• This set is from the Spring 1974 YSL Rive Gauche collection
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent
• We found several reference photos of other pieces that appeared on the runway that have the same print. The print is also documented in one of the books on his work. The twin of this may also have been presented on the runway but there is not full documentation of these earlier collections.
• I love that it is a set made up of two pieces. It looks like a full dress when worn together but you still have the versatility of being able to mix and match each piece with things you already have in your wardrobe.
• The colours in the silk chiffon are amazing. The silk has held the colour extremely well and they are as crisp and vibrant as the day it went on the shop floor. 
• Yves was a master at choosing the fabrics that were the perfect compliment to the prints that he used. This dress is no exception to that rule with its riot of bright blue and red flowers covering its surface. The choice of the silk chiffon make both pieces feather light and allow the skirt to float around you when you move. 
• The bodice is cut to skim over you with a loose and easy feel that is close to a box cut. It buttons at the front with matching silk covered buttons. The collar is neat and extends out into an attached tie at the neck. The shoulders are soft and the sleeves go to just around the elbow. Each one is cuffed and full above their cuffs so that they puff out around your arm. I have shown the top both tucked and un-tucked so you can get an idea of the cut. I love the slight transparency that the top has with its single layer of silk chiffon.
• The waist of the skirt is finished with a small band for shape and then it curves out to be more loose and generous over the hips. From there it falls to the floor. It flares out quite a bit as it nears the hem and one side of the hem is cut slightly shorter than the other. You see this often in his work from this time period. It allows for a little bit added movement and it seems to have been a bit of a signature for him during this era. 
• The top is unlined and the skirt has a lining of a nude silk chiffon. The top buttons to close and each cuff buttons to close. There is an attached tie at the neck of the top. The skirt closes at the side with a flat hook and eye at the waist and a zipper under that. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• The top is tagged a 38 and the skirt is tagged a 40
• Excellent condition

Top
Sleeves: 16" and they are 14" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 14.5"
Bust-waist: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom seam: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 21.5" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13" from waist to hem
Hips: open
Total length: 43.5" from waist to the longest side of the hem, 40.5" to the shortest

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5448

Reference Photos: (1-3) Spring 1974 Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche.  /  (4-5) From the book "YSL Lexicon".

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 the actual runway sample piece that walked the runway for the Spring 1978 Philippe Venet show.
• It was made under the creative direction of Philippe Venet.
• The dress has it proper Couture tag and its handwritten tag designating its show number and the model. I love that we found a reference photo so you can see how fantastic this dress is once it is on an actual body.
• Philippe Venet apprenticed to a local tailor who was authorized to make Balenciaga designs. In 1951 he moved to Paris and became a cutter to Schaparelli. From there he met Hubert de Givenchy and in 1962 joined his atelier where he was the head cutter. In 1964 he opened his own Haute Couture label with Givenchy's blessings and support. His work tended towards minimalism and clean lines. His business was never as large as Givenchy's which allowed him to be more hands on for a longer period of time. Couture pieces from him are very rare and hard to find. 
• The fact that it is the actual sample piece makes it even that much more special.
• Its construction is at the level of a runway sample. So you do see some slight roughness in some of the seams, even though everything is completely done by hand. This is appropriate for a couture runway sample.
• Both pieces are made from the palest possible mint green silk. The colour is magical and as good as it is in the photos, it is better in person.
• The dress is two pieces. There is an inner dress which I have photoed on its own so you can see it's construction. This is suspended by tiny straps that curve over the shoulders and then crisscross at the back.
• The back is left bare and exposed. The V at the back is set slightly off centre and it follows the pretty angle of the hem. To make this work, the zipper has been set slightly off-side at the base of that V rather than in the exact centre.
• This inner dress glides over the body in a beautiful bias cut that has a more generous cut waist, curves over the hips and then falls to the angled hem.
• Over this goes a loop panel fabric that is attached at one shoulder and then falls down and over the inner dress. The closed side of it is what causes the dramatic swoop and drape you see.
• I love that you can wear this overlay on either side and it creates two different looks. If you wear it on the same one shoulder look side, the whole looks takes on the feel of a more one shoulder dress. If you wear it on the other side you get this interesting cross-over effect at the top and at the hem.
• This really gives you three dresses in one because you can wear the inner dress on its own and then depending which shoulder you wear the outer piece you get two distinct looks from that.
• This is very rare piece of documented Venet with the extra fashion history of knowing that it was the actual runway piece.
• Both pieces are unlined and slip on to wear. There is a hand set zipper at the back of the dress as described above. It is entirely made by hand. There are some small marks on the dress here and there. Everything is minor and it is wearable as is. I have added several shots so you can see. It is not perfect, but it is 100% sound and wearable as is. All of the flaws are minor. Its easy draping cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes.
• There is no size tag present, so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Inner dress
Bust: 15-17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 58" from top of bodice to the longest point and 42" to the shortest.

