. The cuff closes with two silk covered snaps. There are a couple of tiny marks on the outer layer here and there. I also see one tiny pinhole in the silk chiffon on the back of the arm and a small repair at the base of the exterior opening. All are minor. Please see the photos after the label shot. The edges of the ruffles are hand rolled and have wire in them for shape. Extensive hand finishing throughout the entire caftan. The colour is slightly more pastel feeling in person. The inner dress could easily be adjusted up or down so should work on a range of sizes

Sleeve: 26" and it is 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: approx 15" but no true defined seam
Inner bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 21.5" flat across the inner seam but adjustable with the sash
Total length: 61" from top of the shoulder to the longest point of the hem

Reference Photo: (1) From the book " Hanae Mori 1960-1989".  /  (2) Hanae Mori ad from Vogue UK, November 1972.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD4757

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 was designed by Belgian-born Jules-Francois Crahay, who headed the Lanvin ateliers from 1964-1984. He has been noted as one of fashion’s 'great colorists with his colorful patterns making his 1970s Lanvin designs hugel​y ​desirable and influential.' His time at the Lanvin label is one of my personal favourites for the house. I especially love the his work during the period through the late sixties and into the early 1970s. He was a genius at print and colour and he pushed the envelope in terms of using cutting edge fabrics available during this time period. He mainly used this type of fabric for his 1971-1972 collections and in the book on his work 'Jules Francois Crahay" by Lannoo there is a detail photo of a couture fabric noted as been most likely from the fall 1971 Couture collection and you can see it has the same weave as this one. I love it.

This Lanvin dress is gorgeous. I am in absolute love with it. The dress has a gorgeous bright colour and print combination. The cotton pique it is made of is light in weight and holds colour exceptionally well so the colours are still crisp, bright and true. It has a beautiful texture running through it that adds visual interest and structure to the fabric so that it holds the intended shape. The front halter is created by two triangles that extend and curve up and behind the neck. They meet at the top of a wide band that defines the waist starting just under the bust. This leaves the back completely bare and open for a bit of a sexy feel to the dress. The band that gives the dress the shape is a full 5 1/2 inches wide. From there the skirt falls to the floor and it widens as it nears the hem. I love how the pattern is laid out onto the dress to emphasize the different parts of it. The halter has the smaller floral pattern and then the waist has stripes that are set just under the bust. You see the smaller floral anchored with stripes around the hips and then a giant floral pattern wraps around your legs. A double stripe anchors the whole dress at the hem and ties everything together. The colour is a coral red with those pops of yellow, green and soft orange. The pattern is spectacular and it is an instantly recognizable piece of his work. The perfect finish is the top set pockets that sit on each hip. I love it. Excellent condition

Fully lined through the band of the waist and the skirt in an orange silk and the halter top is unlined. It closes with a low set back zipper. 

Bust: each halter covers approx 7" flat across from side to side
Seam at the top of the band: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist seam at the bottom of the band: 13.75" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 10" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 13" from neck to top of the band at the waist
Total length: 59" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4756

Reference Photo: From the book "Jules Francois Crahay" by Lannoo.

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.

Hanae was the first woman of Japanese descent to have presented on the Paris and New York runways and the first Asian woman to be admitted as an official Haute Couture house to La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Her work is exceptional. Hanae Mori excelled at these beautiful prints that combined nature had elements of her homeland. Her caftans are the most sought after pieces and so very hard to find. When I find pieces like this one that is such a stunningly beautify example of her caftans I am very happy. I feel that pieces like this are among the very best representations of her work. This one is extra special as its near twin was used in the ad campaign that year and its actual twin is predominantly featured in the book on her work "Hannae Mori 1960-1989". It is not always easy to date her pieces and I love having such wonderful documentation. It also shows you how beautiful this piece is on the body.

