Jean Desses became a designated Haute Couture house under the official Chambre Syndicate de la Haute Couture in 1937. In 1949 he began a ready-to-wear line to broaden his client base. However, his career was fairly short lived and by 1960 the couture portion of his business was closed, followed by the closure of the ready-to-wear line five years later. When he expanded his atelier to serve the overseas market in the late 1950s, he was among the small elite group of designers that sold to the American power house department stores - Bergdorf Goodman's in this case - and gave then the right to produce his designs in America. The fabrics and design were the same as what was being produced in his atelier in France, but the construction of the actual pieces was done by couture level seamstresses in America. This elaborate system had already been established by Dior and was a clever way to get around the severe import taxation of the time period. Jean Desses kept a strict eye on what was produced and where pieces went and this caused a severe limitation on the quantities produced. The RTW line for the American market was also made to order, piece by piece, making it truer to demi-couture.

The dress is wonderful and has the elegant lines that you associate with Desses. The fabric used is a green silk satin that seems to glow with its own inner light. Onto that silk are fused velvet detailing that add texture and depth. The cut has a sense of contained sexuality, nothing overt, but cut to follow and highlight every curve. It has a deep V neckline and the back is scooped off to a deep square. Just under the V at the front it is gathered and detailed with a small piping of fabric that seems to hold the gathers and gives it a Grecian feel - a signature of Jean Desses. The waist nips in under this. The skirt is beautifully constructed. The inner skirt is fitted and over that lies a panel of fabric that is secure at the waist and then ties at the back - almost apron style. There are lots of fabulous detailing and finishes to this dress like an inner built in bodice and weighting at the back hem. Excellent condition

The inner bodice lining and the inner front panel of the underskirt are made of a green silky rayon. The exterior fabrics are interlined in a pale green silk organza. It closes with a painted metal side zipper and the over-skirt is part attached and then ties at the back. Hand finishes and ribbon edged seam. Light boning through the bodice and inner waist stay that closes with hook and eye. Made to demi-couture standards.

Interior Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist stay: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Exterior waist if stay left open: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 19" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 30" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD1901

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 is a fabulous little Ungaro dress with the prettiest floral print running over its surface. It somehow manages to be dramatic, sexy and yet pretty and sweet all at once. Ungaro started out as a designer who did very structural and conceptual space age pieces but by the time he started his ready to wear line, Ungaro Parallele, in 1968 he was already starting to soften his look. By the late seventies and early eighties, when this dress is from, his designs had become sifter and more body conscious. The dress is superbly fitted and almost corseted through the torso, bust and hips with the soft drapes created from the silk jersey he used. The shoulders are cut high and narrow and the sleeves a bit fuller. I love the the front cut out detailing and the way each sleeves ties, picking up the little bow detail at the front.At the back you get a bit of bareness with a cut out. It has it a bit of a forties vibe to it and is very pretty. Excellent condition

The body of the dress is lined in silk and there is a layer of added structure that helps eep the shape and shape the wearer. It closes with a side painted metal zipper and hook and eye at the back neck over the cut out. The fabric has some stretch

Shoulders: 13"
Bust: 15-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 37" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD2843

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 dress walked the spring runway for 2004 just after its twin in pink. The pink version is of course theone made famous by Sarah Jessica Parker in the 6th season of Sex in the City. Both versions were sold out world wide as girls chose the color that suited them best. It has truly become one of the most iconic dresses that Sarah's character wore and I am very pleased to have one for you. The cut is exquisite with a sleeveless bodice and long dropped waist cut that is curved and fitted to the body. The skirt is a masterpiece and you will remember the beautiful fullness and movement it had. Extended curving pleats circle the waist to give it volume. At the back these are set at the end of inverted pleats that extend from the lower back which gives the back of the skirt even more flare and volume. Incredibly this is all achieved with no extra crinolines underneath - it is simply mastery in cut. A wonderful and iconic piece. Excellent condition

The bodice and upper portion of the skirt is lined in a matching covored silk. It closes with a back zipper. Tagged a US 6 and appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 41" from natural neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2842

Reference Photos: S/S 2004 Runway Show, Look 52 (Model: Liya Kebede)  /  Sarah Jessica Parker (as Carrie Bradshaw) in Sex and the City, Season 6 Epiode 14.

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

Rarely have I seen such a fine and elaborate example of the Dior label come to market as this extraordinary dress. Based on the lines and construction and other examples I have had in the shop I would say that this extraordinary dress dates to the mid-sixties. It is from the Dior Paris Boutique and the label is numbered so this would have been a special or custom order by a client made in the ateliers under Marc Bohan for Dior. I see no machine work so while technically I must classify it as demi-couture, it is most certainly made to Haute Couture standards. It is an absolutely wonderful example of the mod feel of that era and hands down one of the best sixties dresses I have had in the shop.

