• The twin of the dress walked the runway for the Spring 1988 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix
• I love that the runway shots show just how phenomenal the dress is once on the body. It feels as relevant now as it did then.
• Lacroix's Luxe label was only produced the very first couple of seasons after launching his label. It was a very high-end (very expensive) ready-to-wear line that was made to demi-couture standards. It was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. It was the predecessor to his regular ready-to-wear collections. The label only lasted the first two seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces. Very few pieces were made so they are almost as rare as finding one of his Haute Couture pieces.
• The dress is spectacular.It is made out of a cotton pique that has a gorgeous texture running through it. A white dot pattern pops off the red backdrop.
• It is meant to be fitted to the body. The inner bodice is boned and shaped and I love the two black grosgrain bows that sit on the top of each peak. The back dips quite low to expose an expanse of bare skin. 
• Black grosgrain straps have been tacked into place at some point. The dress was shown originally and produced as a strapless piece. It would be easy to tack the straps if you prefer it that way or just tuck them in so you can wear it either way.
• It curves in at the waist and the inner underskirt is attached there and acts almost like a bit of a corset around the waist. 
• The skirt has wide inverted flat pleats that open out to achieve the fullness that you see and this falls over an inner attached underskirt.
• The underskirt underneath is what gives the dress its incredible volume. It is made out of a stiffened white net and all the volume that you see is from the underskirt. It has added built-in side panniers inside to add extra volume and hold the width of the skirt. The very lower edge is finished with a stiffened netting and then that is covered with a band of black lace that peeks out from under the edge of the skirt.
• The best part about the dress is that it still has its original little removable 'sleeves'. Each is made out of the same red fabric and slips over your arm to sit high on the upper arm. They are lined with organza inside so once on the arm, they hold their gorgeous puffed shape. 
• The dress is fully lined in a white silk through the bodice and has built in boning to hold it in place around you. The inner attached skirt hooks to close around the waist and the dress zips to close over that. Hand finishes throughout. I see a couple of extremely minor marks on the inner lining and a couple of the dots on the exterior have just slightly faintly yellowed. It is extremely minor but mentioned for accuracy. It otherwise appears to have been worn very little if at all.
• There is no size tag so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: the openings are elastic. The larger opening is 12" around and will stretch to a mass of 18" around. The smaller opening is approximately 10" and will stretch to 18" around.
Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approximately 11" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 32" from from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5781

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 the dress walked the runway for the Spring 1988 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix
• The dress is very well documented. Besides the runway shots it was photographed on Yasmin Le Bon and one is held in the permanent archives of The Met Museum.
• Lacroix's Luxe label was only produced the very first couple of seasons after launching his label. It was a very high-end (very expensive) ready-to-wear line that was made to demi-couture standards. It was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. It was the predecessor to his regular ready-to-wear collections. The label only lasted the first two seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces. Very few pieces were made so they are almost as rare as finding one of his Haute Couture pieces.
• The dress is spectacular. It is strapless and meant to be fitted to the body. The bodice is covered with a black lace that is finished with an iridescent silk ribbon that follows the underlying pattern. This gives it a gorgeous 3D texture.
• The inner bodice is boned and shaped and I love the two pink grosgrain bows that sit on the top of each peak. The back dips quite low to expose an expanse of bare skin.
• It curves in at the waist and the inner underskirt is attached there and acts almost like a bit of a corset around the waist. 
• The bodice ends in a point at the front and the back with the skirt is set under its edge. The skirt has wide inverted flat pleats that open out to achieve the fullness that you see. The skirt is made out of a brilliant yellow silk and I love the vibrant colour and contrast to the pink bows.
• Over that yellow silk base is a lace overlay that combines a striped lace with a floral. The lace lets the yellow peek through and it adds a bit of a cabaret feel to the dress.
• The underskirt underneath is what gives the dress its incredible volume. It is made out of a stiffened lace and all the volume that you see is from the underskirt. It has added built-in side panniers inside to add extra volume and hold the width of the skirt. The very lower edge is finished with a stiffened netting and then that is covered with a band of black lace that peeks out from under the edge of the skirt.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk through the bodice and has built in boning to hold it in place around you. The inner attached skirt hooks to close around the waist and the dress zips to close over that. Hand finishes throughout. I see a couple of extremely minor marks near the hem at the back. Please see the photo after the label shot. Perhaps the tiniest bit of fade to the pink ribbons but this feels more like natural aging than a flaw. It otherwise appears to have been more very little if at all.
• There is no size tag so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 11.5" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 31" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5764

