• The twin of this dress and it's matching shawl walked the Fall 2008 Armani runway for look 48
• It was made under the creative direction of Giorgio Armani.
• Armani called the show 'free spirited' in his notes and in the review that Vogue did they noted that "he really poured it on at night, tossing cobweb, scarfs, and wraps over nearly everyone of his dresses."
• This is the full set as seen on the runway, comprising of a one shoulder dress with its matching highly detailed wrap.
• The dress is primarily made out of an inky black velvet and then the strap and front of the bodice are made out of a black crepe. The wrap is made out of a black velvet with various types of cording running over it surface.
• The dress has all of the sleek feel that you look for in the best of his work. A strap extends out from the bodice and curves up and over the shoulder, running on an angle past the neck. It curves down the back where it widens out before attaching to the back bodice. The bodice is shaped around you and then a seam runs underneath where it changes to black velvet for the rest of the dress.
• The waist is brought in with subtle darting and then it curves out and over the hips to fall to the floor, widening out as it near the hem.
• It is the perfect sleek silhouette that you expect from Armani.
• Over that is an elaborate shawl to give contrast to all that simplicity. It is a huge square of velvet that is backed in a matte silk finish fabric. Onto the velvet are different widths of cording and net ribbon. It is interesting that  ribbon parts are what you would normally use as interfacing inside the garment. For this piece he has taken that and put it on the outside.
• Long fringes dangle off with sequins and elongated oval beads covered in black fabric at their ends. Cording has been made into flowers and held in place by oversized faceted black beads.
• I love that the two pieces let you mix and match with other things in your wardrobe.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silky finish fabric through the bodice and crepe through the skirt. It closes with a hidden set zipper at one side. The original tags are still attached. It has never been worn.
• Tagged a vintage Armani 42
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam and the seam under the bust is 15.5" across side to side.
Natural waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 12.5" from top of shoulder to seam under the bus
Total length: 61" from top of shoulder to hem
Wrap: 54" long x 22.5" wide and the fringes stand up to another 25" at each individual end.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5355

Reference Photos/Video: Fall 2008 Giorgio Armani, Look 48.

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 near twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 2009 collection for Look 29. 
• It was made under the creative direction of Junya Watanabe
• A version was shot for Vogue Korea that season and we have included those reference photos so you can get an idea of how fantastically this will sit on the body.
• The dress still has its original tags and was never worn so it is pristine.
• The soft sculptural quality of the dress is phenomenal. It is made out of a very light in weight black nylon that is very pliant. Light in weight padding lies between the layers that make up the body of the dress. This gives the dress a soft structure and the incredible volume and shape that you see. We have added nothing underneath to any of these photos to create the volume that you see.
• The sleeves extend out from either side of the neck line to slope softly outward from the shoulder.
• Both the front and back plunge into a V and are detailed with a chunky gold toned metal chain that is hand stitched into place. The chain continues from there to cross over itself at the front and at the back. From there it scoops over to the sides. On one side the chain curves down and over one hip on the outside of the dress and on the other side  it sits on the interior of the dress. The fabric is gathered and hand stitched into the chain to create the beautiful curving shapes that the dress has. It is ingenious.
• An open keyhole is created at the back where the chains meet and the dress is so well-made that I think you could wear it either way around if you wanted that at the front instead.
• The skirt is phenomenal. It is quilted and lightly padded. It scoops back up and under itself at the hem and is attached into the chain that sits in the interior.
• The dress is like a complicated puzzle that has been peace together perfectly.
• The skirt is full and when I lay it out flat it makes a complete circle of fabric.
• The the skirt is constructed so that the inside is the same fabric as the outside and the bodice is unlined. It slips on to wear with no closures. Its easy cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes. On a smaller frame it will just feel more oversized. The dress has never been worn and still has its original tags and an extra piece of repair fabric in a clear pouch attached to the tag on the inner skirt.
• Tagged a vintage Watanabe size M
• Excellent condition

Bust: approx 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: approx 14-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: approx 47" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5348

Reference Photos: (1) Fall 2009 Junya Watanabe Runway, Look 29.  /  (2) Vogue Korea, December 2009.

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 near twin of this dress walked the Fall 2002 runway for Look 50 in the collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta.
• Photos from a Moroccan open air market were projected onto the stagefront and this is what set the tone for the show that season. In the review of the collection that year Vogue commented; 'There was a whiff of far-flung exoticism throughout the collection... almost every outfit got a touch of spice via embroidery, (or) a dusting of sequins. De la Renta ended as always, with a parade of great evening wear... just a thing for midnight at the Medina.'
• The dress has this fabulous almost sculptural feel with is simple cut and that beautiful deep purple silk fabric. It's full coverage keeps it feeling very refined and elegant.
• The silk is a very high quality and feels very smooth to the touch. This fabric choice keeps it fairly light in weight but it still has enough structure to hold that gorgeous shape that you see.
• The neck is a shallow scoop and the bodice is cut to skim over you. The shoulders are shaped but soft and the sleeves are long and slightly taper down to the wrist.
• The waist is brought in through curved vertical seaming and the skirt falls from there to the floor. 
• I love the patchwork panels that are added all the way around the lower hem. These are made up of a variety of embroidered silks and velvets that have the occasional mirrored embellishment worked within the embroidery. These run all the way around the hem and up and into the skirt.
• Underneath the top layer is a vivid pink underskirt with a stiffen hem and ruffle covering over that. I have taken a photo to show you how the very edge of this ruffle peaks out from underneath the outer hem of the skirt for an unexpected shot of vibrant colour.
• The underskirt helps add support and hold the fullness of the skirt. It adds a pretty sense of sweeping skirts as you walk away.
  
