• This is a great Valentino over lay skirt that dates to the 1970s or 1980s and is from the boutique label.
• It was made under the creative direction of the original Mr. Valentino
• Valentino launched his ready-to-wear label in 1962 just two years after opening his first salon in Rome. He often brought in the designs that he created for his main couture label into the boutique work. In these early days pieces were remarkably close in quality and the line between the two labels was often blurred. 
• The skirt is made out of a deep pink and black silk chiffon in a oversized floral print that is gorgeous.
• This was meant to be worn over something else and it is fully opened down the front from the waist to the hem.
• The waist is banded and hooks at the front to close. The silk falls to the floor from there. There is a tremendous amount of silk in this piece so it has a lot of movement around you when you move. 
• I love that you can wear this over everything from boy shorts, to a short or full length skirt, pants, or even a swimsuit. The styling options are endless.
• The overlay is unlined and closes at the front waist with three hook and eye. Under that it is fully open to the floor. Because of how it opens at the front, you could easily make it smaller and there is an inch of fabric that you could use if you needed to make it bigger.
• Tagged a vintage Valentino 8
• Excellent condition
  

Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 47" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5269

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 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.

• The twin of this skirt was shown as part of Look 93 for the Pre-Fall 2015 presentation.
• It was made under the creative direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. 
• This was an interesting collection because they collaborated with both British textile designer Celia Birtwell, the ex-wife of the late Ossie Clark and the woman behind his floral prints in the 1970s, and the Italian Pop Artist Giosetta Fioroni. Many of the pieces, like this skirt, were embroidered with stars, planets and swirling constellations.
• Marion Cotillard wore the full look that season and Phoebe Fox also wore the twin of this skirt. 
• The skirt is beautiful to see in person. The base has an inner layer of blue netting topped by a black layer of netting. Over that is a layer of a more open weave black net. That top layer is covered with embroidered stars, planets and word appliques. The result is a beautiful and everywhere you look there is something to see.
• The waist is banded with grosgrain that folds inwards with all the fabric of the skirt gathered on the outside for a slight ruffle feel at the top of the waist.
• It falls from there and has quite a bit of room so is an easy fit. It widens out as it nears the hem. There is quite a lot of fabric in the skirt and it moves beautifully around you when you move. 
• The inner layers of tulle act as the lining and it has a hidden set zipper at the side. The skirt has a touch of transparency but the layers and applique make it wearable. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below
• Excellent condition

Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 44" waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5174

Reference Photos: (1) Pre-Fall 2015 Valentino, Look 93.  /  (2) Marion Cotillard In Valentino at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, February 2015.  /  (3) Phoebe Fox for Flaunt Magazine, June 2015.

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 skirt walked the runway for the Fall 2019 season for Look 36.
• It was made under the creative direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri
• Vogue's Sally Singer noted that; "Chiuri sought inspiration for this collection from Britain’s postwar Teddy Girls, those working-class, rock ’n’ roll–loving beehived vixens who hit the clubs in a mix of men’s Edwardian jackets, full skirts, blue jeans, leather, velvet, and eyeliner galore. She was struck by the similarity in silhouette and the optimistic excess that characterized Christian Dior’s designs of the same period. She was also moved by Yves Saint Laurent’s addition to the Dior pantheon of a men’s black leather jacket for women in the late 1950s. So, heritage, hipsters, and herstory."
• This skirt is one of the ones that felt most like a heritage piece from that show while still having a modern flare.
• The skirt is made out of a black silk net and the fabric choice is what allows it to hold its fullness.
• Onto the tulle is an extensive pattern created from hand applied beads and sequins. A thin band at the waist cinches it in and then the skirt is full under that. It will fall to about mid-calf to the ankle depending on your height.
• At the front the skirt is fully split and open from just under the band at the waist to the hem. It wraps over itself a touch at the split and there is a little flat bow at the waist for added detail.
• This open split lets you can layer it over just about anything. You can take a simplest little dress or plain skirt that you already have, pop this over it, and all of a sudden you have an amazing and elaborate look.
• The entire skirt has been appliqued with little floral sprigs that are made of hand set metal coils, tiny seed beads, sequins and MOP finished paillettes. All of the work appears to have been done by hand.
• It is made out of two layers of the black netting and meant to have a slight transparency. It closes with snap and hook an eye at the waist and is open down the front. It looks to have never been worn or worn very little. It is a very little special piece that has a huge array of styling options.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the listed measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 36" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5175

Reference Photos/Video: Fall 2019 Look 36. Model Hyun Ji Shin.

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 skirt is a production piece for the shops from the Spring 2019 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Pierpaolo Piccioli.
• On the runway a dress shown for Look 60 had similar a beaded design over its surface. We have added that runway reference for you here.
• Vogue succinctly said that "In a season when there’s been so much talk about the appreciation of couture dressmaking and craft skills, Piccioli just took it to the ultimate. It was as accomplished, as complexly cut—and as simple as that."
• The high level of craft put into a hand embroidered and beaded piece like this is evident in the price tag. The original cost of the skirt was £12,285.
• The skirt is outstanding and is beautiful to see in person. There is an inner silk skirt that snaps into place around the inner band of the waist. I love that this gives you the choice to wear the skirt fully opaque, or you can snap the lining out and have the skirt be more transparent.
• Over the inner lining is a layer of black netting and then the top layer combines tulle with insets of a light grey and deep dusty blue grey silk chiffon. Silver metallic thread and tiny silver beads run in swirling designs over the entire skirt. And if you look carefully, you see that there is one unexpected little pink pop of silk chiffon. I love that unexpected detail.
• The waist is banded with a black grosgrain that folds inwards. The inner skirt snaps onto that band so that the snaps are hidden from view.
• The skirt falls from there and has quite a bit of room through the hips so it is an easy fit. It widens out as it nears the hem. There is quite a lot of fabric in the skirt and it moves beautifully around you when you move. 
• The black silk lining snaps into place as described above and both the lining and outer skirt have a zipper at the side. Without the lining snapped in the skirt has a touch of transparency. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 
• Tagged a modern Valentino 38
• Excellent condition

Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 40" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5176

Reference Photo: Spring 2019 Valentino, Look 60.