The dress is made from a very fine silk that has been dyed the perfect shade of chocolate. This silk base allows it to weigh far less then what you would think upon first glance. Onto the silk are hand applied sequins and there are literally thousands of these tiny sequins that have each been sewn into place so that the entire dress gleams in the light. From the waist down Mr Bohan mixed in paper thin medallions of tortoise shell with more sequins used to created an edge around each. In some cases rows of sequins have been sewn directly on top of its tortoise shell backdrop. The dress is cut with a shirt front and a little A-line skirt. I love how the basic design elements like the pockets, cuffs and collars are all edged in a tightly spaced finish of sequins. I doubt you could find a better example of this type of dress from this period that has the same intense workmanship in its making. Excellent condition.

Fully lined with a matching fine silk through the skirt and silk organza through the sleeves and bodice. The inner seams are hand finished and the sequins and shells are hand applied. There are perhaps the occasional missing sequin here and there among the thousands but I see nothing that truly detract from this beautiful example of Dior in this time period. Museum quality 

Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16.5" from neck to waist
Skirt: 19" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD2715

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

I am so pleased to see velvet pieces having their place on modern runways again. It really is a beautiful fabric and feels fresh and new once again. This exceptional Haute Couture dress from Givenchy is wonderful. The dress is beautifully cut and is that perfect mix of sensuality and proper that Hubert de Givenchy excelled at. It is numbered and would have been designed while he was still the head of the house. The dress has a dramatic neckline that drapes and scoops at both the front and the back. In order for it to actually stay on the shoulder there are very structured padding at each shoulder and loops for your foundation garments to clip through and anchor it into place. The inner bodice also has a second silk structure that is more fitted to the body. The fabric chose feels like it has a life on its own and it catches the light beautifully. At the waist sits a detachable bow and sash that cinches and gives shape. I have put the bow to the front but it works equally as well to the back. . This is done in a beautiful heavy silk and is the perfect contrast to the velvet. This is Haute Couture under the masterful hand of Mr Givenchy himself and is an exceptional example of his work during this time period. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in handset, very high quality brown silk. All couture construction and it closes with a hand set, fine metal zipper at the side. The sash detaches and closes with hook and eye. Inner waist stay, padding in each shoulder. Numbered 83722

Sleeves: 23.5"
Shoulders: adjustable
Inner bust: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist at inner waist stay: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16.5" from natural neck to waist
Skirt: 22.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD2841

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 extraordinary set is done in that beautiful Valentino red and has the elegant cut and line you expect from him. The dress is beautifully cut and unexpectedly sexy with its bare expanse of skin at the back. From the front it is a simple shift with a high neckline that has simple straps that curve up and over each shoulder. It is constructed to skim over the body with a slight flare as it nears the hem and a piping at the waist to define the shape. At the back the straps cross over each other to suspend the dress and leave the back bare form the shoulder to the waist. The fabric used for both pieces is a beautiful silk crepe that give the pieces just enough weight to sculpt the shape Valentino desired. The jacket is as fantastic as a stand alone piece as it is as the completion of the set. It is cut to perfection with soft lines and a nipped in waist highlighted with a black bow draping that angle inwards to the front center. It then slightly flares out over the hip. No shortcut was taken in the construction and it is a stand out piece in every possible way. However much you think this looks fabulous in the photographs it is infinitely better in person. Excellent condition.

Both the dress and jacket are fully lined in a hand set red silk of very high quality. Proper finished buttonholes and jet beads on both cuffs. The jacket closes with hook & eye under the bow. The dress closes with a hand set zipper at the low back. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand.

Dress
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from neck to waist
Skirt: 21" from waist to hem

Jacket
Sleeves: 22.5"
Shoulders: 17.5"
Bust: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2839

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 Haute Couture dress by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior is wonderful. The attention to detail shown in every stitch is breathtaking and to the highest standards. A longer version with a less detailed pleat insert technique is held in the archives of The Metropolitan Museum but I prefer this version. It would have been made entirely by hand in the Dior atelier. The silk used is of the highest possible grade and the gives the dress its beautiful drape and fall. The top is cut into a V that tops a wide fitted banding through the waist. Each sleeves is cut so that it puffs above the fitted cuffs. A thin band of matching fabric is used as a tie at the waist for a romantic and whimsical  touch. The skirt is a masterpiece of pleat work. Each individual pleat is perfectly matched to its neighbor and inset on a series of angles around the waist. Each of those angles lines up with the one beside it causing the pleats to lie flat until you move. It is truly a brilliantly cut dress and when you see it in person you will be astounded at the level of craftsmanship and care put into the construction. A masterpiece of museum quality condition. This dress comes direct from the daughter of the original Haute Couture client and has not been on the market prior to my having it here. In excellent condition.

