Skip to content
What's New
All Clothing
  • All Dresses
  • Cocktail Mini to Knee
  • Day Mini to Knee
  • Day Full Length
  • Maxis & Gowns
  • Caftans
  • Wraps
  • Flappers & Gatsbys
  • Beaded & Applique
  • Jersey & Bias Cuts
  • Knits & Cashmere
  • Lace & Net
  • Lame & Metallics
  • No Defined Waist
  • One Shoulder
  • Plunge Back or Front
  • Sequins & Rhinestones
  • Shirt & Button Front
  • Silks & Chiffons
  • Sleeveless & Halters
  • Strapless
  • Velvets & Chenilles
Caftans
Bottoms
Jumpsuits
Tops
Suits & Sets
Capes & Ponchos
Coats
Jackets
All Jewels & Accessories
Bags
Scarves & Belts
Other
Jewellery
Vintage Designers
Edwardian & Before
The 1920s
The 1930s
The 1940s
The 1950s
The 1960s
The 1970s
The 1980s
The 1990s
The 2000s
The 2010s
The 2020s
XS
SML
MED
LRG
XL
OSFA
Animal Prints & Fur
Blacks
Blues
Browns
Corals & Oranges
Grays
Greens
Metallics
Multi
Pinks
Purples
Stripes
Reds
Whites & Creams
Yellow
  • Search
  • Buy a Gift Card
  • The Sold Galleries
  • Size Guide
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • We Buy Vintage
  • Layaways & Holds
  • Returns & Exchanges
  • Shipping Information
  • Payment Methods & Terms
  • Look Who's Wearing Vintage
  • Sign In
Shopping Bag

Your bag is empty

FIND US ON INSTAGRAM FOR REAL TIME PREVIEWS OF NEW ITEMS + BTS CONTENT: @SHRIMPTONCOUTURE

  • What's NewWhat's New
    Shop
    • What's New
    Shop What's New by Category
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Designer
  • ClothingClothing
    All Clothing
    • Shop All Clothing
    • Shop by Era
    • Shop by Color
    • Shop by Size
    • Jumpsuits
    • Caftans
    • Bottoms
    • Tops
    • Suits & Sets
    • Capes & Ponchos
    • Coats
    • Jackets
    Dresses
    • Cocktail Mini to Knee
    • Day Mini to Knee
    • Day Full Length
    • Maxis & Gowns
    • Flappers & Gatsbys
    • Wraps
    • Beaded & Applique
    • Jerseys & Bias Cuts
    • Knits & Cashmere
    • Lace & Net
     
    • Lame & Metallics
    • No Defined Waist
    • One Shoulder
    • Plunge Back or Front
    • Sequins & Rhinestones
    • Shirt & Button Front
    • Silks & Chiffons
    • Sleeveless & Halters
    • Strapless
    • Velvets & Chenilles
  • AccessoriesAccessories
    Accessories
    • Jewellery
    • Bags
    • Scarves & Belts
    • Other
  • Shop by DesignerShop by Designer
    Shop by Vintage Designer
    • Designers A to Z
    • Haute Couture
    • Demi Couture
    • Documented
    Our Top Picks
    • Thea Porter
    • Yves Saint Laurent
    • Christian Dior
    • Oscar De La Renta
    • Zandra Rhodes
    • Alexander McQueen
    • Chanel
    • Halston
    • Geoffrey Beene
    • Leonard Paris
     
    • Balmain
    • Emilio Pucci
    • Hanae Mori
    • Prada
    • Bill Blass
    • Valentino
    • Todd Oldham
    • Lanvin
    • Versace
    • View All Designers
  • Shop by EraShop by Era
    Shop by Era
    • Edwardian & Before
    • The 1920s
    • The 1930s
    • The 1940s
    • The 1950s
    • The 1960s
     
    • The 1970s
    • The 1980s
    • The 1990s
    • The 2000s
    • The 2010s
    • The 2020s
  • Shop by SizeShop by Size
    Shop by Size
    • XS
    • S
    • M
     
    • L
    • XL
    • OSFA
  • Shop by ColorShop by Color
    Shop by Color
    • Animal Prints & Fur
    • Blacks
    • Blues
    • Browns
    • Corals & Oranges
    • Grays
    • Greens
     
    • Metallics
    • Multi
    • Pinks
    • Purples
    • Reds
    • Stripes
    • Whites & Creams
    • Yellows
Currency
Currency
Shrimpton Couture
  • Sign In
  • Search
  • Shopping Bag (0)
1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set

james galanos

1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set

$1,200 USD
/

I Have a Question

1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set

I Have A Question: 1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set


James Galanos launched Galanos Originals in 1951. He was only 27 years old.  By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award. By 1958 he was producing clothing that could range in price from $200 to $3000, an astronomical price for ready-to-wear for that time period. When you covert to modern dollars the top end figure would be about $31,000 today. His ready-to-wear was made to couture standards and on par with the French couturiers of the time. Grace Kelly was a huge fan and his work is held in all of the major museums around the world. He is one of my personal favourites and this set is an exquisite and very special example of his work.

This set was custom made for, and is from the estate of, 1950s model Betsy Pickering Kaiser. Betsy appeared on several Vogue covers in the 1950s and it was during that time period time period that she met Galanos. They were friends for over 60 years. She collected and wore Galanos pieces her entire life and was his friend and muse. He once told her husband ‘I would rather have Betsy wear my clothes than any other woman’. She was a constant presence on the International Best Dressed List and and was added to the Best Dressed Hall of Fame in the early 1970s.