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 Spring 1988 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix
• The dress is very well documented. It is also extra interesting because its counterpart on the runway was actually shown for his Haute Couture collection. This dress perfectly walks the line between Couture and Demi-Couture.
• Lacroix's Luxe label was only produced the very first couple of seasons after launching his label. It was a very high-end (very expensive) ready-to-wear line that was made to demi-couture standards. It was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. It was the predecessor to his regular ready-to-wear collections. The label only lasted the first two seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces. Very few pieces were made so they are almost as rare as finding one of his Haute Couture pieces.
• The dress is spectacular. It is made from a silk that has a heavy texture to it and then the way that he has gathered the dress in places to emphasize the design highlights the texture even more.
• It is fitted through the bodice and I love how this counteracts the volume of the skirt. The silk is gathered horizontally and boning sits inside and runs vertically up to the front peaks. A zipper runs down the centre of the bodice and into the skirt. As it runs around to the back it dips down on a curve to leave most of your upper back bare and exposed.
• It cinches in at the waist and the inner underskirt is attached all the way around you inside. It has a stiffer band around its waist that acts like a corset. 
• The skirt is phenomenal. It is one of the best that I have ever seen from him.
• The top layer of the skirt is backed with a stiffened organza and then the same silk used on the bodice covers that. Onto that he has put panels of the textured silk that have been gathered into vertical ruffles and attached to the skirt down there centres. These are spaced perfectly apart all the way around the entire skirt and they add to the incredible volume that the skirt has.
• The underskirt helps to give the dress the support it needs to hold its shape. It is made out of a stiffened fine mesh net and it has added built-in side panniers to add extra volume and hold the width of the skirt. The very lower edge is finished with stiffened netting and then that is covered with a band of black lace that peeks out from under the edge of the skirt.
• The final perfect finish is the attached shoulder piece. This extends out from from the centre of the bodice and is a wide panel that wraps around the shoulder. You can really get a better sense of how this sits on the body from the runway and editorial photos.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk through the bodice and has built in boning to hold it in place around you. The inner attached skirt hooks at the waist and the dress zips to close over that at the front. Hand finishes throughout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.
• There is no size tag so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 10.5" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 31" from top of bodice to hem not including the shoulder piece. 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5762

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 very special and an extremely well documented piece from Spring 1988 collection. 
• It was made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix.
• It has the special added provenance of being the twin of one of the four dresses portrayed in that instantly recognizable photo taken in his atelier that year. That photo is perhaps one of the most famous photos in the Lacroix history.
• The dress is from his Luxe label that was only produced the very first couple of seasons.
• It was very high end expensive ready-to-wear that was made to near couture standards and was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. The label was the predecessor to his later regular ready-to-wear collections. It is said that this label only lasted a couple of seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces.
• We found numerous reference photos of the dress as it appeared on the runway so you have an amazing idea of how this dress looks on the body.
• The dress is made out of a printed silk organza that has a slight texture running through it.
• Onto that is a glorious floral pattern in pinks and yellow with pops of green. It feels so vibrant and beautiful with that gorgeous print.
• The sleeves are long and they are cut on a slight curve in the traditional couture manner.
• The shoulders are lightly shaped and the front falls into a shallow V.
• The dress has a little bit of gathering just at the bust area down the centre seam and then it falls smoothly  to the hem under that.
• It is cut to skim over you through the body with just a suggestion of shape through the waist.
• At the back the bottom 9" of the skirt has an inset bustle. The fabric there is gathered into a curving seam and there are three black organza half bows stacked one on top of the other to create a bustle feel.
• This is one of his most famous dresses and its amazing. It can be considered to be Demi-Couture.
• The body of the dress is fully lined in a black silk and the sleeves are lined in a white silk. The dress zips to close at the back and each cuff has a zipper to close it. Light padding in the shoulders. Laughing hilarious. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.
• Tagged a vintage Lacroix 44
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 22.5" and they are 13" around the upper arm
Slightly dropped shoulders: 17"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 35" from top of shoulder to hem with 2" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD5714

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.

• Note that due to new regulations this coat can only ship to a Canadian address 
  
• This appears to be the actual Haute Couture sample coat that walked the runway for the Fall 1985 Jean Patou collection for Look 12
• Made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix 
  
• This is an extremely rare and important piece of fashion history. Very few pieces of his work at Patou come up for sale and this is more then likely the only piece to exist.
• Made in the Paris atelier
• Made of a soft orange wool shaped in an enveloping cocoon shape highly reminiscent of a 1920s flapper coat.
• It is all cut on the bias so once it is on the body it wraps around you beautifully. It is extraordinary. 
  
• The sleeves are quite extremely wide and they have a long wide cuff that flips up and over the sleeve. The cuff is completely covered in hand dyed feathers.
• More of the same hand dyed feathers are used to create a huge shawl collar that drapes down and over the shoulders. It continues to run all the way to the hem and circles around to the back hem.
• The coat narrows in as it reaches its bottom. This is a classic cut for this style of cocoon coat
• It feels wonderfully decadent and opulent, both key design elements in Lacroix's work. It is literally like wearing a work of art.
• Partially lined in a silk through the upper body of the coat and through the sleeves. The rest is unlined.
• Has its hand written Haute Couture sample label in place and attached metal couture tag
• Excellent condition

It is very full and open and has no closures so should fit almost any size. It is approximately 52 inches from neck to hem but that will come up a bit once it is on the body.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD5048

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.