This is the ready to wear version of what walked the runway for the Fall 1992 Haute Couture show. The runway version was leather and fur but here he has decide to go full on faux. The sleeves are magnificent and have all the fullness and impact of the couture version. They are incredibly full and made of a black faux fur that is glossy and thick. The body of the coat is a textured chenille velvet that does an incredible job of mimicking astrakhan. This is achieved by the swirling fabric and palette of greys and blacks. The neck line is high and the body of the jacket is cut in a straight line. It closes down the front with buffed wooden buttons. The sleeves are the star if the show and each is a full 24" around at their widest points. The come on at the wrist and I love the contrast between the two colors and the statement the strong black sleeves make. Such impact. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk satin and closes at the front with a row of carved wood buttons. Pockets on each side. It appears to have been worn very little, if at all.

Sleeves: 25"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 26" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# C531

Reference Photos: (1) Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 1992-1993, Paris, France.  /  (2) Cherie, Owner of Shrimpton Couture.

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

This is an extremely rare and early set by North Beach Leather dating to the late 1960s, early 1970s. Michael Hoban and Frank Morgan started the label in 1967 and quickly gained a huge following. Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John... all major celebrities that wore the label. It was expensive in its day and each piece was made entirely by hand.

The set is entirely hand crafted using a combination of a deep chocolate suede, beads and feathers. The set is made up of two pieces. The top is a tiny halter top that ties onto place with the long braided suede cords that curve over the shoulders, cross and loop into the sides of the halter and then tie at the low back. This leaves you very bare across the back. The front dips low between each side of the halter triangles and the entire midriff is exposed. Hand placed feathers adorn the center. The same feather detailing is picked up on the skirt. The skirt is cut long and then wraps and buttons into place. Each button is hand covered in a matching suede and each button hole hand finished with their signature whip stitching. Feathers are hand placed in little bunches that are each finished with a a leather base that is accented with a hand made clay bead. These run down the high slit on the one side under the buttons and then around the hem. All of the edges are finished with whip stitching and you can easily see the hand work inside as well. It is incredible and a very rare example of the early work they were doing. Excellent condition

Made by hand. The top ties into place and the skirt buttons. Any variation in the suede is natural. Please read the note at the bottom of the description regrading feather pieces

Top
Bust: each triangle measures 4.5" across at its widest point. The base part of the front measures 17.5" across. The ties at the back make it variable in size otherwise
Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Skirt: 43" from waist to hem including feathers
Slit: approx 34" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3351

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

I have a small collection of historically important, key designer labelled vintage furs, feather and fur/feather trimmed pieces stored away in my archives that I will be slowly posting on the site over the next couple of years until I have none left. I will no longer be buying furs for the shop moving forward and have not purchased anything for several years now. I feel like times have changed and while there still is a place for vintage furs for some, including collectors and historians, many modern girls are choosing other options. Many of the pieces in my collection are representative of the designer during a set time period in history that was different then our modern outlook. I have decided that the best course to handle this controversial issue is to let the pieces I have go rather then sit in a cold storage unit. All fur and feather pieces are final sale.

The Balmain transformation was definitely begun while under the tutelage of Christophe Decarnin. He was the designer to bring "more hard rock and punk" to the label, which has continued to the present day under Olivier Rousteing. The review from Vogue's Nicole Phelps that year stated: "And as promised, Spring's haute hippie feathers, fringe, and tie-dye were replaced by an all-Billy Idol soundtrack and enough leopard-print chain mail, python-pattern denim, and crystal-embroidered lightning bolts to make you wonder if there was anything at all left on the shelves at Trash and Vaudeville. To be fair, Decarnin's creations are much finer than the East Village emporium's, but they appeal to a similar kind of chick, one with a killer body and an active nightlife." This is the gown that closed the show that year and is perhaps one of the most memorable and significant pieces that he designed or the house. It was produced in very limited quantities and it is a pleasure to have one in the shop.