Fully lined in a matching silk and is completely made by hand as the parameters of Haute Couture dictates. It closes with a back, handset painted metal zip. The cuffs button with round polished quartz buttons.There is one small dark spot on the back of one elbow (see photo of the label to see). One button missing from one cuff as pictured. Haute Couture number 003272. Note that in person the color is a bit brighter soft peach blush then how it photoed.

Sleeves: 24"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 9" from neck to seam under the bust
Waist detailing: approx 6"
Skirt: approx 25" from higher points of the waist detailing to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2037

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 exceptional and rare, Haute Couture dress from Valentino Haute Couture, is wonderful. The dress is simply cut and belies the numerous couture details that become apparent as you look at it more closely. The dress has a simple scooped and angled neckline at both the front and the back. Sitting across the neckline and forming the sleeves is silk chiffon that has been hand placed and stitched into soft pleats. These are set at different angles and become an important design detail. They also often a matte contrast to the sheen of the silk velvet below. The fabric chosen feels like it has a life on its own and the blue catches the light beautifully. It is soft and fluid and the perfect contrast to the the simple shift shape the dress has been cut into. This is Haute Couture under the masterful hand of Mr Valentino himself and is an exceptional example of Valentino Couture. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in handset, very high quality blue silk. All couture construction and it closes with a hand set, fine metal zipper at the back.

Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 39.5" from natural neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2837

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 little dress is a bit of an enigma. It came as part of a lot of items and it has no tag or information. Off the hanger it looks like a bot of nothing but once on the mannequin I realized that it has very good lines and drape. Inside, the finish is to couture levels with hand done inner seam edges, as are the outer seams. All signs of a little gem that has sadly lost its label. It is made form a ivory silk of a good weight and is cut on the bias. It has an unusual zipper closure that zips down to the slit at the side of the leg rather then up the body as a zipper is usually placed. The collar is soft and high around the neck and the sleeves are cut long with zippers at each cuff to keep them properly in place and each is finished in a gather of soft pleats along those zipper. At the side sits two long panels of fabric I have ties loosely. More soft gathers sit along the zipper there to create an interesting drape technique. It is simple and easy but very, very well made. Excellent condition

Unlined with couture level finishes. Closes with a side zipper and zippers set at each cuff. The bias cut will allow for a range of sizes as long as the shoulders fit.

Sleeves: 31"
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 19" 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
Length: 53" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# E643

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 beautiful 1950s silk dress is made from a very fine, high end Asian silk. The silk has a beautiful design os sprays of feathers done in a red thread woven through it. In addition tot hat are little deep grey medallions scattered over the entire surface. The fabric itself is marked along the inner salvage and I would not be surprised to learn that this was a high end designer piece. The red is not a true metallic thread but it seems to almost glow in real life. It is really something special and much better in person then how the camera has captured it here - the color overall is even richer and more true. The bodice has a pretty low V with gathers along the inverted V at the band of the waist. The banding gives you a tiny nipped in waist silhouette and then the skirt flares out into a gentle A-line. The skirt has a very unusual cut. Where you slip into is actually a slim fitting pencil skirt at the front with a very full pleated, almost bustled back. The inner skirt has a lining front and over this is a second panel of fabric that wraps around you to the back and gives you even more fullness. It is so clever and unusual. Excellent condition

Fully interlined in an ivory silk organza and black silk in parts. It closes with a painted metal zipper at the back. Hand finished and beautifully made. The fabric is marked along the salvage. The skirt has ribbon edge finishes and the entire dress is wonderfully made.

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 13.5" from neck to waist
Skirt: 30" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# E642

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

For the Vogue review of the Spring 2016 Vetements show, Sarah Mower stated: The entity that goes under the name Vetements has caused quite a quake through fashion—bottom-up, from nowhere. Just when—by looking at mainstream corporate luxury-goods norms—it seemed that cool was dead and buried and nothing “alternative” could ever again survive, along came a couple of brothers, Demna and Guram Gvasalia, and their collective of friends, to prove skeptics wrong....At top speed, Demna Gvasalia and his co-conspirators confirmed everything their following likes about their off-kilter, elegant, giant-jacketed tailoring and clunky romantic dresses, and then bettered it all. ...Then came the dresses, in a stunning number of new, colorful, and punchy-sophisticated ideas....Demna Gvasalia himself learned the ropes at Maison Martin Margiela, before setting up Vetements and getting on with proving that there can be a different way of doing things. Apart from their stylistic insights into what people really want to wear, it feels like the beginning of something else, too—perhaps something like the power of niceness and friendship in an industry that could do with a lot more of that."

