valentino

Spectacular c.1978 Valentino Blue & Coral Floral Silk Halter Backless Dress

This is the exact dress that Martha Hunt wore to the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Amal Clooney also wore a more graphic print version of this dress at one point in a different print and colorway. Hers was more graphic and did not have the same ruffles and softness that this one does. I think this floral one is just the prettiest thing I have ever seen. The dress is spectacular and even landed Martha in the Harper's Bazaar round up of the best looks from Cannes that season.

The dress is a work of art and the silk chiffon used to make it is some of the finest, lightest chiffon I have seen. The fabric is notoriously difficult to work with and with all the intricate pleats and detailing, putting this together would have taken a lot of man hours. The dress is all finished by hand is is just spectacular. The halter top is made of two long panels of fabric that are cut wider where they go over the bust and then narrow a bit to extend into very long ties that tie behind the neck. Each is finished with a ruffled edging and this gives it both a soft and hyper feminine feel and also softens that deep plunge and hides that touch of transparency of each halter a bit. The waist is more structured and is a wide panel of banding that wraps around you. It is top stitched all the way around and has additional layers of fabric built inside to give it more structure. The skirt flows to the floor from there and it is a soft, floating cascade of the silk over an inner silk lining. The skirt is pleated around the hips so that you get a slim feel there and then opens out so it is soft and flowing below that. Excellent condition with two notes to review below

The halter is unlined and semi-transparent. The waist band is lined in a blue silk and has some structure. The skirt is lined in a blue silk crepe. It ties to close at the back neck and has a low painted metal zipper below the waist. There are two tiny well done repairs, one along the zipper and at the base of the zipper, and then another in the skirt at the back above the hem. Some other tiny repaired holes here and there and marks on the inner lining. None detract and once on you don't see any of them. It is fabulous. Hand finished throughout. Note that it does close at the back. It is just a touch small on my dress form. Tagged a vintage Valentino 6

Bust: no true seams and adjustable
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 15" from top of bodice to top of waist band but fully adjustable with the ties
Skirt: "45 from top of waist band under bust to hem. Waist band is 4.5"

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3487

Reference Photo: (1) Martha Hunt in Valentino, Cannes, 2018.  /  (2) Martha Hunt featured in Harper's Bazaar.

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.

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