The overlay
It slips on to wear and will fit any size because of its open cut down the side. It is 61" from the top of the shoulder to the longest point.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5446

Reference Photo: Spring 1978 Philippe Venet 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.

• This Givenchy dress dates to the mid-late 1980s, maybe early 1990s
• It was made under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy.
• In 1952, Givenchy founded his namesake house on Rue Alfred de Vigny in Paris and quickly rose to fame as one of the grand couturiers. 16 years later for the 1968-69 season, he added a ready-to-wear line of clothing and accessories called 'Givenchy Nouvelle Boutique'. The line was initially sold in the United States exclusively through Bergdorf Goodman stores and was eventually available at other retailers as well. The line was high end and extremely well made. He launched this line to expand his customer base and it made to appeal specifically to his non-couture clients. This label continued until 1992.
• This dress has the Givenchy Boutique label without the Nouvelle added and as far as I am aware this label was usually reserved for special orders that were made in the atelier and then shipped to the client without any Paris fittings. 
• You can see that in the many hand finishes throughout the dress. This level of construction can be considered Demi Couture from this time period.
• The dress is made out of a beautiful silk brocade that has pink and copper flowers woven throughout the fabric. The pink and slightly coral parts of the flowers are done in a more matte thread and then the copper and gold parts are done with a metallic thread. As a result the flowers almost seem to glow off of the silk. It is an incredible vintage fabric.
• The top of the dress has a low squared off neckline at the front that is made from a black velvet. It curves up and over your shoulders and has the same squared off opening at the back.
• At the front it dips slightly at the centre and placed exactly in the middle of that dip is a large black bow of the same velvet that has stiffened netting inside to help hold its shape.
• The sleeves are gorgeous. Each shoulder is shaped into a high cap. To help support the bit of a rise above the shoulder there is a stiffen thicker grosgrain ribbon that is pleated and stitched into place along the edge of the inner shoulder to add support.
• The sleeves are cut so that they curve over your arm and narrow down slightly to a zippered wrist.
• The top is meant to be more fitted and create a more empire feel.
• The dress is shaped through the waist area with vertical darts to bring the fabric in and create the curve that you see.
• The skirt falls to the floor from there and it flares out quite dramatically by the time it reaches the hem. I love how the width of the lower skirt perfectly balances the shape through the upper bodice.
• It is spectacular and the cut and design are phenomenal. This is classic Givenchy for this time period.
• The dress is backed in the same velvet where it goes over your shoulders and then the bodice and rest of the dress are lined in a black silk chiffon. It closes with a back zipper and there is a zipper at the end of each cuff. Hand finishes throughout and very well made. 
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 24" and they are 16" around the upper arms
Shoulders: no true defined seam
Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 12" from top of shoulder to where the velvet ends under the bust
Total length: 57.5" from top of shoulder to front hem, 59" to the back hem with 2" turned under

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5429

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 dates to 1970 based on the documentation that we found on the print.
• A rare example of the work that Thea Porter was producing during this time period.
• Knowing that the print was designed by Sandra Monroe, adds an extra layer to the history of the dress. The example of the print was sourced from the book on the Thea Porter's work that accompanied the exhibit on her work. Many of the examples in that book came from our archives.
• The neckline comes down in a V at the front and I love how the bodice on both sides has been created by the fabric being gathered into a diamond shaped pin tuck technique. That amazing hand stitched work curves up and over the shoulders and ends just on the other side of the top of the shoulders.
• Directly under that is a band in the same fabric that is cut on an upward curve to match the seams of the bust.
• The skirt flared out from under that and why them out as it near the hem. This may have been a full length dress at some point or it may not have been. Pieces were often altered and modified in the shop to suit the client or girls would change them afterwards.
• Either way it's an amazing mini now or could be worn as a tunic over pants or a skirt depending on your height and how daring you want to be.
• The sleeves are absolutely incredible. They come out from the waist area and widen out to be very full with a bit of a point to drop at their ends. I love the movement that this creates once it is on and how the sleeves only emphasize the length of the dress since they go just past the hem of the skirt.
• Whether you choose to wear this as a mini or tunic, it has that amazing easy to wear feel to it that her pieces so often have.
• This is an exceptional and rare example of her work. 
• The dress is fully lined in a blue silk and it closes with a back zipper. Some of the thread work and the silk on the inner seams of the lining has disintegrated and I see some additional small repairs/marks to the inner lining here and there. None of this is seen once of course but mentioned for accuracy. One tiny repair near the seam of the arm.
• There is no size tag president so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 33.5" and are very full and open around the upper arm
Slightly dropped shoulders: to 16"
Bust: no true side seams
Waist: to 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam and then you can use the attached ties to cinch it in as much as you want.
Hips: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to V at waist, 15" to the seam under the band
Total length: 31" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5427