This dress was one of the favored among the street style set and was photoed endlessly it seemed for various editorials. It sold out world wide and was wait listed. It is impossible to find even now I am very pleased to have sourced one that has never been worn and is absolutely perfect. It feels as fresh and avant garde as it did then and will absolutely be a future collectible. The color is a deep red and the cut is oversized. The body of the dress is made of layers of a chiffon and the sleeves and all the ruffles are made out of a heavier, stiffened fabric that gives them shape and structure. The shoulders are cut wide and are meant to be prominent. You can see the beginning of their signature asymmetrical setting of the skirt that carries through to present collections. It is remarkable and a true piece of fashion history that will only increase in value as time passes. Excellent condition with original tags attached. 

Lined in the same chiffon and slips on to wear. Tagged an XS but is meant to be worn over-sized. It will fit a range of sizes because of this.

Sleeves: 29"
Shoulders: 17.5"
Bust: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 17" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 29" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD2830

Reference Photos: (1) S/S 2016 Vetements, Look 34.  /  (2) Vetements Outfits Photographed by Inez + Vinoodh, Vogue, March 2016.  /  (3) Bella Hadid in Vetements, ELLE US, February 2016. Photo by Dan Martensen.

This garment has never been worn and is in its original new with tags condition. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.

In the Vogue review for this collection Sarah Mower noted: "Miuccia Prada had a sound bite for her Spring collection. "It's primitive," she said, "going back to what counts." ... When the chips are down, there is no one who can turn up the thermostat of subversive sexual provocation quite as high as Mrs. Prada. Her girls, their skin glistening as if on a fevered summer's night, might have been passing through on their way to or from lovers' assignations, their clothes disarranged in various states of falling-off or looking as if they might do so at any moment. Rumpled and crinkled fabrics have been appearing all over this season, but never with such sly intent. One pull of a trailing drawstring tape and, whoops! A person could find herself half naked. There was something fabulously Italian about all this shameless reveling in femininity. The fifties overtones, with the high chignons, the ruched bras, and swishing rear action in the below-knee pencil skirts, managed to channel the heyday of Cinecittà without cliché. Best of all, this is a collection destined to look even better on a woman with a real body than it does on a teen model. And that, Mrs. Prada surely knows, really is "what counts.""

 The dress is amazing and was one of the standouts in the show. These were photoed everywhere and this snake print was one of the biggest looks of the season. This dress is particularly fabulous because of its amazing cut. It has that sexy, fitted fifties feel to it and the open sides are shocking when you catch that glimpse of bare skin. The fabric is deliberately rumpled and crinkled and I love the slimming effect the panels of black on either side of the print have on the body. It skims over your curves and ends just past the knee. On the side it buttons and is partially closed over the hip area and then up the side it ties to close allowing you to tie or loosen it to fit as you please. At the top of the shoulder it ties. Really one of the stand out Prada pieces and it feels as wearable now as it did then, perhaps even more so. Excellent condition

Unlined and closes at the side as described above. Tagged a Prada 40.

Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 35.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2829

Reference Photos: (1-2) Look 26 from S/S 2009 Prada Collection.  /  (3) S/S Prada Ad Campaign by Steven Meisel.  /  (4) Racquel Zimmerman in Prada for US Vogue March 2009. Photo by David Sims.

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 Spring 2005 Prada show is one of the label's most iconic and recognizable. In her review of the show, Vogue's Sarah Mower stated: Just when the whole fashion world has turned ladylike—thanks, of course, to Miuccia Prada—she's tossed it all in the air, looking for a certain freedom. "A vague idea of birds; birds of vanity, like peacocks, parrots, and swans," was a starting point in her restless search for change, she explained. "I also wanted to move toward something more young and sporty, tall and narrow.... In broad terms, the news from Prada included a different silhouette (short hemlines, worn mostly with flat sandals), a return to one of her favorite palettes (brown-ochre-rust), and as always, lots of artful eccentricity (peacock feathers, flowerpot hats, Bakelite digital watches). There was also a Jamaican dance hall vibe, with reggae on the sound system, Rasta stripes in the knitwear, and Caribbean crochet in the raffia hats and cardigan coats. The birds really took flight for night, in the form of skirts overlaid with peacock feathers, dresses covered with digitalized feather prints, and pretty chiffon gowns whose fan-like pleats hinted subtly at dove's wings."

