• Due to new customs regulations this dress can only ship to a Canadian address. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this.
• This dress is from the Fall 1982 Givenchy collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy.
• I believe this is the actual runway sample that walked the runway. The only photo that we have been able to find to verify its presence on the runway is one from the back but it is still a photo that shows that it is a runway piece.
• It would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The dress is unlabelled and it is made by hand in the same level other of his runway samples that we have had in the shop.
  
• The bodice and sleeves are made from a black velvet with a flat pile finish. I love how it is cut to sit off shoulder and leave a bare expanse of skin across the top of your shoulders. Two little straps curve over the top of the shoulder to hold it perfectly in place and then the sleeves drop so your upper arm is bare.
• The neck line and the very top of each sleeve have a finish of black feathers that add an amazing feel to the dress.
• The sleeves have been tacked into place along the edge of the bodice and they have an elastic running around the top edge for an easy fit.
• The bodice comes in for shape around the waist and then curves back down to the top of the hip.
• The skirt is spectacular. It comes out from the bottom seam of the top and explodes outward around you with incredible volume
• The skirt is made out of a fine black and silver-grey striped silk that has a pretty red metallic dot woven through its surface. It is the perfect subtle touch of colour and contrast.
• The way the feathers fall around the sleeves and upper bodice is just incredible. They also create slight movements when you move. This is a superb example of his Couture abilities.
• The bodice of the dress is fully lined in a black silk and the skirt is lined with a black silk organza. It closes with a back zipper and each sleeve zippers to close at the wrist. It is finished a level appropriate to a runway sample and all of the work is by hand. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• There is no size tag present given that it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 17" from their open top to the end and the elastic stretches from 8-10" around
Bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam at the top of the hips: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 14" from top of bodice to seam at the top of the hips
Total length: 59" from the top of the shoulder to the front hem and the back extends another 4 " past that. There is an additional. 5" of silk turned under the hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5484

Reference Photo: Fall 1982 Givenchy Couture.

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.

• A version with similar floral finishes walk the runway for the spring 1982 Givenchy collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy
• In 1952, Hubert de 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 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 Goodmans and was eventually made available at other retailers. The line was high end and extremely well made. This part of his brand was created specifically to appeal to his non-couture clients who wanted to be able to purchase a piece of the Givenchy dream. This label continued until 1992 when it was retired and re-branded as the Givenchy Couture label.
• This dress is from those early days of the label and it is one of the prettiest Givenchy dresses I have seen.
• The dress combines a brilliant pink silk skirt with a more fitted strapless bodice.
• The bodice on this one is so pretty. The base of it is a slightly off-white silk that has a white netting covering it. Onto that is an explosion of the prettiest little silk flowers in a range of pretty pastels mixed with pops of pink and purple.
• These are all placed over the bodice and so they cover it all the way around from the front to the back. They have been laid out flat beside each other and only the centres are sewn down onto the fabric so the petals sit off the fabric and move with the smallest bit of air. This gives it a touch of a 3D feel and pretty movement.
• The skirt is as fabulous and it is very full with the silk layer on the top and an inner silk chiffon layer underneath. The colour is a brilliant pink that perfectly picks up in the pink flowers in the bodice.
• There is a lot of fabric in the skirt and it is set into the waist in soft folds so that it really has fullness and movement when you move.
• The dress came with its original green silk covered belt that you can add if you wanted an extra pop of colour.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a ivory silk though the bodice and the skirt is lined in a pink silk. Light boning in the bodice. There is an inner waist stay and another under the bust and both hook to close. It closes with a metal side set zipper. There is a touch of grubbiness along the edges of the bodice around the arm areas and the flowers have softened over the years. There is some grubbiness and slight fading to the edge of the skirt hem and I see one tiny hole in the silk. The belt shows fading and wear. Please see the photos after the label shot
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent overall condition with the notes above

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5481

Reference Photos: Spring 1982 Lanvin Couture. Model Anna Bayle.

