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Spring 1979 Givenchy Haute Couture Runway Black Silk Chiffon Strapless Dress w Gold Sequin Bow Dress
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The book 'Givenchy Catwalk' says of this collection that "the new collection was heavily influenced by the fashions of the 1940s and was the height of sophistication." Several pieces walked the runway that season that had these Trompe L'oeil ribbons adorning their silk surfaces. The book notes that "the exclusive bow and ribbon prints on some day wear outfits reference the motif that had made Elsa Schiaparelli's name in 1927, but it was after dark that these features truly came into their own. In the evening were large ribbons tied into bows or loosely draped, decorating the bust like a tie or nipped in the skirts of extravagant colourful designs." This dress, or a very near version of it, was shown on the runway under a white jacket nipped in at the waist. We have also included a photo from the book that shows some of the other designs from that season that featured these sequin bows as well. It is a beautiful piece.
The dress is made from two layers of black silk organza topping an inner black silk lining. The bodice has been kept very simple in design so the embellishment on the skirt takes centre stage. It has boning through the bodice and the front is shaped by darting for it to fit around the bust. A little panel of the organza folds over the top edge of the neckline. On one side of the bodice the silk extends out into a panel that sits over the zipper and hooks into place on the opposite side at the back. This cleverly hides the zipper and keeps the bodice looking like it was sewn into place over you. The waist is nipped in and the skirt is softly gathered into that seam. There is some slight wear at the centre and side around the waist seam and I think that the owner of this dress probably wore this with a belt. You could easily add one of your own and it would completely cover the tiny flaws it has. The skirt falls to the floor under that and gently widens out a touch as it nears the floor. It has a bit of a light, floating feeling to it because of how he layered the organza over the interior silk. On the skirt is where we see that amazing gold sequin bow. It is made out of hand placed long gold metal strand beads, mixed with muted gold and silver sequins, with little beads in between all of that. It 'wraps' around you just above the knee and the 'bow' finishes with a flourish at the front. A slit starts just under the bottom of the 'ribbon' on one side so that when you walk you get a flash of bare leg. It is completely made by hand to Couture standards and is absolutely a beautiful thing to see in person. Excellent overall condition with a minor note below
Fully lined in a black silk. Light boning through the bodice and a wide inner waist stay hooks to close. The bodice closes with a side zipper that extends loosely down inside past the inner waist. A silk panel hooks into place over that at the back and the skirt has its own zipper at the side. Here and there at the edges of the organza there is a slight faded feel to it. There is a little bit of wear at the front waist above the seam and near the zipper at the waist seam. Please see the two photos after the label shot
Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist stay: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to true inner waist
Total length: 54" from top of bodice to hem with 2.5" turned under, 25" slit from the hem up
Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML
Item# DD4870
Reference Photos: (1) Spring 1979 Givenchy Haute Couture. / (2) Spring 1979 Givenchy Haute Couture Looks from the book "Givenchy Catwalk: The Complete Collections" by Anders Christian Madsen.
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.
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The twin of this Geoffrey Beene dress was showcased in the Met Museum's exhibit 'In America: A Lexicon of Fashiont' and that dress resides in their permanent collection. This was already one of his most iconic dresses and it is now even more so after the exhibit and being included in the accompanying book. The dress is heavily documented and was photoed extensively the year that it debuted. It is an extraordinary dress
The cut of the dress is so perfectly simple. It is made out of a black very light wool jersey that has an almost soft t-shirt feel to it. The dress is unlines and the jersey has perhaps the slightest bit of transparency in certain lights, which only adds to its sensuality. The sleeves are long and sleek. Each one ends in a hidden set zipper and their edges are finished in a black silk ribbon. That same black silk ribbon edges the neckline. The dress is cut to skim over you at the front with slight shaping through the waist. It curves back out over the hips and then falls to the floor where it widens out. At the back, you see that bare expanse of skin which is what makes the dress so famous. It hooks at the back of the neck and then it curves out and around to a very low dipping back. Insets of a pale silk chiffon curve down and into the sides of the hip seams to give the illusion that you are even more bare than you actually are. Where are those inserts end, the seams extend down and curved to the front where they run down towards the centre hem. This clever bit of seaming helps to shape the dress around you and continues that curved feeling that the open back gives. It is quite genius. One of the most iconic dresses ever made. Excellent condition with a minor note below.
