• The dress dates to the early -mid 1990s (maybe the late 1980s).
• It was made under the creative direction of Azzedine Alaia.
• Azzedine Alaia pieces are always a delight to find. His knits were all self developed and are among the best out there. He started his career as a dressmakers assistant  and copied couture gowns for wealthy Tunisian clients. In 1957 he moved to Paris and worked for Christian Dior for a grand total of five days. He then moved to Guy Laroche and quietly started to get private commissions on the side. By 1960 he was doing mainly private work and within a few years established a small salon on the Left Bank where he continued designing privately. He stayed at that salon until 1984.
• During this time period he also did private freelance work for other designers including Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler and even Yves Saint Laurent. It was not until 1981 that he launched his first official collection and by 1983 he had a boutique in Beverley Hills. 
• The French Ministry of Culture honoured him with the Designer of the Year award in 1985. In 1993 he decided that the established fashion show schedule was not for him and he stopped producing a new collection every season. Instead he showed when his collections were ready and continued to do so until his death in 2017. 
• This is a fantastic example of his earlier work and is still in fantastic condition.
• The dress is made out of a ribbed cable knit fleece wool that has a small percentage of other components to help give it some stretch and support. This makes it sit beautifully over the body and hug your curves as his dresses are known for.
• The neck is scooped and slightly squared off at the front and the shoulders are soft. From there the sleeves extend out over the arm and then the cuff flares out. I love the change in the design of the knit for the cuffs to add a little unexpected detail.
• It skims over the bust and waist and then curves back out over the hips. The skirt starts just under the top of the hips and is cut short as it flares out around you. Many of his pieces had that bit of a skater skirt feel to them and this is a fabulous example of that.
• The skirt has a slightly more scalloped ribbing than the knit of the body and the very bottom of the skirt changes once more to match the finish of the cuffs.
• Hidden underneath the mini skirt is a pair of knit stretch boy shorts that snap into place underneath you.
• These inner built-in shorts were a famous detail in his dresses and made wearing such short pieces without the fear of being exposed when you moved.
• The dress is unlined with built-in shorts and closes with a hidden set back zipper. The shorts snap to close with three snaps. The knit does have some stretch and I have put the comfortable range when laying flat below.
• Tagged a vintage Alaia medium
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 27.5" and they are 11.5-14" around the upper arms
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 17-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17-19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 22" from top of shoulder to the seam at the top of the skirt
Total length: 34" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5564

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 dress is from the Fall 1993 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Azzedine Alaia.
• Azzedine Alaia pieces are always a delight to find. His knits were all self developed and are among the best out there. He started his career as a dressmakers assistant  and copied couture gowns for wealthy Tunisian clients. In 1957 he moved to Paris and worked for Christian Dior for a grand total of five days. He then moved to Guy Laroche and quietly started to get private commissions on the side. By 1960 he was doing mainly private work and within a few years established a small salon on the Left Bank where he continued designing privately. He stayed at that salon until 1984.
• During this time period he also did private freelance work for other designers including Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler and even Yves Saint Laurent. It was not until 1981 that he launched his first official collection and by 1983 he had a boutique in Beverley Hills. 
• The French Ministry of Culture honoured him with the Designer of the Year award in 1985. In 1993 he decided that the established fashion show schedule was not for him and he stopped producing a new collection every season. Instead he showed when his collections were ready and continued to do so until his death in 2017. 
• This is a fantastic and well known a piece that is very desired by collectors. We have included reference photos of other pieces from the collection that have become important milestones of his earlier work.
• The dress is made out of a ribbed cable knit wool that has a small percentage of other components to help give it some stretch and support. This makes it sit beautifully over the body and hug your curves as his dresses are known for.
• The neck has a pretty ribbed finish and the shoulders are soft.
• From there the sleeves extend out over the arm and it is here that you see the first of the detailing that makes this dress such a standout.
• Starting at about the elbow the ribbing of the dress changes to a oval pattern that is open and bare in the middle of each oval so that the skin underneath is fully exposed. These gradually get larger in size as they fall to the wrist. The knit between the the oval pattern extends out to become the fringes that fall over your hands. This adds incredible movement and is just extraordinary.
• The body of the dress skims over the bust and waist and then curves back out over the hips. The skirt starts just under the top of the hips and is cut short as it flares out around you. Many of his pieces had that bit of a skater skirt feel to them and this is a fabulous example of that.
• The skirt has that same extraordinary open cut out detailing as the sleeves and even though it is not as short as some of his other pieces often were, having the cut outs expose your skin underneath makes it very sexy.
• I love that the cut outs through the skirt allow you to decide what to wear underneath and be as bare or covered as you choose to be.
• The skirt is then also finished with those same wide knit fringing so you get incredible movement around you when you move and walk.
• This is one of his best known collections and a very rare piece to find.
• The dress is unlined and closes with a hidden set back zipper. The knit does have some stretch and I have put the comfortable range when laying flat below.
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 27" and they are 11-13" around the upper arms
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 16-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16-19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 22" from top of shoulder to the point where the cut outs begin on the skirt
Total length: 37" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5566