The gown is all about movement and showing off the body in it to its best advantage. Inside there is a fitted and shaped corset that runs fro bust to hip so that you are molded and shaped to confirm to the silhouette Decarnin wished the wearer to have. It cuts across the bust with inner built in cups to give you lift and shape. An incredible zig zag made up of crystals shape and define the body further. This lightening bolt then extends up and over the shoulder to create a single strap. At the hips the dress flares out into an extended train of fabric with a mix of leopard spots and zebra print for contrast. The panels that make up the skirt are attached only from where they flow out from the body of the dress. This leave slits up to the high upper thigh that open and flash your full leg when you walk, move or sit. The train is long and dramatic. You can see how amazing this all is once it moves by the runway pics that I have included for reference. Excellent condition with one very minor thing to note below.

It closes with the signature chunky silver zipper that Balmain uses and this is set along a curved seam so that it keeps with the form fitting construction of the dress. The inner bodice is constructed from a nude colored lingerie stretch corseting nylon fabric that has built in cups and is finished by hand. The fabric is hand draped over this and the crystals and lightening bolt attached by hand.  Tagged a 40. Note that there is one small repair along the hem of the trained skirts. I have included a photo after the label photo. It is very minor and with the extensive fabric making up the trained parts of the skirt, it is something you would never see unless you lay it out flat and look for it as I did. There are many hand finishes through the dress. There is perhaps the very occasion light line in the silk from a very slight thread snag - this is natural occurrence and so very minor but mentioned for accuracy. The inner foundation garment does have some stretch I have provided the range laying flat. You might be able to squeeze a bit more on the upper end when on a real body

Bust: 15-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 11.5-12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16.5-17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice:  33" from top of shoulder to bottom of inner foundation garment
Skirt: 28.5" from bottom of inner foundation garment to shortest hem, 53" to the longest hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3115

Reference Photos: F/W 2008 Balmain Runway, Final Look.

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

This seventies coat is unusual in that it has its own little carrying case hidden away inside a pocket in the form of a zipped pouch. It's label indicates that this was a patented design and it would have been made for the girl on the go and traveling.  The leopard print has been applied to a soft jersey and the inner lining is a lightweight fabric that is probably slightly water repellent. The leopard print acts like a neutral in that you can pair it with pretty much anything and any color. It closes with a double row of buttons down the front and ties around the waist for added shape. I love the notched collar and its trench coat styling. It flares out as it reaches the hem and has front, angled flap pockets. The zip pouch double as the inside of one of those pockets. You just pull it out and voila - the travel pouch is revealed, It is quite clever. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a light taupe nylon. It closes with buttons at the front as see. Attached zip pouch inside one pocket

Sleeve: approx 24"
Shoulder: approx 15-16"
Bust: 20" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Waist: 19" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Length: 40" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# C476

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

Karlie Kloss wore the twin of this dress to the Balmain after party in Paris that season and the photos instantly went world wide. This was a peice that was available exclusively through Farfetch so very few were produced making it even harder to get. This one still has its farfetch tags and has never been worn. Olivier Rousteing said of this collection to Vogue: "Welcome to my jungle," Olivier Rousteing pronounced backstage, declaring this fearless mash-up of safari chic and hip-hop style to be his most personal collection ever. "I'm French, I'm black, and I'm proud to be at Balmain, but this is a message of freedom and globalism."

The dress is made from a leopard print jersey that is cut supermodel long. It has a open back dress that leaves an expanse of skin bare. It has the signature Balmain chunky zipper at the back that sits low below the waist, becoming a design feature in itself. The halterneck sits high at the front with a gilded and embossed lion head snaps fastening it at the back of the neck. I love the black detailing that sweeps up and around the neckline and forms a criss-cross pattern around the waist. This draws the eye in and acts both as a fabulous detailing to the dress and also it gives the illusion of a waist cinching belt and makes you look even tinier through the waist then you are. The hem is cut longer at the back then the front for a trained effect asymmetric hem and a super model long, sweeping floor-length that features a thigh-high split at the front. Original tags still attached. Excellent condition

Has a full black stretch jersey inner lining. Closes at the back of the neck with snaps and at the low back waist with a zipper. Tagged a 42 but Balmain fits small. Original tags attached. Never worn.

Bust: no true side seams
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 16 " from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 48" from waist to front hem, extends another 20" past that at the back
Front slit: 33" from hem to top of slit

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2970

Reference Photos: Karlie Kloss at the Balmain After Party on September 25, 2014 in Paris, France.

