• The skirt dates to the 1960s and is from Scassi's main label
• It was made under the creative direction of Arnold Scaasi
• Scaasi was born Arnold Isaacs in Montreal and the name Scassi is simply his own surname in reverse. He apprenticed at the house of Paquin and then worked with the legendary Charles James. In 1964 he opened own couture salon. He dressed Hollywood stars like Lauren Bacall, Diahann Carroll and Elizabeth Taylor along with  several first ladies. He even once bragged that he refused to give Jackie Kennedy clothes for free. He was the man behind the scandalous 1969 Barbra Streisand sheer trouser outfit that she collected her Oscar in, and he was presented with the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. In 2010, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, who hold the bulk of his archives, launched an exhibit of his work titled "Arnold Scaasi: American Couturier"
• Pieces from his main label were made to order and done to demi and couture standards. 
• There are certain pieces that you come across that seem to go beyond just a piece of clothing and start to belong to the category of being a piece of art. This skirt qualifies. It is one of the most unusual and exceptional pieces I have seen.
• It is almost camp in feel and yet it has an incredible craftsmanship at the same time.
• It is made from looped tufts of wool in a pink, coral, deep burgundy and pale purple, that are independently attach by embroidery to a silk ribbon background. That silk ribbon is then sewed together and stacked row by row with a tiny gap left between each row. This creates this amazing sub-texture underneath the yarn.
• The yarn detailing is set horizontally and they puff out from the skirt so that it has a 3D feel.
• At the waist is a wide red grosgrain ribbon that sits in a bow at one side.
• Under the nipped in waist the skirt falls on an angle to widen out quite a bit by the time it reaches the hem. It somehow manages to stay both soft and feel structured at the same time.
• It is not unwieldy to wear but it does have the feel of substance. 
• Inside it is hand lined in a fine red silk.
• Fully lined by hand in a fine red silk and closes at the back with a zipper and then hook and eye at the banded waist. All the work is done by hand and all of the yarn has been done by hand and applied to the silk ribbon behind it.
• There was no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition 
  

Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 36" from waist to front hem, 38" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5267

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 exceptional dress is documented to Spring 1969.
• Kiki Hart is a fantastic little vintage label. The dresses were well made and they had gorgeous lines. It is very rare to be able to pinpoint a date on one as accurately as this.
• The dress has the prettiest floral design mixed with a design to make it feel like it is a multi-colour patchwork piece. This has been screened onto a feather light silk organza for the bodice and sleeves and a silk twill for the skirt.
• The neckline is simple and the top skims over the bodice in an easy way to the waist where you can cinch it in with its matching tie belt in the same silk as the skirt. The areas across the top of the neckline, shoulders and upper back have been left unlined so you have a pretty touch of transparency.
• The skirt falls to the floor from the waist and it is made from a beautifully weighted silk that holds the colour of the print beautifully. It is quite full with many yards of fabric used to make the skirt. All of that fabric means that with your slightest move the skirt floats around you beautifully. 
• The sleeves are fantastic. Each is a very full balloon sleeve made out of a single layer of the silk organza. They puff out dramatically above each cuff.
• Besides the long rectangle of fabric tied around the waist the dress comes with an absolutely huge square of the same silk organza that the top part of the dress is made out of. All of the edges on the square are hand rolled and I believe it was meant to be folded and worn on the head. You could of course style it a million different ways or use it on its own with other things from your closet.
• It is a stunning and an outstanding example of how great this label could be and the dress is beautifully made. 
• The bodice and skirt are lined in and ivory rayon and the sleeves are unlined.  It closes with a X zipper. Each cuff closes with back, set zipper. Each cuff snaps to close with three hidden set snaps. The original tie belt and the added large square scarf is included. The waist is cut generous and then you cinch it in with the tie belt. I see one tiny repair near the seam on the back of the arm.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 26" and are 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15.5" from neck to waist
Total length: 59" from neck to hem with just under 2" turned under the hem.
Silk tie belt: 82" x 9.25"
Silk organza square: 39" square

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5213

Reference Photo: Marsha Hughes in Kiki Hart's "quilt print" chiffon gown to the gala of Showboat for Hope, July 1969.