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 an original Givenchy Haute Couture gown whose number tag dates it to approximatelywho's number tag dates it to approximately 1985 to 1987.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy
  
• The dress would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• If not for the tag inside and the number that seems to best place it in that time period we have assigned it to based on other Givenchy Couture pieces we've had in the shop, we would have absolutely thought this was a piece from the 1950s at first glance. It has all the beautiful lines you see in that golden era of Old Hollywood.
• It is made out of a deep blue matte silk that has a bit of a moire design running over its surface. It is a very unique fabric and because the dress is a couture piece it could very well have been specifically produced for this dress.
• The dress is strapless with a handmade built-in interior boned corset to hold it in place around you. It has a stay just under the bust and around the waist to hold it in place and it is lightly boned. I love the extensive hand work that you see inside that shows the high amount of detail that goes into a couture piece.
• The top of the bodice has a slate fullness to it with an added panel of fabric that wraps around the bodice that is gathered and stitched in place by hand to form soft curves and puffs.
• At the front of the bodice there is a large blue velvet bow that has been hand placed. Slightly smaller bows have been attached all the way around the skirt. The bows add a pretty and feminine detail and the contrast of the deeper blue of the velvet is the perfect highlight against the silk backdrop.
• The dress curves in at the waist and then flares out to be very full through the skirt as it falls to the floor.
• The shape through the upper portion of the dress has all been made from the immaculate piecing together of vertical panels. There are eight of them in total and each is shaped to create the curving feel over the bust and waist that you see.
• From there, the skirt curves back out over the hips to meet the first of two wide panels that make up the lower portion of the skirt and give it the volume that you see. 
• Each of those panels is set into a seam attached to the panel above, and they are slightly gathered all the way around you. This ties in the feel that the very top of the bodice has and also adds to the volume of the skirt.
• Underneath that gorgeous top layer is a built-in silk underskirt. It has multiple layers of panels built-in around the hem area and more built-in just past the knee. These fall softly under the exterior skirt to help to hold its shape. The inner construction of this underscored is quite extensive and again is a nod to the meticulous detailing that you find in a true Couture piece.
  
• It is incredibly well made as one would expect for a piece of Couture.
• The dress has weight to it because of all the internal layers but it is balanced perfectly once on the body.
• A full built in bodice closes with its own zipper and the inner stays hook to close. Handmade light padding cups are built in at the bust. The rest of the dress is lined in layers of silk. The dress closes with a hidden set side zipper. All the work is by hand and to Haute Couture standards. The dress has its proper couture label and handwritten tape underneath in place. It looks to have been worn very little if at all.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below.
  
• Excellent condition

Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 50.5" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5470

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 the dress walk the runway for the Fall 1994 Givenchy Haute Couture collection and this is that actual runway sample.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy.
• I love that the reference photos are in colour so that you can see just how gorgeous this actual dress is once on the body.
• The dress would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The fabric is exceptional. It is a red woven silk that has a black glitter pattern applied directly onto the fabric. The black glitter swirls over the dress and is like an exaggerated line drawing that has been hand drawn over the dress. It is a wonderful way to add detail without overwhelming the cut and lines of the piece.
• The front scoops down into a curved V and a black velvet bow sits at the base of the V for the perfect added detail. From there it skims over the bust, curves in at the waist and then curves back out to the top of the hip. All of the shape is created through vertical panels pieced perfectly together.
• The skirt is set into the seam that runs across the top of the hips. The volume that you see is created by the way that it is constructed. It's pleated on the outside and inside. There are several layers of the same fabric done in stacked rose to help support the exaggerated fullness around the top of the hip. From there the skirt falls to the floor in a beautiful outward line. There are many yards of fabric in the skirt and it's volume perfectly balances the fullness through the shoulders.
• The sleeves are extraordinary. They are slightly capped above the shoulder line and they widen out around the shoulder. From there they narrow down to the their ends where there are four hand covered buttons in the same fabric and a zipper to close the wrist.
• Every line of the dress is exquisite and it is a remarkably elegant and beautiful piece of Couture.
• The dress is fully lined in a handset red silk through the bodice and a red silk organza through the skirt. It closes with a back set zipper and there is a zipper at each wrist as described above. Light padding in each shoulder. I see evidence that the back seams were let out. This would be very easy to bring back in if you needed to. There is slight fading to the fabric along the top edges of the shoulder and near the edge of the hem. This is a direct consequence of this type of fabric and I have seen it many times on pieces this age. Please see the photos after the label shot. The dress does not have its main label but has its original Couture sample tag in place.
• There is no size tag present since it is Haute Couture so please go buy the measurements listed below
• Excellent overall condition

Sleeves: 26" and are 16" around the upper arm
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 20" from top of shoulder to seam at the top of the hips
Total length: 61" from top of shoulder to front hem, 63" to the back hem with 4.5" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5464

Reference Photos: Fall 1994 Givenchy Haute Couture.