Reference Photos: (1-2) Nadja Auerman in Alaia, photographed by Gilles Bensimon, for Elle France, December 1993.  /  (3) Alaia dress in The MET Collection.

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 walked the runway for the Fall 1996 Nina Ricci Haute Couture show
• It was made under the creative direction of Gerard Pipart.
• The Nina Ricci brand was founded in 1932 at 20 Rue de Capucines in Paris. In 1964 Gérard Pipart succeeded Jules-François Crahay, Nina Ricci's former designer assistant, as head of the brand. Pipart, who had previously worked for Balmain, Fath, and Patou, brought a wide range of experience in all aspects of fashion to the brand. 
• Over the following three decades, Pipart's couture vision 'celebrated a flamboyant woman and his ready-to-wear found a loyal following among the most stylish women of the day.' He headed the Couture division until 1998.
• This is an incredible and very beautiful piece of Haute Couture and would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• This dress is a masterpiece and really showcases how beautiful a piece of true couture can be. Everything about its construction is done at a master level.
• The bodice is strapless and curves down at the front beautifully to dip between the breasts. It does the same at the back but with a slightly less deep dip.
• The entire bodice is covered with an elaborate design that blends hand embroidery with metallic silver thread, tiny seed beads in black, and gold tube beads. This would have all been completely done by hand and I would not be surprised to learn that this was by Lesage. It is absolutely magnificent.
• That outer embellished layer tops an inner bodice that is boned and shaped around you. You can actually lift the exterior bottom of the bodice and see some of the work underneath and it is just incredible to see the detail that has gone into this. I have added a photo of that for you to see. It really showcases the attention to detail this dress was made with.
• Under that the skirt is made out of a soft pewter silk that is a very high-quality. It has a slight silver grey feel to it that is lovely. The way that the skirt falls is just extra extraordinary. It is so full and voluminous as it curves outward and down to the floor. To achieve that shape there is an elaborate built-in underskirt that is all hidden. It is made out of a stiffened net that you can feel through the inner silk lining. It is set in those beautiful rounded pleats that you see on the outer skirt and gives the support needed to hold those shapes. We have not added any crinolines under the skirt. All of that volume is created because of the brilliant infrastructure underneath.
• The back of the skirt is cut slightly longer then the front for a beautiful sweeping feel behind you.
• It is fully lined in a handset silk and closes with a side set zipper. An inner waist stay hooks to close. There is hidden boning through the bodice and structure through the hips as described above. I see evidence that some of the seams around the inner waist were let out at some point.
• The proper Haute Couture label is present.
• There is no size tag so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 8" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 52.5" from top of bodice to front hem and the back extends another 5.5" beyond that. There is an extremely deep hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5550

Reference Photos: Fall 1996 Nina Ricci Haute Couture.