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 dress is dated to its exact year by the hand written Bergdorf's tag inside that reads either 1965 or 1966.
• It was made under the creative direction of James Galanos.
• James Galanos launched his first label called Galanos Originals in 1951 at the age of 27. 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 dresses made out of several layers of silk chiffon. There is a top chiffon layer that floats over and printed on that has a hidden silk layer under that and then a final inner deep pink silk lining. It's just amazing to see all of the extra stuff and layers. And this doesn't even take into account the silk used to make the inner corset that holds everything in place.
• The top layer is completely covered with hundreds of thousands of hand placed beads and sequins in various shapes and sizes. These swirl over the entire dress and it is just amazing to see in person. This is the level of craft that you only see in vintage now.
• The dress is suspended from two straps that are heavily detailed with the bead and sequin work. The front neck line is slightly scooped at its centre and then the back scoops a little lower.
• There is a built-in inner lightly boned corset that shapes the bust. The waist comes in under that and then it skims out and over the hips.
• The skirt falls from there to the floor and widens out a touch as it near the hem. Having it completely covered with all those hand placed beads and sequins is just phenomenal to see.
• I love the deep burgundy tones mixed with jewel tones on the underlying pattern of the silk.
• The dress has a built in silk covered corset and and is lined as described above. The corset hooks to close around the waist, and then the inner dress zips over that and the outer layer also has its own zipper. A waist stay hooks to close inside. There may be the occasional missing sequin and some are missing on the tops of the straps. There is a touch of fading to the pink lining along the inside edge of the bodice. It is very minor. Hand finishes throughout.
• No size tag is present so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 14"flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 11" from top of shoulder to seam under the bust
Total length: 57.5" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5192

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 appears in the book on Thea Porter's work that accompanied the exhibit on her work. The photo appears on page 73. The caption in the book notes that "Claudia Bruce wearing a peasant style dress in a Persian paisley print combined with Damascus fabric and a leather and feather headdress. Greeks Street, London, 1969.". It is so rare to find runway photos of her shows and to have all this extra information is fantastic. 1969 is also an interesting year to note because it is the year that she started to sell her designs at Giorgio Beverly Hills. It was said that when word got out that Thea had new things in the Girorgio boutique, women ran to be able to get a piece for themselves, they sold out that fast. This is the only one I have ever seen like this outside of that book photo. Given her extremely limited run on certain pieces it may in fact be the only other one that was made and exists. It is truly a very special piece.

The dress is a fantastic combination of fabrics and this was something that Thea excelled at. She had the ability to source these fantastic antique fabrics and then mix and match them to put them together in a way that you had never seen done before. The front panel combines a floral and paisley print with beautiful detailing between. It runs down the front in a long rectangle shape and then she curved it over the shoulders and ran another panel of it down the back. The rest of the dress is made out of a clay coloured silk organza that has a beautiful pattern hand embroidered over its surface. A little chain of white embroidery runs through that pattern for a little bit of a pop. At the end of each sleeve there is an insert of the cotton fabric. This is set in a wide band all around the cuffs with these little points running up into the sleeve. The shape of the dress is easy and comfortable to wear. It skims over the body and flares out slightly as it reaches the hem. Slits run up each side so you get a flash of leg when you walk. Each sleeve is fantastic. Each is a full and voluminous balloon type sleeve that puffs up extravagantly around each wrist. The collar on the dress is perhaps the best part. A tie loops through the front part only and for most of the shots I have tied it enough so that it scoops like it does in the runway shot. However, you can loosen the front up and that allows you to push the dress down the shoulders to expose a full expanse of bare skin across the top of the shoulders. It is phenomenal. This is a very rare example of her work and most likely you will never see one again. Excellent condition.

Unlined and slips over the head to wear. The front collar can be adjusted with the tie as described above. Each cuff has a snap to close. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. There are little bits of blue dye on the front and back panel that looks like it has run a touch but I believe this is inherent to this fabric and this may have been like that since the day it was made. I do not think it is a flaw, but rather a result of the fact that the fabric was hand screened. Tagged a vintage Thea Porter UK 10. The easy cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes.