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 was Look 5 for the Resort Givenchy collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Ricardo Tisci
  
• This was his fifth year at the label and in the Vogue review of the show they noted that Tisci told them that the colour palette of black, red and white mixed with the occasional leopard was inspired by Frida Kahlo and her animal-filled paintings.
  
• The dress is made out of a black net with a red lace overlay strategically placed over the dress to emphasize the cut and design.
• The dress is is suspended from two tiny straps that curve up and over the shoulder. The very upper edge of the bodice is finished with leather piping.
• The bodice is cut to skim over you and I love how the red has been applied on the black to give you extra coverage and really highlight the cut and flow of the dress.
• It continues down to skim over the waist in a more loose and generous feel and then it occurs back out over the hips
• The skirt cascades outward from there to the floor and it is fuller by the time it reaches the hem. The lace applied around the bottom and the way it is cut helps to hold the shape around you.
• That combination of red lace and netting that has been applied over the dress creates a beautiful and striking pattern. The pop of red against the transparent black net is even more striking once on the body and you see the transparency through it that contrast against the red lace and netting.
• The width of the lower skirt allows the dress to move beautifully around you as you move.
• The inner black silk chiffon slip acts as the lining. Both the dress and the inner slip have no closure and simply slipped over the head to wear. I see a couple of tiny repairs in the net near the raw edge finish of the skirt. Very minor but mention for accuracy.
• Tagged a Givenchy 40
  
• Excellent condition

Dress
Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam 
Waist: 14.5-15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 24" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 14" from top of shoulder to lowest part of the seam under the bust at the sides
Total length: 67" from top of shoulder to hem

Inner slip
Bust: 15.5-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5447

Reference Photo: (1) Resort 2011 Givenchy, Look 5. Model Daphne Groeneveld.  /  (2) Ciara in Givenchy by Cameron Smith for Wonderland Magazine, Nov 2010.

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.

• Due to new customs regulations this dress can only ship to a Canadian address. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this.
• This dress is from the Fall 1982 Givenchy collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy.
• I believe this is the actual runway sample that walked the runway. The only photo that we have been able to find to verify its presence on the runway is one from the back but it is still a photo that shows that it is a runway piece.
• It would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The dress is unlabelled and it is made by hand in the same level other of his runway samples that we have had in the shop.
  
• The bodice and sleeves are made from a black velvet with a flat pile finish. I love how it is cut to sit off shoulder and leave a bare expanse of skin across the top of your shoulders. Two little straps curve over the top of the shoulder to hold it perfectly in place and then the sleeves drop so your upper arm is bare.
• The neck line and the very top of each sleeve have a finish of black feathers that add an amazing feel to the dress.
• The sleeves have been tacked into place along the edge of the bodice and they have an elastic running around the top edge for an easy fit.
• The bodice comes in for shape around the waist and then curves back down to the top of the hip.
• The skirt is spectacular. It comes out from the bottom seam of the top and explodes outward around you with incredible volume
• The skirt is made out of a fine black and silver-grey striped silk that has a pretty red metallic dot woven through its surface. It is the perfect subtle touch of colour and contrast.
• The way the feathers fall around the sleeves and upper bodice is just incredible. They also create slight movements when you move. This is a superb example of his Couture abilities.
• The bodice of the dress is fully lined in a black silk and the skirt is lined with a black silk organza. It closes with a back zipper and each sleeve zippers to close at the wrist. It is finished a level appropriate to a runway sample and all of the work is by hand. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• There is no size tag present given that it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 17" from their open top to the end and the elastic stretches from 8-10" around
Bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam at the top of the hips: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 14" from top of bodice to seam at the top of the hips
Total length: 59" from the top of the shoulder to the front hem and the back extends another 4 " past that. There is an additional. 5" of silk turned under the hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5484

Reference Photo: Fall 1982 Givenchy Couture.