• Hidden pockets are set along each hip.
• The dress is fully lined in a vibrant pink silk. It closes with a hidden back set zipper and each sleeve has a hidden set zipper at its cuff. There is a tiny bit of stress to the center and one side seam near the waist at the back. Please see the photo after the label shot. The zipper has a tiny bit of stick when it hits the spot. It otherwise appears to have been worn very little at all.
• Tagged a Oscar de la Renta 4
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 24" and are 12" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 61" from neck to bottom of the pink ruffled hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5345

Reference Photos: Fall 2002 Oscar de la Renta, Look 50.

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 from the McQueen's Fall 2008 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Alexander McQueen.
• This is the actual dress worn by Connie Britton to the 2024 Emmys.
• The fall 2008 collection was called 'The Girl Who Lived in a Tree' and it was inspired by a combination of his trip to India and a 600 year old elm in his garden.
• The V&A Museum says of this collection: 'McQueen’s Autumn/Winter 2008 collection centered on a fairy tale narrative devised by McQueen about a girl who descends from a tree to marry a prince and then become a queen. It was inspired by a 600-year-old elm tree in the garden of the designer’s Sussex home. At the center of the set stood a giant tree swathed in fabric, inspired by Bulgarian artist Christo, who is renowned for wrapping buildings with material.'
• You can see a similar swooping cut that the final pieces of this show had.
• The dress is made out of a beautiful rich black silk and is cut with a sculptural line combined with that bias cut draping.
• Inside there is a more fitted dress and then the length is created by a long panel of black silk that is attached around the neck line and drapes over the inner dress. 
• The dress is strapless and there is a full built-in cupped and boned corset that holds the dress in place and gives you support. The way that the silk panel is draped over the inner dress allows one side of the inner dress to be seen. 
• The part of the inner dress that can be seen was then elaborately finished with hand done embroidery and beads done in a stunning floral design. I took several photos holding the draped panel away from the inner part of the dress so you can see how the beading extends even underneath the panel that lies over top of it.
  
• The silk panel that sits over this beautifully constructed inner bodice falls around you all the way to the floor on one side. On the other side, the silk is gathered up so that it drapes down and around you. This is a classic and signature McQueen silhouette, and is absolutely stunning once on the body.
• The dress is a beautiful mix of exposing just enough of the shape of the body so you don't lose your shape completely while at the same time it showcases the exceptional tailoring skills that he excelled at and how he could control the draping exactly how he wished it to fall.
• I love how the draping slightly exaggerates the shape of the body. No matter what angle you see this dress from once it is on there is an interesting drape or an elaborate beaded detail.
• Inside, an inner black silk lining goes to just above the knee and there is a built in inner corset that is lightly boned and cupped. The corset has its own back zipper to close and then the dress zips to close over that with a hidden set back zipper. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.
• Tagged a McQueen 44
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
inner hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 55" from top of bodice to shortest point of hem at one side, 58" to the longest point on the other side

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD5338

Reference Photos: Connie Britton in this dress at the 2024 Emmys.

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 near twin of this set walked the runway for the Spring 2000 Valentino show.
• It was made under the creative direction of the original Mr. Valentino.
• On the runway the skirt shown was a longer bias cut skirt. The skirt and cardigans were sold separately in the shops and my client purchased this version, which is slightly more elaborate.
• I love that since it is a set instead of a dress, you can mix and match it with things that you already own. The versatility of having three pieces is always an extra bonus. 
• Vogue said of the collection "Elegant, glamorous and gracefully cut are keywords when speaking of Valentino's work. This season the emphasis was on prints—floral appliqués, ivory polka dots on red crepe and lily of the valley embroideries."
• The skirt is made out of a heavy ivory silk that has beautiful drape. To wear it you wrap it around you and it snaps into place inside the waistband. The waistband then folds inward towards you and it creates a beautiful drape that gives it an almost sarong feel.
• I have taken a close-up of how it is gathered at the side where it folds over itself. It is all swept upwards into the waist and then the hem is rounded on that same side with a pretty upward curve.
• The top and camisole are extraordinary. Both are made out of a ivory netting that has the most elaborate embroidery covering the surface of both pieces.
• The inner top is a little tank top with straps extending out from the main body of the top to curve up and around each shoulder. The neckline is scooped at the front and the back. I love how all of the edges are rounded and edged with a pretty scalloping shape created out of corded ribbon.
• The cardigan that slips over that is easy fitting with an open front, no collar and long simple sleeves. It is cut more boxy through the body for an easy to fit feel.
• Both the camisole and cardigan are covered in elaborate 3D embroidery that creates flowers in an array of soft colours. Little red sequins and beads are also scattered throughout the pattern.
• I find it so interesting that the front of both pieces mix soft pastels and then the back of both pieces are done with the primary colour being red. This gives the two sides a distinct contrast.
• I do think that the top is so well-made that you could wear it either way around and decide what colour you want to have at the front so it can match the front of the cardigan or contrast it.
• The embroidery is made out of thread, cording and silk ribbon and it really is extraordinary. This would have all been done by hand. I have taken many close-ups for you to see how elaborate it is.
• The camisole and cardigan are unlined and have a slight transparency. The camisole closes with a hidden set side zipper and the cardigan has no closures. The skirt is lined in a ivory silk chiffon and snaps into place along the waist as described above. I see one tiny reddish mark on the back near the waist. Please see the photo after the label shot. If you wear the cardigan and top with it and over top of the skirt band you do not see it. 
• The skirt is tagged a vintage Valentino 12 and neither the top or cardigan has a size tag
• Excellent condition with one flaw noted above

Cardigan
Sleeves: 19" and are 10.5" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam 
Total length: 19" from top of bodice to waist

Camisole
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 18" from top of bodice to waist

Skirt
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 38" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5333

Reference Photos/Video: Spring 2000 Valentino, Look 84.

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.