This is everything you look for in a piece by Hanae Mori. It is spectacular. Her caftans especially are almost impossible to find anymore and this one has been in my archives forever. It has one of her custom designed prints screened onto masses of feather light silk chiffon that is layered over an inner silk twill sheath dress with the same print. Think the finest silk scarf you could have in terms of weight and feel. The entire dress has been printed with gorgeous tropical trees, mountains and birds that are seen flitting across its surface. The neckline is high and folded over itself and the shoulders are soft. The inner dress is attached around the neckline and top of the shoulders and then falls to the floor, skimming over the body where it widens out a touch as it reaches the hem. The top layer floats spectacularly over that. On one side is an attached sleeve and that sleeve balloons out beautifully over a more structured cuff. On the other side the silk extends out to cape over the arm and there are miles of fabric on that side. This top layer is spectacularly full and falls on a curve down to the hem of the dress. All of the edge on that side, around the hem, and up the side on the other side are finished with a wide ruffled hem. There are three layers of silk that make up that ruffled hem. It is incredible. As with the best of Hanae's dresses the effect of having the same print on the top layer and the inner layer gives the design added dimension and depth as they float over each other. The movement and drama that all this fabric creates is extraordinary. This is a dress that you slip on and feel completely comfortable when wearing it and yet it has as much drama and impact as you could ask for. I love having that spectacular book photo to really show you how wonderful the dress is. It is a stunning and very rare and well documented example of her work and beautifully made. I love it. Excellent condition with some minor notes below.

The inner dress is a silk twill that is lined in a silk and the outer silk chiffon layer floats over that.  The inner dress zips to close, and then the outer dress buttons to close over that with hook and eye at the neck. The cuff closes with two silk covered snaps. There are a couple of tiny marks on the outer layer here and there. I also see one tiny pinhole in the silk chiffon on the back of the arm and a small repair at the base of the exterior opening. All are minor. Please see the photos after the label shot. The edges of the ruffles are hand rolled and have wire in them for shape. Extensive hand finishing throughout the entire caftan. The colour is slightly more pastel feeling in person. The inner dress could easily be adjusted up or down so should work on a range of sizes

Sleeve: 26" and it is 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: approx 15" but no true defined seam
Inner bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 21.5" flat across the inner seam but adjustable with the sash
Total length: 61" from top of the shoulder to the longest point of the hem

Reference Photo: (1) From the book " Hanae Mori 1960-1989".  /  (2) Hanae Mori ad from Vogue UK, November 1972.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD4757

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.

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. Galanos pieces were all produced in very limited quantities in his workshops and his work was as close to couture construction that you could find outside of Paris. 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. 

This is one of my favourite pieces I have seen by Galanos and it is incredibly beautiful in person. The dress is made from a feather light silk and that choice of fabric is what gives it that bit of volume that you see through the skirt. I did not add any underskirts, the shape that you see is all created by the way the skirt is set in and around the waist and the lightness of the silk. Two piped blue silk straps curve up and over the shoulders. The neckline dips in a slight sweetheart at the front with the silk gathered and softly pleated all the way around the top of the bodice for detailing. The silk on the bodice is that same brilliant blue as the straps and it is softly gathered down the sides to the waist. The silk extends out past the waist seam into a edged ruffle that meets a ruffle underneath created by the extension of the silk of the skirt. I love the detailing there that this creates and that underneath the ruffle the waist seam is anchored with a gold braided cording. The skirt has been softly gathered all around the waist and then it open outwards to have the volume and fullness that you see. Four panels of silk have been pieced vertically together to construct the skirt. At the front you see  a deep green panel on one side and a slightly metallic feeling copper brown on the other. At the back both of the panels are the same beautiful blue as the bodice. All of the edges where the panels meet are finished with a hand applied metallic gold cord. Between the green and brown panel at the front the skirt is slit open between the cording so when you walk or move you get a flash of bare leg. The silk is so light  that when you love the skirt billows out around you. Incredible. Excellent condition  

Unlined and closes with a back zipper. Ribbon edge interior seams. Hand finished throighout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 16" from top of shoulder to waist seam
Total length: 59" from waist to hem
Slit: 26" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3736

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.

In 1952, Givenchy founded his namesake house on Rue Alfred de Vigny in Paris and quickly rose to fame as one of the grand couturiers. 16 years later for the 1968-69 season, he added The dress is incredibly well-made with an inner lining of silk, organza and ribbon edge finishing. I absolutely love this dress in pink is spectacular. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.a ready-to-wear line of clothing and accessories called 'Givenchy Nouvelle Boutique'. The line was initially sold in the United States exclusively through Bergdorf Goodman stores and was eventually available at other retailers as well. The line was high end and extremely well made. He launched this line to expand his customer base and it made to appeal specifically to his non-couture clients. This label continued until 1992. This dress has the Givenchy Boutique label with the Nouvelle added and as far as I am aware this label was usually reserved for special orders made through the atelier. It could not be more gorgeous.