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 an unlabelled piece that is made to a Demi-haute couture level
• The dress is made of a brilliant feather light pink silk.
• The bodice is cut with a simple feel and then the dress has a wide ruffle on each side that wraps around the shoulders and goes to the back for added drama.
• There is netting inside the ruffle that sits around the shoulders and this helps it to hold its shape and volume. You can also wear this more on the shoulder.
• It is more fitted through the body and has a ruffle that begins at the centre of the bodice extending to wrap down and around the skirt. The ruffle becomes wider as it nears the hem. The back falls longer than the front and it has a beautiful curving line around to the back. Because of the wrap over at the front. when you walk or move you get a flash of leg.
• It comes with its matching little waist band that hooks into place to add more shape to the waist
• It is fully lined in a handset silk and closes with a back zipper . There is an inner waist stay that hooks to close. The matching fabric belt hooks to close.
• There is one faint mark across the one side of the skirt at the back and some very minor fading near the top of the zipper.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition with the note above.

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 29" from top of shoulder to where it splits, 60" to longest point of the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5161

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.

• A version with similar floral finishes walk the runway for the spring 1982 Givenchy collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy
• In 1952, Hubert de 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 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 Goodmans and was eventually made available at other retailers. The line was high end and extremely well made. This part of his brand was created specifically to appeal to his non-couture clients who wanted to be able to purchase a piece of the Givenchy dream. This label continued until 1992 when it was retired and re-branded as the Givenchy Couture label.
• This dress is from those early days of the label and it is one of the prettiest Givenchy dresses I have seen.
• The dress combines a brilliant pink silk skirt with a more fitted strapless bodice.
• The bodice on this one is so pretty. The base of it is a slightly off-white silk that has a white netting covering it. Onto that is an explosion of the prettiest little silk flowers in a range of pretty pastels mixed with pops of pink and purple.
• These are all placed over the bodice and so they cover it all the way around from the front to the back. They have been laid out flat beside each other and only the centres are sewn down onto the fabric so the petals sit off the fabric and move with the smallest bit of air. This gives it a touch of a 3D feel and pretty movement.
• The skirt is as fabulous and it is very full with the silk layer on the top and an inner silk chiffon layer underneath. The colour is a brilliant pink that perfectly picks up in the pink flowers in the bodice.
• There is a lot of fabric in the skirt and it is set into the waist in soft folds so that it really has fullness and movement when you move.
• The dress came with its original green silk covered belt that you can add if you wanted an extra pop of colour.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a ivory silk though the bodice and the skirt is lined in a pink silk. Light boning in the bodice. There is an inner waist stay and another under the bust and both hook to close. It closes with a metal side set zipper. There is a touch of grubbiness along the edges of the bodice around the arm areas and the flowers have softened over the years. There is some grubbiness and slight fading to the edge of the skirt hem and I see one tiny hole in the silk. The belt shows fading and wear. Please see the photos after the label shot
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent overall condition with the notes above

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5481

Reference Photos: Spring 1982 Lanvin Couture. Model Anna Bayle.

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 an original Givenchy Haute Couture gown whose number tag dates it to approximatelywho's number tag dates it to approximately 1985 to 1987.
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy
  
• The dress would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• If not for the tag inside and the number that seems to best place it in that time period we have assigned it to based on other Givenchy Couture pieces we've had in the shop, we would have absolutely thought this was a piece from the 1950s at first glance. It has all the beautiful lines you see in that golden era of Old Hollywood.
• It is made out of a deep blue matte silk that has a bit of a moire design running over its surface. It is a very unique fabric and because the dress is a couture piece it could very well have been specifically produced for this dress.
• The dress is strapless with a handmade built-in interior boned corset to hold it in place around you. It has a stay just under the bust and around the waist to hold it in place and it is lightly boned. I love the extensive hand work that you see inside that shows the high amount of detail that goes into a couture piece.
• The top of the bodice has a slate fullness to it with an added panel of fabric that wraps around the bodice that is gathered and stitched in place by hand to form soft curves and puffs.
• At the front of the bodice there is a large blue velvet bow that has been hand placed. Slightly smaller bows have been attached all the way around the skirt. The bows add a pretty and feminine detail and the contrast of the deeper blue of the velvet is the perfect highlight against the silk backdrop.
• The dress curves in at the waist and then flares out to be very full through the skirt as it falls to the floor.
• The shape through the upper portion of the dress has all been made from the immaculate piecing together of vertical panels. There are eight of them in total and each is shaped to create the curving feel over the bust and waist that you see.
• From there, the skirt curves back out over the hips to meet the first of two wide panels that make up the lower portion of the skirt and give it the volume that you see. 
• Each of those panels is set into a seam attached to the panel above, and they are slightly gathered all the way around you. This ties in the feel that the very top of the bodice has and also adds to the volume of the skirt.
• Underneath that gorgeous top layer is a built-in silk underskirt. It has multiple layers of panels built-in around the hem area and more built-in just past the knee. These fall softly under the exterior skirt to help to hold its shape. The inner construction of this underscored is quite extensive and again is a nod to the meticulous detailing that you find in a true Couture piece.
  