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 very rare piece of vintage and it is a delight to have it in the shop. It is from the 1988 Spring / Summer "Blanche Dubois" collection. The show had a total of 96 looks in it. My client purchased this right after the show and has had it since. The inspiration for this collection was Tennessee Williams 1947 heroin from the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" combined with the idea of the English country lady. An integral part of the collection were the way that he had the hems of the skirts and some sleeves done. He described then as "blown away" hems. Galliano had given his pattern cutters a book on origami and asked them to incorporate the feel of it into the clothing. He wanted the hems to look as though it had been blown up in the wind hence the name "blown away." Interior buttons and button holes along the hems were added to allow the skirts to achieve the draped bubbled effect that you see here and in the reference photos. The collection was critically acclaimed and it was his most commercially successful to date. US Vogue noted that he went from fashion cult to pacesetter with this collection. 

When we photoed the skirt we did it to show how you can change the look of the hem depending on if you choose to button the buttons up, or leave them undone. there are many configurations that you can do, including buttoning some of the button holes onto the same buttons inside or leaving them all undone and having a longer length skirt. Another key component of the show where these extremely high waists that you would then put a large belt around. My client told me that she often wore this as a strapless dress as well and if you are small enough through the bust to do so, you can have that added option. There is boning through the sides of the waist that help to hold it up and in place. The amount of fabric that the skirt has, and that unusual way the hem has been sewn combined with the buttons, really does give it the most fantastic and fascinating movement when you move. The fabric is at ultra soft white cotton or cotton mix. This piece was only ever owned by one person and it was loved and worn. It does have some faint marks on it but it doesn't take away from the importance or rarity of the piece.

This is an exceptionally rare piece to come up for sale from one of his very early collections. Excellent overall condition with a note below.

The skirt is unlined and closes with a hidden set side zipper. There are buttonholes hidden along the hem of the skirts and then button sit along the seams inside the skirt which is what allows you to change the look and length of the skirt. I see a repair along the back but because of the asymmetrical hem you would actually think that this was deliberate if you did not know better. I see another tiny area at the front where someone has put a stitch near the seam. There are some marks on the front and along one side of the hem. I did have this cleaned and they faded quite a bit but we were not overly aggressive in the cleaning. You might be able to fully get these out with more specialty cleaning. Please see the photos after the label. It is a remarkable piece of fashion history

Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total Length at its longest and unbuttoned it is 45" and then it can be adjusted with the buttons shorter

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4785

Reference Photos: Spring 1988 John Galliano. (Third image from the book "Galliano: Spectacular Fashion" by Kerry Taylor for Bloomsbury.)

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.

I have a small grouping of Chanel pieces that will be listing over the next week or so and they all come from an avid Couture and Chanel collector. Many of these pieces were extremely difficult to source when they were released and were only made in very limited quantities. They are in pristine condition and all but one have their original shop packet that has the extra fabric and style information. These are exceptional pieces for the collector and each is extremely special.

This skirt is exceptional. It's from the Pre-fall 2020 collection and it's twin walk the runway for Look 37. This is a wonderful piece of Chanel and is extremely well-made. The was a Metier d"Art collection which are always the most expensive at retail as they feature work from all the tiny maison d'art houses. It was also Virginie Viard's first Metier d'Art Pre-fall collection. She titled the show 'Paris – 31 rue Cambon' which is of course where Gabriel Chanel first set up shop as a milliner in 1910. She later expanded her fashion empire by taking over six buildings to house her Haute Couture salons one of which was Number 31. In tribute she mirrored the black, beige, crystal and gold that evokes Chanel's apartment, and the famous mirrored staircase. When asked about it backstage, she said that the show was meant to be "the things we like, a mix of Karl and Chanel – the Chanel codes."

In this skirt we see the high workmanship of the luxury suppliers of the fashion industry. At first glance, you might almost think it to be a tweed Chanel piece but then as you look at it closer you realize that every inch is covered with overlapping silver sequins. The sequins are held in place by an ivory, gold and black thread and this is what gives them the appearance of that classic Chanel tweed. The sequins catch the light from every angle. It is exceptional. Running down the front is a panel of glittering crystals that are bordered with faux pearls on either side and the pearls are all caught into a black corded cage. That same detail runs down the centre of the skirt at the back. It is fitted around the waist, but without an added band so you lose no detail of that stunning design, and then it glides over the hips and flares out to the hem. The skirt has never been worn and has its original Chanel packet. Excellent condition

Fully lined in black silk and closes with a hidden set zipper under the back centre detailing. Tagged a 34 and has its original Chanel packet. Current Chanel fantasy skirts start at $5500 and range up to $8500USD + for pieces with this level of detailing. 

Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 23" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4545

Reference Photo/Video: Pre-Fall 2020 Chanel Runway, Look 37.

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.