Sleeves: approx 15" and will come up a touch when the cuff is closed. Each upper arm is 13.75" around
Shoulders: no true defined scene
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 54.5" from top of shoulder to hem with 2" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4899

Reference Photos: Claudia Bruce for Thea Porter. Greek Street, London, 1969. (2) From the book Thea Porter: Bohemian Chic.

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 incredible set that is extra special because it is from the debut Haute Couture collection of Marc Bohan. It has the added province of being documented which is sometimes not easy to find with these very early pieces. The book Dior, Catwalk talks about the reaction to this first collection by Bohan; "Thundering applause, led by the Duchess of Windsor, rolled through the elegant grey and white salons of the House of Dior, the happy ending to the suspense story of the fashion year. At stake was the future dominance of Dior, and the career of designer Mark Bohan. The Chicago Tribune hailed him as being "Mister Dior, the third". The New York Times stated "the shouting, clapping, surging mob at the press show cause chaos in the elegant salon. Bohan was pushed up against the boiserie, kissed, mauled and congratulated. Chairs were toppled. Champagne glasses were broken. People were knocked down. It was a complete triumph for the designer". The book goes on to state that; Bohan called the collection the "Slim Line". It was a streamlined take on the original "New Look". He revisited the day suit with wide cut jackets and low waisted flared skirts fitted at the hips. The Times declared it "a success from the appearance of the first model and worthy in the tradition of the great maestro himself. And Women's Wear Daily wrote three months after the collection was shown that "the Bohan flare is everywhere. Bohan has done the impossible. He is a big commercial success and respected by the fashion intellect." 

The set is exceptional and is an excellent investment piece as well. Dior prices continue to skyrocket and finding couture examples like this from such an important collection and in this condition is getting harder and harder. 

This suit is fantastic. It is actually two pieces. A flared skirt and then a top / jacket that goes over that. The top is fascinating in the way that it is cut and we were very happy to find and see in the reference photo of it that its construction is deliberate. The front only buttons at the bottom and then there is a snap just above that button to hold it closed. It is meant to stay open above that and the button holes that you see continuing up along the edge of the jacket are actually faux. They do not open all the way through. You can see in the photo that the model is wearing it the way that it's meant to be worn. The very bottom is closed and then she has a light top on underneath. This lets the jacket play on its volume that it has. You could certainly open the fabric and finish the buttonholes if you wish to wear it fully closed, but it is meant to be like this. The jacket has a lot of volume and is meant to skim over you and then the skirt is cut in a sleek little flare that skims over the hips and flares out with a series of flat pleats all the way around the skirt. Around the waist the silk lies flat and neat. It is very flattering once on the body. When you stand still the skirt lays flat and smooth but when you move you get an incredible burst of movement and volume. Over that goes the jacket with its wonderful to the elbow wide cut sleeves and oversized MOP buttons down the front. The shoulders are soft and there is no collar. The fabric is a very high end silk twill dyed to that pale tan mixed with white. Both pieces are entirely finished by hand to Haute Couture standards and I've shown some of the detailing inside. It is chic and elegant yet still feels edgy. An amazing find. Excellent condition

The jacket is lined in a fine silk in the same colour as the exterior tan and the skirt is interlined in a white silk organza. The jacket closes with the bottom button only and a hidden snap above that as described above. The skirt closes with hook & eye at the waist and hidden snaps below that.  Completely done by hand to Haute Couture Standards. Proper numbered couture label in place on the jacket. There are some natural, variations and lines in the silk that is inherent to this type of fabric and should not be considered a flaw. It is in remarkable condition.

Jacket
Slightly dropped shoulders: 16-17"
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom hem: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24.5" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 27" from waist to hem with 2" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4484

Reference Photo: Christian Dior Haute Couture Printemps-Ete 1961. Photo Emerick Bronson. Model Nicole de Lamargé.

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.