• It is incredibly well made as one would expect for a piece of Couture.
• The dress has weight to it because of all the internal layers but it is balanced perfectly once on the body.
• A full built in bodice closes with its own zipper and the inner stays hook to close. Handmade light padding cups are built in at the bust. The rest of the dress is lined in layers of silk. The dress closes with a hidden set side zipper. All the work is by hand and to Haute Couture standards. The dress has its proper couture label and handwritten tape underneath in place. It looks to have been worn very little if at all.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below.
  
• Excellent condition

Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 50.5" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5470

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 stunning and rare dress set is from the Fall 1981 Fabrice collection.
• It was made by Haitian born designer Fabrice Simon. 
• Simons launched his label in 1976 making this an extremely early example of his work and showcases how his early work especially was centred around hand, painted fabrics. He trained as a textile designer originally and pieces like this showcase his love of textiles beautifully.
• Fabrice was a Coty award recipient and one of the preeminent black designers during this time period and pieces by him are extremely difficult to find. Especially at the level that this one is at. It is a very important and collectible piece of Black fashion history. 
• The dress is especially iconic because it has two remarkable tie-ins. One with supermodel Pat Cleveland, who wore the twin of the top, and the second with Cicely Tyson who was photographed wearing a version of this set.
• His clothes were worn by some of entertainments most famous names - Kathleen Turner, Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston, who wore one of his dresses to the 1988 Grammy's. The top supermodels of the time like Iman, Beverly Johnson, Christy Brinkley and Jerry Hall were all fans. 
• When worn together it does look like a dress but it is a set of two pieces.
• Both pieces are made out of a beautiful light in weight red silk that has a metallic gold design covering its surface. The the gold portion of the fabric have all been painted on by hand and this is where we see Fabrice background as a trained textile designer.
• The top is a remarkable piece of fashion that transcends into art
• Both the front and the back dipped into a V and it buttons down the front with a series of round gold metal ball buttons that slip through red silk loops. There was a little gap left between each button with how it's laid out so you would get a tiny glimpse of skin between each button.
  
• The top is edged in a metallic gold cord that has a black band twisted around it. This little pop of black and gold contrasts beautifully with the painted fabric and adds a little extra bit of detail.
• The front dips down into a point, and while it has seamed to follow the curve of the body it is soft without boning so very comfortable to wear
• Curving up and around the the shoulders are three rows of silk that has been gathered to form the phenomenal volume and detail that you see. These are stacked beside each other with silk between each row, so they cover the full sides of the top on both the back in front. They are finished in hand edged jagged points and the way they have been set onto the top creates the incredible volume and density that you see in the photos. They add an exuberance to the outfit that is hard to describe until you see it in person. It is just extraordinary.
• The skirt is as fabulous as the top. It is banded around the waist so that you have shape and then it falls very full around you to the hem.
• There is an incredible amount of fabric in the skirt and it's sheer amount of fabric allows that gorgeous hand painted print to be shown off to the maximum. To achieve the fullness that it has all of the silk has been tightly gathered in and around the waist and then expands outward.
• I love that the skirt has pockets. It is the perfect bit of unexpected ease on such a dramatic piece.
• Having two pieces makes it extremely versatile because you can mix a match either piece with things you already have in your wardrobe. It is beautifully dramatic one worn together and then you also have endless styling possibilities when paired with other things.
• Both pieces have an additional handwritten museum tag from being deaccessioned. One has to wonder if that is a regretted decision.
• The top is fully lined in a black silk and buttons down the front as described above. The skirt is unlined and closes at the waist with hook and eye and then a zipper below that. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.
• The top is tagged a size Small and the skirt has no size tag.
• Excellent condition

Top
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom edge: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 17" from top of shoulder to bottom edge, not including the added 2.5" extended angle at the front

Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 47" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5462

Reference Photos: (1-2) Fabrice and Pat Cleveland for Essence magazine, November 1981.  /  (3) Cicely Tyson, in hand-painted Fabrice, at the Alvin Theatre in New York City, 1982.

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.