Reference Photos: Sandra Munro's 1970 textile design based on Samawa carpets from the book "Thea Porter: Bohemian Chic".

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 Haute Couture Gres skirt and top hat from Spring 1974.
• It was made under the creative direction of Madame Gres.
• The documented to Spring 1974 was done through the sketch of it that we have added here.
• This is the exact set that was worn by Annabelle Wallis. I love that the photos of her show how beautiful this is once it is on. The movement even through the static photographs is phenomenal.
• Madame Gres' work has had profound effects on Haute Couture and her influence still resonates to this day. Her attention to detail, master draping techniques, and respect for the female form is unparalleled. She was known for designing and creating garments directly on her models and this became a signature of her work.
• She opened her first atelier, La Maison Alix in 1932. A partnership briefly changed the house's name to Alix Barton and then the label went to simply Alix. In 1942 she married, and the label made its last change to became Madame Gres, which was a partial anagram of Serge, her husband's first name. Her work spans over five full decades with the vast majority of it, with the exception of a short-lived RTW line begun in 1980, dedicated solely to creating Haute Couture. She is one of the greatest couturiers of our time and her pieces are very rare and hard to find.
• This Haute Couture set is exceptional. Both pieces are made from a bias cut silk jersey done in a perfect tropical sea blue that has a touch of turquoise to it. Silk jersey was one of her signature fabrics. The pleating detailing on the bodice of this set is one of her signature techniques.
• As with many of her pieces the cut and design of both pieces are simple and minimalist but with maximum impact.
• Tiny straps made from the same jersey curve over the shoulders. Under that is the incredible hand-pleated bandeau bodice. Two panels of pleated silk jersey curve around each and wrap behind you creating a curving pattern with openings between the curves all the way around.
• The silk jersey on the bands has been pleated entirely by hand with tiny little hand stitches hidden in the folds. 
• It is lightly boned inside and completely made by hand. You can see all the hand work in the photos where I have shown the back. It wraps and curves over itself at the back and closes with two hidden sets of hook and eye. 
• An expanse of bare skin sits between the top and the skirt. Depending on your height, the amount of skin shown between the skirt and top will vary.
• The skirt falls from the waist in a swoop of bias cut silk jersey that widens out as it nears the hem. There are yards and yards of jersey in the skirt. You really get an idea of that in the photos of Annabelle. It is quite exceptional.
• Every seam on the dress has been finished by hand. Working with a bias cut silk jersey in this manner is an incredible achievement that would have taken countless hours of handwork to complete.
• It is a work of art and very rare. It very well may be the only one that exists.
  
• The top is lined in a matching silk with all of the hand were clearly seen. It is lightly boned and hooks to close. The skirt hooks to close at the waist and then snaps under that. I see a bit of grubbiness on the inner lining of the top and on some of the edges of the top and the waistband of the skirt. There is the occasional tiny pull in the jersey. The straps have been reinforced. The hem of the skirt is deliberately raw. I see a couple tiny pinhead holes in the jersey of the skirt near the hem. There is so much fabric in the skirt that you would never see them but it is mentioned for accuracy. The dress is unlabelled. Both pieces are finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely made by hand. 
• There is no size tag is present because it is true Haute Couture so please go by the measurements below. 
• Excellent condition

Bandeau top
Bust: best fits a 32A or 32smallB or smaller
Bottom hem: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: approx 13" from top of shoulder to bottom

Skirt
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 43" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD5425

Reference Photos: (1) Spring 1974 Madame Gres sketch from the Palais Galliera Collection.  /  (2-5) Annabelle Wallis in this set, 2024.

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.