Thea Porter combined exoticism, embellished ornamentation and luxurious fabrics in her pieces and her work was a phenomenon during her day. She dressed many of the most fashionable woman in the world. Eliazabeth Taylor was a noted fan, as was Sharon Tate, Faye Dunaway, Brit Eckland and many, many more. Her legacy continues to this day and great examples of her work are harder and harder to find. In 2015, the Fashion and Textile Museum in London showcased her work in the exhibit "Thea Porter 70s Bohemian Chic" and over a dozen pieces were pulled from my archives for that show and for the accompanying book. This is a more recent acquisition to the shop and it is one of the best I have seen.

This is an astonishing, high glamour dress that combines elements of both her Faye dress, named after Faye Dunaway and the iconic Gipsy dress. Both of these were made in various versions from 1968 onward. I suspect that this one was custom made for a client, or perhaps was just yet another unique version of one of her dresses dreamed up by Thea herself. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful Thea dresses I have seen in person. The color alone makes it a stand out, never mind the extensive embellishments. The bodice is made from a panel of antique brocade - here it is a pink and gold floral brocade that is very beautiful. This is finished with a combination of silver and gold metallic piping that highlights the neckline and runs down the front to the waist. The sleeves are incredibly full and are made from a deep fuchsia silk chiffon that has a slightly ribbed finish to it. These billow out above elastic ends and are very voluminous. Below the waist there are two layers of silk. The innermost layer is the same silk that was used to make the sleeves. Over that lies a top embroidered silk layer and it is this layer that makes this dress especially wondrous. It is a brighter pink silk Sari fabric that has been heavily embroidered with real silver metal thread and matte silver sequins. This fabric was most likely vintage even at the time of making the dress and both the quality of the silk and the workmanship are extremely fine. All of the work is hand done. The skirt is very full and there are yards and yards of the silk used in its construction. The hem is left to lie at different lengths all around its edge. In person the dress is even better. The  combination of that vibrant deep fuchsia pink mixed with the metallic silver and gold have more impact in real life and the full effect of the dress is astonishing. Excellent overall condition with some notes to review below.

The bodice is fully lined in a purple silk and the skirt is made up of two layers of the silk as described above. It closes with a back painted metal zipper. The elastic in the sleeves may be slightly stretched out but they are fine as they are. I would not change them. I see a small vertical repair to the silk near the top of one shoulder and there are some small splits and areas of weakness to the silk there that will need to be reinforced at some point. There are two long areas of repair to the hem. I see some slight fading to the silk around these areas as well. With the volume of fabric in these areas, once on you would never notice any of these. They are all decently done and the silk seems stable but the areas around the repairs should be handled with care to not do any further damage. Her silks were very fine and this tends to happen to her pieces as they age. Please see the photos following the shot of the label. Note that this dress is sold as a final sale.

Sleeves: 25"
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 40" from waist to longest points of the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3234

Reference Photos: Cherie, Owner of Shrimpton Couture.

This garment has been checked over, steamed out and it is sold in clean. as found condition.

This Thea Porter caftan dress was made in 1975 and was one of the dresses that I lent from my archives for the 2015 exhibit "Thea Porter 70s Bohemian Chic" at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, curated by Laura McLaws Helms. The mix of textiles used in the construction of this caftan was specifically noted upon on the display card that accompanied this dress in the exhibit. The card stated: Abaya, c. 1975, Designed by Thea Porter. Additional notes from Louise Fennell on Thea’s ingenious mixing of fabrics stated: ‘She’d often just put different bits of material on the floor and looked at them, and moved them about a bit; tried different things with different things – sometimes you thought, “Ooo, really??” but it always worked brilliantly.’

