• This incredibally detailed dress dates to the 1960s.
• It was made under the creative direction of Adolfo Faustino Sardiña, who professionally known as Adolfo.
• Adolfo started his career under Balenciaga and, like Halston, he was a successful milliner before opening his own fashion house. He became know for his Chanel inspired suiting and beaded pieces.
• Adolfo often did custom work for his clients who ranged from the Duchess of Windsor to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Gloria Vanderbilt and Nancy Reagan. He even won a Coty Award in 1969.
• The base fabric is a fine black silk chiffon over a black silk and then it is lined in a silk and then onto that are thousands of beads and sequins.
• The extensive bead and sequin work is set onto the silk in a gorgeous design that runs over the dress from top to bottom. The designs are clustered and the work sits up and off the silk for a slight 3D effect. All of the work is done by hand.
• It drapes and sits on the body in a very balanced way despite the elaborate work on it.
• The cut of this dress is a very flattering one shoulder silhouette. The one side curves up and over the shoulder and then from there it curves gracefully across the back. The shoulder strap is an extension of all of the design, so there is no break to the eye.
• The edges of the neck, down and around the one arm opening, and all the way around the hem are all finished with tightly, spaced bead work that is incredible. 
• It skims over the bust and there is no seam at the waist. Instead, it is shaped to curve in slightly for shape and then it curves back out and over the hips.
• The dress falls to the floor from there and the skirt widens out a touch as it nears the floor. The hem is on a slight angle and as it curves up to the one side, there is a slit runs up one side for a flash of leg to show as you move or sit. 
• I love the contrast of the silver white beads against the black. They catch the light with your slightest movement and from every angle. It is just a spectacular dress.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk and closes with a side zipper. Hand finishes throughout. There is a tiny bare area between the beading on the shoulder and two small areas around the arm. Please see the photos after the label shot. Otherwise it looks as if it was worn very little if at all.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition.

Bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 60" from top of the shoulder to hem and the slit is 22" from the hem up.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5489

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 resides in the permanent collection of the Met Museum.
• It was made under the creative direction of George Halley.
• Halley was one of the great American Couturiers.
• George Halley started his career working for Charles James who said of the young designer that he 'was a genius at draping'. By the time Halley opened his own atelier in 1966 he was well on his way to fame. He won the Coty Award in 1968 and his work is on par with true couture. He is one of my personal favourite designers.
• Women's Wear Daily called him 'a designer in a lovely world of his own' and that is how I feel about his work.
• This is an absolutely outstanding dress that shows the extreme level of detail that was being done with Couture pieces in this era. This would have been made entirely by hand in his Salon.
• A pale pink silk net tops a pink silk and then this has an elaborate detailing added over its surface with 3D velvet flowers, prong set rhinestones, hand beading and faux pearls
• Over that is a application of hand done metallic embroidery that covers the top layer of netting.
• The front has a high empire cut with an attached velvet band around the waist. This ends in a pretty and romantic bow at the back.
• The workmanship on the stress is spectacular and I've included a lot of close-ups for you to see. No matter how amazing you think it looks in the photos. It is better in person.
• The dress has been completely made by hand to a Couture level.
• It closes with a back zipper and snaps over the bow. The dress is hand lined in a pale pink silk. I see a little bit of grubbiness on the velvet sash and bow. I feel like this could be removed and replaced with the original just cap to side so that you have all of the pieces, but it would be easy to add a sash of your choice and maybe even extend it down the back. There is some very slight change in colour along some of the edges of the inner pink silk lining, some minor grubbiness along the hem and some splitting of the silk on the inner hem along the very edge at the bottom. These are all minor but mentioned for accuracy
•  There was no size tag present, so please go buy the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 7.5" and the opening is 10" around
Slightly inset shoulders: 13"
Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 10" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 54" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5410

Reference Photo: 1967 George Halley dress from the Met collection.