This is gorgeous. It is made from a beautiful printed light weight silk chiffon that is combined with a red lace that has a metallic finish. The entire set combined weighs ounces. Huge flowers cover the entire surface of the silk chiffon. The pants are made from two layers of the chiffon and they are cut long and wide. An elastic waist makes them very easy and comfortable to wear. You then slip on that long piece over the pants. It is also constructed from two layers of silk that fall from under the lace bodice. Each side is slit open right up to the lace top. This gives the top piece a ton of movement and creates this fabulous floating effect around you when you walk. The bodice part is made of two panels of a metallic red lace that is connected along each side with a bit of a angled plunge above where they connect. The lace has that fantastic metallic finish to it for contrast against the pattern in the silk chiffon. The bodice has an inner nude silk lining so that from a distance you look like you are wearing nothing underneath it. The top is suspended by four tiny silk straps that curve over the shoulders. This set is tremendously good in person and it really needs an actual body to come to life. Cut supermodel long in length. Excellent condition

The pants are made of two layers of silk chiffon and close with a back zipper and elastic through the waist. The outer layer is lined with a nude silk chiffon through the bodice and the skirt is made from two layers of the silk. The outer layer closes at the side with hidden fabric covered snaps. There are a couple of very minor repairs and light snags near the hem of the overlay. This is a one-off, unlabelled custom piece made for Betsy and came from her estate. 

Over dress
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 62" from shoulder to hem

Pants
Elastic waist: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Pant: 45" from waist to hem
Inseam: 32" from inner seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD2278

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

See More
Stunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist Detailing

james galanos

Stunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist Detailing

$1,500 USD
/

I Have a Question

Stunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist Detailing

I Have A Question: Stunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist Detailing


James Galanos was just 27 years old when he launched his first label called Galanos Originals in 1951. By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award. By 1958 he was producing clothing that could range in price from $200 to $3000, an astronomical price for ready-to-wear for that time period. when you convert that to modern dollars and realize that it would be just under 30k for his upper range pieces. Part of the reason for those high price tags was that his ready-to-wear was made to couture standards. The workmanship and craft put into them were made to a level that was on par with the official French couturiers. Galanos was a master cutter and draper. Grace Kelly was an early fan and other couturiers looked to his work as inspiration. His work is held in all of the major museums around the world and he is one of my personal favourite designers. 

This particular dress reminds me of the pink colour blocked one that was worn so famously by Gloria Vanderbilt. It has that same feel created by his use of different panels of colour through the skirt. This is a technique that he used on several occasions and in several fabrics. The Vanderbilt dress for example was a silk chiffon and I have seen a darker, more column cut version in a silk jersey. This one is made from a silk taffeta and that choice of fabric keeps the dress extremely light while allowing it to have that wonderful volume that you see. The dress is extraordinary and is a testament to the couture construction techniques that he utilized in his work. The bodice is fitted with a slight sweetheart feel to the neckline. It is suspended by two tiny silk straps. The top port of the dress is lined in a silk but has no inner boning. It is meant to skim and hug the body underneath rather then to force a shape. The waist nips in and the skirt is set to feel very full with multiple soft gathers around the waist to create the fullness that you see. The skirt is made of four panels of silk taffeta, at the front here is a green on one side and a chocolate colour panel on the other. At the back both panels are the same blue as the bodice. All of the edges are finished with a gold cord that has been hand applied stitch by stitch. At the front the skirt is split quite high so that when you walk or sit you get an very unexpected flash of bare leg. The silk taffeta is so light that when you walk the skirt has a billowing effect behind you that it just magical. There are no extra underskirts added for these shots. All the volume of the skirt that you see has been created by the cut and the fabric alone. Around the waist the fabric from the silk has been gathered and held in place by more of that gold cording and then the edges of the fabric is set in an elaborate series of ruffles above that. This creates the prettiest ruffled finish that wraps all the way around you, cinches you in, and adds a pretty touch of romance. The work is all hand finished and all the inner seams have a beautiful ribbon finish. This is truly a stunning dress. Excellent condition  

Unlined and closes with a back zipper. Ribbon edge interior seams. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 17" from top of shoulder to waist seam
Skirt: 42" from waist to hem
Front slit: 26" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3736

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

See More

Designer James Galanos

Filters
  • What's New
  • Clothing
  • Accessories
  • Vintage Designers
    • Shop by Era
    • Shop by Size
    • Shop by Color
    Sort
    2023-10-12 20:38:56 -0400
    1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set

    1970s Galanos Couture Custom Made Silk Chiffon Pant w Metallic Lace Detailed Dress Set

    $1,200 USD
    2021-08-16 20:27:10 -0400
    Stunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist DetailingStunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist Detailing

    Stunning 1970s James Galanos Colour Block Silk Tafetta Dress w Ruffled Waist Detailing

    $1,500 USD

    OUR COMPANY

    • About Us

    CUSTOMER SUPPORT

    • Contact Us
    • Shipping Information
    • Returns
    • Layaways & Holds
    • Payment Methods & Terms

    QUICK LINKS

    • Size Guide
    • We Buy Vintage

    JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

    Click here to sign up

    Currency
    Currency
    © Shrimpton Couture