Of all of Thea's pieces, her caftans have come to represent Thea's work like no other piece of her clothing that she designed. Elizabeth Taylor was a huge fan and collector. By the end of her life she had amassed a large collection that was auctioned off through Christie's in 2011. Most of the caftans in that auction fetched well over the $20,000USD mark. Barbara Bach was photoed in a similar one for the cover of the Sunday Telegraph in 1977 and that photo has become an iconic representation of the era. Each of Thea’s caftans ere made by hand and no two are alike. This one appears to have never been worn and looks and feels like it is straight off a shop rack.

Thecaftan is very beautiful and is made from a combination of mix of green fabrics. Metallic shot velvets on silk chiffon are mixed with panels of silk brocades. Thea was known to hunt antique stores and markets during her extensive travels and use what she found in her designs. I think that some of these panels are some of her found antique fabrics. The wide metallic brocade ribbon that borders the main front panel feels like it could be a bit of older ribbon rescued and re-purposed. The caftan is unlined and once it is on you realize that all the side panels of chiffon and velvet fused chiffon are semi-transparent. This see-through quality makes is very sexy despite the full coverage it has. The main front and back panel of brocade has a slightly stiff feel to it still since it has not been worn expect for my photos in it and when it was in a mannequin in the exhibit. This fabric will soften as you wear it. A chiffon tie loops though skits hidden on either side of the front panel to add some shape. If you decide not to tie it the slits are done along the seam and are not apparent. A very special piece, worthy of its Museum exhibited provenance. Excellent condition.

Unlined and slips on to wear. Has a matching chiffon fabric sash that you can slip through slits at the front to add shape. It appears to have never been worn, or worn very little 

WIdth: 59" side to side
Length: 53.5" neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD2966

Reference Photos: (1-2) From the Thea Porter 70s Bohemian Chic Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum.  /  (3-4) Cherie, Owner of Shrimpton Couture, by Erin Leydon.  /  (5) Barbara Bach, in Thea Porter, photographed by David James for The Telegraph Sunday Magazine, April 3, 1977.  /  (6) Elizabeth Taylor's collection of caftans,  Christie’s auction house, New York, 2011.

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 Thea Porter dress, produced in 1970, was one of the dresses that I lent from my archives and was displayed in the 2015 exhibit "THEA PORTER 70s Bohemian Chic" at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, curated by Laura McClaws Helms. You may also recognize the dress as being the one worn by Nicole Richie when she celebrated her birthday in it back in 2006. The textile design that runs over the dress was done by Sheila Hudson.

It is wonderful to have such an iconic dress and to have become a part of its provenance. The Nicole connection has made the dress instantly recognizable world-wide. Like all of Thea's pieces, only a very few were produced. I have decided to let this one go and I know that I will most likely ever see another one in my career. The dress features a hand-sequined and beaded bodice. These are set so that they follow the textile design underneath and add the perfect little touch of high glamour to the finished product. The bodice is fitted to the bust and has wide straps made of the same silk chiffon that tie around the neck. The skirt is set into the waist on the bias and this makes the chiffon seem to float around you and feel light as air. At the very bottom hem there is a ribbon of purple velvet to finish. The dress is not 100% perfect but still sound and very beautiful. Please review the condition notes below. This is a once in a life time opportunity to own a marvelous and very rare example of one of Thea's best work.

The dress is lined in a tissue silk. The museum staff added structural support under each arm in the interior (photoed). You can see a small amount of thinning to the exterior (also photoed) and the inner addition of fabric was done to stabilize this. The hem is finished with parts of it being longer than others. The interior lining shows fading and marks but is sound. Finally there is evidence of some repairs to the skirt and neck tie. All as found and in the condition exhibited it. All of this has been taken into consideration when pricing.

Bust: approx 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 15" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: is slightly shorter in the front at about 31" and the back goes to about 37" from slight empire waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS (through the bust this is a true size 0)

Item# DD2954

Reference Photos: (1-2) Nicole Richie in Thea Porter, 2006.  /  (3-4) From the 2015 "Thea Porter, 70s Bohemian Chic" Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum.

