• This is a private custom order suit from the Fall 2016 Alta Moda "Naples" collection and was acquired directly from the Couture client. Alta Moda runway footage and Look Books are only available for those invited to the spectacular 3-day events held in different locations each season.
• It was made under the creative direction of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana
• This suit was a special order custom piece by my client and the original price was just over 45,000 euros. 
• This collection was inspired by Sophia Loren who was also the guest of honour at the show.
• Both pieces are made out of a hand woven tweed that has gold metallic thread woven through it in a thatched weave. The goal is more apparent when you see this in person. As you get closer, you realize that over top of the tweed there is a layer of a floral lace that floats over and creates a beautiful pattern on pattern effect.
• The lace pieces were all hand made individually to fit the part of the pattern that they were to be applied over top of. Inside the inner edges of the jacket there is a another panel of handmade lace that is done with a more dense weave so that it has a darker feel to it. It is all just extraordinary.
• The jacket has soft shoulders that have a slight peak at their tops. The sleeves are long and the lace covering them is their only detail. The body of the jacket is shaped around you with the waist nipped in for shape. A double row of handmade buttons runs down the front with hidden hand covered silk snaps set underneath to close the jacket. Each hip has a double flap to suggest pockets but these are decorative only and their purpose is to help shape the hip and add detail. The collar is soft with an extra band of the handmade lace applied around it to give it a touch of definition.
• The skirt has a wide grosgrain ribbon to cinch it in and it skims over the top of the hips. The lower skirt is added with and exposed top set seam attaching it to the upper part of the skirt. This lower piece is pleated so it opens up into a beautiful shape and a bit of a swing feel while still maintaining its structure.
• It is truly a work of art and showcases the very best of Dolce's craftsmanship.
• Both pieces are unlined and are entirely made by hand to Haute Couture standards. The jacket closes at the front as described above and the skirt has a back zipper. They have their appropriate Couture tags in place with a hand written tag behind. Both pieces appear to have been worn very little if at all.
• There is no size tag present since it is a couture piece so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Jacket
Sleeves: 25.5" and are 12" around the upper arm
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 24" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 24.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5850

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 Haute Couture YSL runway as Look 122 for Fall 1984.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• French Vogue declared "People will remember that late morning of Wednesday July 25th for a long time. It was in the maelstrom of the Autumn/Winter 1984-1985 Couture shows. The heat wave made everybody irritable. And when they saw the marathon program of the show, which out of the blue announced 182 designs, emotions ran sky high. How had Saint Laurent dared what mad bet was he trying to win? How would he get away with it without repeats or pastiches? Sixty minutes later the rebellious room was on its feet applauding as one this new triumph by Saint Laurent the magnificent. What had happened? Quite simply the indisputable proof that Saint Laurent is the greatest, and that he has more than perfected the art of creating miracles out of designs that people have believed would never be more than standards... Here the high art of Saint Laurent shone through an apparent asceticism. He has a unique way of paring down the superfluous, removing unnecessary details, so that even at first sight, there was no mistaking: this is Saint Laurent."
• The dress has been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• I have included a snap of the original sketch from my YSL HC folio. It tells us that it was Look 122 in the show. 
• I love that it is one of the few pieces in the folio that has a secondary sketch along with the main full front sketch. 
• The dress is made out of a rich black silk velvet and then the bow that wraps around the waist is a copper gold coloured rich and luxurious silk.
• At the front the dress is extended into high rounded peaks over the bust and dips in between those quite sharply.
• Inside there is hidden built in a structure to hold the dress in place and help to create shape.
• It nips in at the waist and there is a internal series of hook and eye at the side under the zipper to help secure it around you.
• From there it comes back out over the hips into a pencil skirt that narrows in just slightly around the hem. This couture touch of bringing it in at the hem just that little bit helps to add to the hourglass feel that the dress has.
• Attached around the waist is a wide gathered band of a copper gold silk. It is a full 6.5 inches at its widest point at the back.
• This unexpected and bold use the colour that wraps around you is the perfect contrast to the inky black velvet.
• Finishing the front of that band is a classic soft YSL bow in a shape that you see so often in his work. It is just absolutely spectacular. To me it feels like it sits slightly lower on this dress than the one on the runway. Couture was of course made to a client preferences and this would have been where they preferred it to sit. If you preferred it to sit higher up as it did on the runway, you could easily have that tweak done.
• Everything is made by hand and hand stitched into place. It is an absolute beautiful thing to see all of the exquisite details on this dress.
• The dress has a hidden inner cups and boning inside the bodice. A hidden set of inner waist hooks sit just inside of the side zipper that closes the dress. The bow hooks into place under its centre and one side has a hidden set snap to hold the bow perfectly where it should be. The appropriate Haute Couture tag is present and all of the work is done by hand.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 32" all the way around inside
Waist: 12.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17.75" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approximately 9" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 31.5" from waist to hem with just under 2"turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5849

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 set dates to the 1970s and most likely to the mid to late 1970s.
• It was made under the creative direction of Geoffrey Beene.
• Beene is one of the great American designers and it is always a pleasure to find outstanding examples of his work for the shop.
• I love that it is a set. Whenever you have two pieces you have that added versatility of being able to mix and match them with things you already own. This extends the life and wearability of the pieces.
• Both the top and skirt have been made out of a light in weight black silk that has been top stitched in long vertical rows to create a quilting feel to it. Mixed with that are black and silver metallic thread details.
• The top is made to feel slouchy and easy to wear. The neck line is scooped at the front and falls in a shallow V at the back.
• The shoulders are soft and the sleeves extend down to slightly narrow in at their cuffs.
• Both the neck line, the ends of the sleeves, and the hem are edged in a black ribbon that has angled silver thread bands.
• The top is fairly loose and easy through the body and you can see how it sits over the skirt in that perfect relaxed way. Running down the front of the top is a wide five inch band of silver and black chevron.
• The skirt has that exact same band of silver and black running down the front. These lineup perfectly once on and it creates this fantastic flash of silver down the front of the outfit.
• The skirt has a slim band around the waist for shape and then it curves out and over the hips. From there is widens out slightly as it nears the hem.
• It wraps to close over itself and hooks into place both inside and outside of the waistband. There is an exposed slant pocket on one hip and there is a second pocket hidden under the wrap on the other side.
• I love that he has little tags that say front on both pieces hidden on the inside. The perfect little vintage detail.
• Both pieces are self backed. The top slips over the head to wear with no closures. The skirt wraps and hooks to close. It is meant to be more on the easy slouchy side in terms of fit. 
• There was no size tag present. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Top
Slightly dropped sleeves: 22" and they are just under 16"around the upper arm
Shoulders: approximately 15.5"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom edge: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 22" from top of shoulder to waist

Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 33" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5848

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.