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

In the Vogue review for this collection Sarah Mower noted: "Miuccia Prada had a sound bite for her Spring collection. "It's primitive," she said, "going back to what counts." ... When the chips are down, there is no one who can turn up the thermostat of subversive sexual provocation quite as high as Mrs. Prada. Her girls, their skin glistening as if on a fevered summer's night, might have been passing through on their way to or from lovers' assignations, their clothes disarranged in various states of falling-off or looking as if they might do so at any moment. Rumpled and crinkled fabrics have been appearing all over this season, but never with such sly intent. One pull of a trailing drawstring tape and, whoops! A person could find herself half naked. There was something fabulously Italian about all this shameless reveling in femininity. The fifties overtones, with the high chignons, the ruched bras, and swishing rear action in the below-knee pencil skirts, managed to channel the heyday of Cinecittà without cliché. Best of all, this is a collection destined to look even better on a woman with a real body than it does on a teen model. And that, Mrs. Prada surely knows, really is "what counts.""

 The dress is amazing and was one of the standouts in the show. These were photoed everywhere and this snake print was one of the biggest looks of the season. This dress is particularly fabulous because of its amazing cut. It has that sexy, fitted fifties feel to it and the open sides are shocking when you catch that glimpse of bare skin. The fabric is deliberately rumpled and crinkled and I love the slimming effect the panels of black on either side of the print have on the body. It skims over your curves and ends just past the knee. On the side it buttons and is partially closed over the hip area and then up the side it ties to close allowing you to tie or loosen it to fit as you please. At the top of the shoulder it ties. Really one of the stand out Prada pieces and it feels as wearable now as it did then, perhaps even more so. Excellent condition

Unlined and closes at the side as described above. Tagged a Prada 40.

Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 35.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2829

Reference Photos: (1-2) Look 26 from S/S 2009 Prada Collection.  /  (3) S/S Prada Ad Campaign by Steven Meisel.  /  (4) Racquel Zimmerman in Prada for US Vogue March 2009. Photo by David Sims.

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

This was Look 30 in the Fall Prada collection and was only produced in limited numbers and was wait listed worldwide that season. Style.com said of this collection:

When the going gets tough, no one can cut an argument for great design with as much substance, conviction and richness of intelligence as Miuccia Prada. Using an unlikely mix of potentially dowdy British tweeds and men’s shirting, bright, lustrous William Morris prints, humble lining silks and deluxe furs and skins, she performed sheer alchemy to create a vision of high chic for hard times.....

Part of this collection’s genius is that it has continuity and ingenuity: all the hallmarks of Miuccia Prada's talent are on show. Take the way she has of ordaining the peculiar as newly desirable. This season it’s Willam Morris–by–way–of–Liberty flower prints, used as formfitting knee-length dresses, shirts and a deerstalker hat. Or her way of letting the uptight formality out of eveningwear with form-skimming dresses in unpressed lining silks or crinkled georgette, shown with fabric neck pieces (a continuation of Spring’s beaded jewelry). Visually and intellectually, this is a collection that hit the high notes. Post-show, Prada explained her endeavor to be “a desperate search for beauty as we wait for war.” Bad times or no, it's fashion guaranteed to make women desperate to shop.

The one I have here is not only a great wearable size but was never worn so looks like it stepped out of a time capsule. It is made of a soft colored leather and is finished to look like an Ostrich skin. The leather is so soft it has an almost suede feel and look to it. The cut is classic Prada with that over-sized feel and loose and easy cut. It has no front closures but was worn belted with a thick leather belt that feels like you borrowed it form your boyfriends closet. It was intended to be layered and used as a style statement with its very simplicity being the design detail needed. It is an amazing piece that feels as fresh and cutting edge now as it did the day in walked the runway. Excellent, unworn condition.

Fully lined in a white silk satin. No closures but has its original belt as seen. Tagged a Prada 42 and meant to be worn slightly over-sized

Sleeves: 18"
Shoulders: 19"
Bust: 22"-variable flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 22"-variable flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 23"-variable flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: "19.5 from top of bodice to top of waist
Skirt: 20.5" from top of waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# C380

Reference runway photo from style.com / Photographed for creative purposes by Lily and lilac (Judy inc), Stylist: Nadia Pizzimenti (Judy inc), Hair and Makeup: Sheri Stroh (plutino group), Model: Dauphine (Elmer Olsen).

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