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

The label on this Thea Porter dress narrows down the dating process for us as it was only produced between October 1971-March 1972. To verify the exact date, I asked Laura McLaws Helms, the author of the book "Thea Porter, Bohemian Chic" and she verified for me that it was indeed from the 1971 collection. It is a beautiful example of Thea's work with a black cotton gauze brocade  that has red and black diamond medallions scattered over its surface. The fabric has a touch of sheerness to it and it is unlined through those incredible sleeves to take full advantage of that. The front dips down in a V and the bodice is fitted over the bust. The waistline sits a touch high for a slight empire waist feel. The skirt flows down and out from there and I love the wide set flat pleats that give it fullness when you move. Each sleeve is cut with a wonderful fullness that widens to a pouf balloon shape over its elastic cuffs. The sleeves really add a sense of drama to the dress. Running over the fabric are wide cut lace panels. These are set to circle around each sleeve and around the bottom portion of the skirting. A pretty bit of lace trims the neckline for the perfect finishing touch. I personally own the twin of this dress in brown and it is a favorite. of mine. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silky rayon and closes with a back painted metal zipper. Each sleeve has elastic in the cuff. Tagged UK vintage 14 but it cut small. Please go by the measurements below.

Sleeves: 27"
Inset shoulders: 12.5" with the natural shoulder falling under the fabric of the top of the sleeve
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14 " flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips:to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 13" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 40" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2013

Reference Photos: Cherie, Owner of Shrimpton Couture, by Erin Leydon.

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 2015 I lent and photoed over a dozen of my archived Thea Porter Pieces from my archives and shop to the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Curator and Fashion Historian, Laura McLaws Helms used those photos and pieces in the exhibit of Thea Porter's work and for the accompanying book 'Thea Porter: Bohemian Chic'. Many of my pieces landed in either the book or the exhibit, or appeared in both. A close up of this exact dress appears on p.84 of the book to illustrate the collaborative efforts between Thea Porter and textile designer, Hannah Meckler. The pattern on this dress is the  'Wave' design and in the book this is clarified as being done by hand and "painted onto meters of silk chiffon that were made into evening dresses and Abayas".

This is a wonderful Thea Porter dress that has a bare back and halter neckline. It has more structure then in some of the pieces you see by her but still has that wonderful bohemian feel to it through the combination of that Hahan Meckler print and the skirt that is made from yards and yards of bias cut silk. Thea's pieces often created sensuality by combining full coverage and flowing fabrics, so to see a dress that has far more 'bareness' to it is a bit of an anomaly and shows how multi-faceted she really was. The hand painted design runs vertically over the dress and draws the eye up. On the skirt, the many yards of silk is bias cut and the design is set to perfectly follow that cut and flow of the silk. The wave design that covers the silk is appropriately named for its beautiful blue tones that are reminiscent of the ocean. The fabric choice gives the dress an airy, floating feel. The bodice is fitted and cut with a high halter neckline that curves up and around the neck to tie at the back with a second layer of less structured silk that ties over the inner strap and trails down the back. This cut leave the back completely bare and open. Curved pleats, done by hand, angle up to the silk chiffon rosette details the neckline. It is very beautiful. A wonderful example of Thea Porter's work and her collaborative efforts with textile designers of the time period. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in pale blue tissue silk. It closes with a low, hand set, back painted metal zipper. The halter closes at the back with hook and there is a panel of silk chiffon that ties into place over that. Light boning on either side of the bodice. All hand work. There is a slight discoloration to the lining near the waist - it does not show on the exterior and is noted for accuracy only. Tagged a vintage UK 10. Note that it was too small for my mannequin - it will zip and close properly at the back on the proper sized girl.

Bust: approx 16" flat across from side seam to side seam but there is some play here as the back is open
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 13" from neck to slight empire waist
Skirt: 45" from slight empire waist to hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD1108

Photo Credit: From the Book Thea Porter; Bohemian Chic, p.84, Kate Moss in a dress with the same print

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