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 made by Ady Couture and the story behind this label is fascinating. Ady Couture was based out of Lausanne Switzerland. She would buy couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and with permission make copies of the piece presented in the Haute Couture collections. When she was younger, and lived in Amsterdam, Ady would attend the private viewing and purchase directly from the couture houses. My client believes that her arrangement with the ateliers was a way to work around customs that prompted Ady to negotiate this arrangement with the ateliers. In my hunt for more information I have been able to verify that they made this permissible copies of the work of Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Lacroix and Ungaro. There may have been others but this are the houses I am confident on. 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.

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.

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 made by Ady Couture and the story behind this label is fascinating. Ady Couture was based out of Lausanne Switzerland. She would buy couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and with permission make copies of the piece presented in the Haute Couture collections. When she was younger, and lived in Amsterdam, Ady would attend the private viewing and purchase directly from the couture houses. My client believes that her arrangement with the ateliers was a way to work around customs that prompted Ady to negotiate this arrangement with the ateliers. In my hunt for more information I have been able to verify that they made this permissible copies of the work of Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Lacroix and Ungaro. There may have been others but this are the houses I am confident on. 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.