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 incredible dress walked the runway for the Fall 1995 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of the original Mr. Valentino.
• I love that we have runway reference photos so that you can see how phenomenal this is once on the body. 
• This is a fantastically rare dress by the original Mr. Valentino and it is extraordinarily beautiful.
• The dress combines an inky black velvet with portions covered in glossy black sequins that are densely applied. Little bits of lace give it that touch of Valentino femininity.
• Black piping outlines the neckline and the neckline scoops in a soft V down the front. The piping continues up and over the shoulders and then crosses over the bare and exposed back. Lace has been added along the length of the entire piping for the prettiest finishing detail.
• The bodice is shaped and comes in at the waist to a low seam that sits just below the natural waist. The entire bodice has been finished with tiny little black sequins that are densely applied so that they slightly overlap. 
• I love how the rows that they are set in are slightly angled. This is all a clever way to give illusion of more shape through the body. The sequins sit inside four vertical panels across the front and the direction of the sequins changes so you get this incredible hitting of the light on the sequins from every angle.
• The skirt is made out of rich black velvet and I love the combination of the velvet and sequins together. The richness of each textile perfectly compliments the other.
• As the skirt falls to the floor it flares out dramatically and is extremely wide. When I lay it out flat the bottom is a full circle around. This has been achieved by long triangles of sequins set in around the entire hem of the skirt.
• The triangles have a black net backing so if the light hits them in the right way they have a sense of transparency contrasting further to the velvet and adding to the beauty of the dress once it is on the body.
• The sequin triangles have been laid out with the same technique as the rows on the bodice. They are set on angles that meet at a middle point. This allows them to catch the maximum amount of light from every angle.
• Each triangle is finished with the same lace edging that you see on the bodice. Inside the inner edge of the hem there is a band of stiffened netting that helps to hold the shape and volume around you. When you move the skirt moves around you and it is absolutely incredible.
• It is really an outstanding example of his work during this time period.
• The dress is fully lined in a silky black silk and closes with a hidden set side zipper. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. The bias cut should allow it to work on a range of sizes and frames.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: 13-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under natural waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 17.5" from top of shoulder to seam under natural waist
Total length: 61.5" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5546

Reference Photos: Fall 1995 Valentino. Model: Stella Tennant.

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 gorgeous dress walked the Fall 1986 runway.
• It was made under the creative direction of the original Mr Valentino.
• This is an exceptional example of Valentino's work that he was doing during the 1980s. Finding pieces from this time period in such immaculate condition is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop.
• In 2022 Sara Sampaio wore one backwards on the red carpet. 
• I love having the red carpet and runway photo so that you can see how the dress can be worn either way around. We also photoed it both ways so that you can see how it lies. 
• The dress is made out of an inky black velvet and then the back inset and end of each sleeve are made out of a stiffened silk chiffon fine net that has the rows of glittering rhinestones set onto it
• The dress has all of the red carpet feel that you look for in the best of his work. The shoulders are shaped with inner padding, and then they extend down into the sleeves, which are wider at the tops near the shoulder and narrow to those amazing cuffs.
• Each cuff is a band of the silk that has hand applied horizontal rows of rhinestones wrapped around them for a glamorous finish. I love this extra detail that lets you have that bit of glitz no matter which way around you decide to wear the dress.
• The bodice is meant to skim out from the shoulders. The same shape is repeated at the back.
• The waist is brought in with subtle darting and then it curves out and over the hips to fall to the floor, widening out slightly as it near the hem.
• The inset of net and rhinestones has been set on a sharp angle that extends to the lower back. When this is turned around to be worn at the front, it goes down to the low waist. There is transparency here so if you do decide to wear it to the front you can also decide how daring you want to be as far as what you wear underneath.
• This is an exceptional and early example of his work.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk organza with the areas covered in rhinestones having transparency between the rows. It closes with a hidden set zipper placed at what was traditionally the front. Padding in each shoulder. Each cuff closes with a hidden set zipper. The back skirt extends slightly longer and has a bit of fullness. If you wear the rhinestone side to the front, you will have that little bit of extra fabric there.
• Tagged a vintage Valentino 8
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23" and they are 14" around the upper arm
Shoulders: no true seams and the padding let them extend slightly off the edges of the shoulder
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 56" from top of shoulder to front hem and the back extends another 3" past that at the centre longest point with approximately 2" turned under the ham. 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD5547

Reference Photos: (1) Fall 1986 Valentino.  /  (2-5) Sara Sampaio at the Red Sea Film Festival, December 2022.

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.