The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear. It hooks at the back of the neck. Ribbon finished inner seams and hidden set zippers at each cuff. Tagged a vintage Beoffrey Beene 8. I see two teeny tiny repairs near the centre back seam. The jersey has stretch through the body and the comfortable range of the measurements are below
Sleeves: 24” and 14-16" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15”
Bust: 17-20” flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-16” flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-22” flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 61”
Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED
Item# DD4871
Reference Photos: (1-5) Fall 1989 Geoffrey Beene (credits unknown) / (6) Model in Geoffrey Beene for Mirabella magazine, 1989, photographed by Michael O'Neill. / (7) Part of The MET Collection online. / (8) Image from the book "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" that accompanied the MET Exhibit of the same name.
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.
givenchy
Incredible Spring 1998 Givenchy by Alexander McQueen "Rhinestone Cowgirls" Runway Dress
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This is a very rare runway documented Givenchy Couture dress from the Spring 1998 ready-to-wear collection "Rhinestone Cowgirls". It is the twin of the one that walked the runway. This is from the small period of time that Alexander McQueen was the Creative Director for the house. At just 27 years old he succeeded John Galliano as head designer in 1996. In 2001 his contract ended and he departed, telling the press that his creativity was constrained. His appointment had been tumultuous from the start. Hubert de Givenchy had describe his appointment as a "total disaster” and McQueen had shot back that the founder was “irrelevant”. Of course now in hindsight we see his collections for the genius that they were. It also showed his ability to design Couture. He said in later interviews that he walked away from the label with a greater knowledge about the process and techniques of couture, which benefited his own label afterwards.
In the 'Givenchy Catwalk' book they note that the collection was heavily influenced by Westerns and said that "the hairstyles were inspired by the 1970s, especially Farrah Fawcett's iconic look with thick hair and flicked out ends. Dresses and suits made out of dip, lambskin, covered with flames and star motif created with insets of fabric appliqué." This is one of the most recognizable dresses from the collection and its photo also appears in that same book.
This dress is remarkable. It is strapless and the body of the dress is beautifully seamed. The upper edge of the bodice is finished with a dusty pink suede and the inner bodice is boned and shaped to hug the person wearing it. It is held in place by that inner corset and then it skims over the waist and down to the hips. I love how the skirt is set into the hip with a series of curved scalloped designs. This allowed him to do long vertical panels to make up the skirt. There are eight of them in total and each one spans out to be a full 25" across by the hem. That makes the bottom of the skirt incredibly full and if you lay it out flat, it is more than a full circle skirt. To emphasize the fullness of the skirt he had the model hold the skirt up and flick it around her as she moved. You can see in the photos here that when you are standing still you do have some idea of the fullness that the skirt has but this is really a piece that it is when you have it on and you see it moving that the amazing amount of fabric in the skirt gives it an entirely new dimension. The bottom of the skirt has been inset with the same dusty pink suede in the flame motif that ran so prominently throughout the show. I laid the dress out with the skirt extended so that you can get an idea of just how much fabric is in there. This is an amazing piece of both Givenchy and Alexander McQueen's history. Excellent condition with a note below.
The bodice and body to just past the hip is lined in a black silk. The skirt is backed in black. The dress closes with a hidden set side zipper and the inner bodice is boned throughout with a built-in corset to the waist. A waist stay hooks to close. The suede shows some very slight minor fading and light grubbiness here and there. There is a small area on the bodice where the black has slightly lightened to have a reddish tint and there are a couple areas on one part of the skirt that has done the same. Please see the photos after the label shot. Tagged a vintage Givenchy 40
Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 13.25" flat across from side seam to side seam. Note that the outer waist is up to 15" so you could adjust the corset if you needed more room.
Hips: to 25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 9.5" from top of bodice to inner waist of corset
Total length: 56" from top of suede edge of the bodice to hem
Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED
Item# DD4872
Reference Photos/Video: (1-5) Spring 1998 Givenchy Runway. / (6) From the book "Givenchy Catwalk: The Complete Collections" by Anders Christian Madsen.
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.
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