This dress is just extraordinary. Like the Galanos dress that am listing today it is made from long vertical silk panels that are pieced together to create the beautiful array of colours that you see. The dress combines a deep purple with an emerald green and a brilliant blue. The colour combination of those highly saturated colours is beautiful to see in person. The dress sweeps up and over one shoulder with a wide strap. All three colours make an appearance on both the back and the front of the dress end it is the same panel from the top of the shoulder all the way to the hem. The level of pre-planning and construction that would have been employed to be able to pull this off should not be overlooked. The final result may appear simple but this is a feat in patterning. On the side that has the purple silk and the bare shoulder the silk has been gathered in along the side seam so that you have a bit of softness there. The rest of the silk gathers into the waist and this creates that touch of volume through the bodice. I love the bareness of the single shoulder. I have cinched in the waist with a matching velvet blue ribbon that will be included. You could easily add any of the colours that you see in the dress or wear it without a belt. Under that the skirt sweeps out to the floor and all of the fullness that you see is created by the way that the silk is gathered in through the waist and by the lightness of the silk taffeta. I used no underskirting in any of these photos. The silhouette is all created by the masterful tailoring of the piece. The lightness of the silk also allows the skirt to billow out around you when you move. The dress is incredibly well-made with an inner lining of silk organza and ribbon edge finishing. I absolutely love this dress and think that it is spectacular. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Fully interlined in silk organza through the skirt and a blue silk through the bodice. It closes with a handset side zipper. The belt is not original to the dress, but will be included. Ribbon edge finishes and handstitching. It appears the hem was brought up at some point so there is extra fabric turned under the hem.

Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 15.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 60" from top of shoulder to hem with 3" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4750

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

This is a very pretty and easy to wear Fall 1977 runway dress from Christian Dior from the Marc Bohan years. It is a wonderful example of the work being done during this time period. It is also a dress that we were very happy to be able to date and document. The runway photos give you a great idea of how it looks on the body and I love that you have the option of wearing the neckline on or off the shoulder. I have also included a press advanced photo of a shorter version of the dress in the same colour just so you can see that this is the colour that was used for the show. Bohan often showed two or three versions of pieces in the same fabrics and the dress I have for you today is the twin of the longer runway piece. It is fantastic.

This gorgeous dress has a bit of a bohemian vibe to it and that combined with the deep mustard colour and feather light silk chiffon make it a heavenly piece. If I was perfectly honest, I don't even think that it photoed that well because when I see it in person I feel like it is a million times better. It is really a dress that needs a body in it to fully come to life and be worn properly. The silk chiffon is covered in a pretty delicate print that covered the entire dress. I love the care that has been put into making sure that the print follows the different elements of the dress perfectly. This would have taken extra fabric and extra care so that it all lays as perfectly as it does. The silk chiffon is light in weight and floats beautifully over the body. The neckline is ruffled and has an elastic that runs through it. This allows you to wear it up on top of the shoulders or you can pull it down so that it is sitting off the shoulders. The front ties with a black velvet ribbon above a keyhole. The body of the top is loose and full and skims down to an easy cut waist. On the runway you can see that it was shown with a black velvet belt and I have added a velvet ribbon in one shot here that I will include. Each sleeve is full and billows out above a ruffled cuff that is detailed with another little velvet bow. The skirt falls to the floor and widens out as it nears the hem. It is made out of five tiers of ruffled silk chiffon and these add incredible movement when you move. I love the versatility of the shoulder and how the feel of the dress changes depending on whether you wear it belted or not. It is also so well made that I think you could choose to turn it around and have the keyhole and bow at the back if you wished. The sheer lightness of it is amazing and makes it very easy and comfortable to wear. It is fabulous. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

Unlined and slips over the head to wear. The neckline, waist and cuffs have elastic and the neckline ties to close. 

Sleeves: approx 27"
Shoulders: no true defined seams
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Dropped bodice: approx 20" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: " from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4746

Reference Photos: (1) Fall 1977 Christian Dior Ready To Wear Advance.  /  (2-5) Fall 1977 Christian Dior 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.