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 phenomenal dress by Pierre Balmain from the late 1980s - early 1990s.
• At this point in history the Couture line was called simply Pierre Balmain and the main ready-to-wear line was called Ivoire de Balmain. Depending if it was late 1980s or early 90s, the creative Director would have been either Erik Mortensen (up 1989) or Alistair Blair (who joined in 1990 to over see the RTW line while Erik continued Couture).
• The dress is made from a beautiful silk that is extremely light in weight. When this is on it is almost like wearing nothing.
• Onto the silk is an over-sized check pattern that mixes pastel yellow with shades of soft blues. Some parts have an almost iridescent pale green finish to them and there are also muted deep golds and taupe.
• It is strapless and fitted at the waist. The lower skirt widens out considerably from there to the hem. There are yards and yards of silk making up the skirt. 
• The back is cut longer than the front so you get this beautiful sweeping feel behind you. The silk that was used is so very light in weight and it is all cut on the bias which allows it to float and moves around you with your slightest movement.
• I love the way there is extra fabric built-in at the back. The fabric wraps over itself for a few inches to hook into the inside the waist and also on the outer part of the waist. This adds extra fabric to the gorgeous sweep of volume of the back skirt.
• Inside the bodice is a lightly boned and cupped inner corset that holds the dress in place. It is made out of the same fabric. The rest of the skirt is unlined. The dress closes at the back with a hidden set zipper and an inner waist stay hooks to close. The silk at the very back of the skirt hooks over itself as described above.
• It is tagged a vintage Balmain 36
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open 
Bodice: 9.5" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 55.5" from top of bodice to front hem and the back extends another 14" beyond that.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5385

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 1951 a 27 year old James Galanos launched his first label called Galanos Originals. By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award.
• His custom pieces were made close to couture standards and with a level of craftsmanship that was on par with the French couturiers. He was truly one of the great American designers and his work is held in all of the major museums around the world.
• This is a dress that is extremely well made with a very high level of construction techniques.
• The style of label in the dress gives us a date range of 1963 to 1977.
• The body of the dress is made from a yellow bias cut silk crepe that has a slight texture. This is topped with a hand beaded bodice that is completely covered in a combination of yellow and brilliant blue glass tube beads.
• The dress is suspended from the shoulders and the straps are finished with handset rows of yellow beads that are set vertically. On the bust the beads are set horizontally to run all the way around you ending at the top of the waist. More beads are set just below the waist seam.
• The bodice is fitted and then at the back it has a cut out opening between the more bandeau back and the waist. This leaves a strip of bare skin exposed.
• The skirt skims over the hips and then flares out quite a bit as it reaches the floor to get that beautiful silhouette that you see here.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a handset yellow silk chiffon. There is elastic around the inner waist that just helps to hold it in place so it doesn't dip too much at the back. It closes with a side zipper on the bodice and then a second side zipper from the waist down. All of the bead work is done by hand and there are hand finishes throughout the dress.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 60" from top of shoulder to hem with 1.5" turned under the hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5384

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 piece dates to the late 1960s maybe early 1970s.
• It was made under the creative direction of Donald Brooks
• I love finding Donald Brooks pieces. They are very well made and his main line pieces like this one are especially fabulous. Brooks launched his main line label in 1964. He only designed for a very short time, closing his business in 1973. He had a secondary, boutique line that he started in 1971 that also closed in 1973. This dress is from the original main line which gives us that small time period from 1964-1973 for its date.
• This was almost certainly a custom piece and is most likely a one-of-a-kind.
• At first glance you appear to be wearing a dress but it does actually have a jumpsuit underneath all of those layers of lace ruffles.
• Everything falls from one shoulder which leaves the other shoulder bare. 
• The bust is cut to skim over you to the waist that is defined by a brown silk bow belt that wraps around and hooks into place hidden underneath the bow.
• Wrapping around the bodice is the first lace ruffle that is cut so it is slightly longer on the side of the shoulder.
• Under the waist there are three layers of lace that run down the length of the jumpsuit. A 17" panel wraps all the way around the hip area and then there are two more layers of lace on each leg. They are also very wide. When they are laid out flat they are more than a full circle around.
  
• The jumpsuit underneath has a simple cut that skims over you, comes in at the waist, and then curves out and over the hips. The pant legs are straight and wide with just the slightest of narrowing by the end of each leg.
  
• The full inner body of the jumpsuit underneath the lace panels are is covered in a black lace. 
• The lace added to the jumpsuit gives it amazing movement when you move.
• The jumpsuit is full lined in a black silk and closes with a side zipper. The panel of lace on the bodice and the top panel below the waist both snap over the zipper to close. The belt wraps and closes with both hook and snaps. Hand finished throughout.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition
  

Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 58" from top of shoulder to hem
Inseam: 27"
Torso: 32" from top of shoulder to inner seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5378

Reference Photo: Samantha Jones in Donald Brooks, Vogue, September 1, 1967.

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.