This is Look 22 from the show and is absolutely infused with that Prada vibe pieces. Here we see her masterful hand at mixing colors. The top of the dress is a combination of eggplant, brown and a startling strip of red, and the skirt is a soft combo of brown and green. It is cut very short with a swingy little silk chiffon skirt and a fabulous one shoulder cut to the bodice. The skirt is just gorgeous. It is made from a pleated silk chiffon and has two rows of horizontal stitching to give it shape over the hips and than flares and swings under that in a light cascade of silk. The top is a light weigh wool and I love the contrast of fabrics. It is fitted and the unusual color combination is fabulous and flattering.  Excellent condition

Fully lined in a deep brown, fine silk and closes with a hidden set side zipper. Hand finishes. Tagged a Prada 40

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 17" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 16.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD2820

Reference Photo: Prada Spring 2005 Runway Show, Look 22. (Model: Kim Noorda)

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 Spring 2005 Prada show is one of the label's most iconic and recognizable. In her review of the show, Vogue's Sarah Mower stated: Just when the whole fashion world has turned ladylike—thanks, of course, to Miuccia Prada—she's tossed it all in the air, looking for a certain freedom. "A vague idea of birds; birds of vanity, like peacocks, parrots, and swans," was a starting point in her restless search for change, she explained. "I also wanted to move toward something more young and sporty, tall and narrow.... In broad terms, the news from Prada included a different silhouette (short hemlines, worn mostly with flat sandals), a return to one of her favorite palettes (brown-ochre-rust), and as always, lots of artful eccentricity (peacock feathers, flowerpot hats, Bakelite digital watches). There was also a Jamaican dance hall vibe, with reggae on the sound system, Rasta stripes in the knitwear, and Caribbean crochet in the raffia hats and cardigan coats. The birds really took flight for night, in the form of skirts overlaid with peacock feathers, dresses covered with digitalized feather prints, and pretty chiffon gowns whose fan-like pleats hinted subtly at dove's wings."

This is Look 48 from the show and one of my personal favorite pieces. It is in that color mentioned above, a brown-ochre-rusr, with a slight sheen to the silk wool mix fabric. It is cut short and simple with a little A-line cut skirt and that fabulous one shoulder shilhouette. Black insets define the shape and cut and the front middle panel of the skirt is heavily embellished with cut out shapes, beads and crystals anchored over black lace shapes cut to match each embellishment. The fabric choice allows for that wonderful shape to stay true when it is one the body and the jeweled appliques are striking. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a deep brown, fine silk and closes with a hidden set side zipper. Hand set boning through the sides. Tagged a Prada 40

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 13.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 21" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD2818

Reference Photo: Prada Spring 2005 Runway Show, Look 48. (Model: Querelle Jansen)

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 fabulous Azzedine Alaia knit dress is one of his classics. The silhouette and fabric and the pleats he used to create the shape are all instantly recognizable as his work. This is the type of dress that is a mainstay in any Alaia collector's closet. The dress is made from one in his signature ribbed stretch knits. The fabric is has a decent thickness to it and once on acts like a slimming corset and shapes and molds the body into curves you did not even know you had. The dress has three distinct textures. The shoulders and upper bust are a solid knit and then through the waist you see raised rows. These are used to create that hug and shape you inwards. These then flare out and turn into sharp knife pleats that allow the skirt to flare out with amazing fullness. It is fabulous and a classic for a reason. Excellent condition.

Unlined and closes with a hidden set back zipper. Tagged a modern Alaia 38 but these do fit a touch small. The fabric does have stretch so will accommodate a range of sizes

Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: 15.5-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 36" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD2817

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

I have seen this dress listed at being from the 2007 season but after going through all the runway photos from that season and others, I was unable to verify that. Prada did and does make many styles each season that are not shown on the runway so it may very well be from the 2007 collection still but I only like to give a firm date when I am absolutely sure. The dress is a gorgeous little piece that has those fabulous Prada lines. It is made from a satin backed black crepe and drapes and falls wonderfully. The front and back dip into low V's and a glossed, grosgrain ribbon circles just under the bust for detailing. The same ribbon curves over each shoulder. A glossy bit of fox sits atop each shoulder to give it height and impact. Each cap sleeve is finished with a ribbed cotton and the skirt falls in a sleek column. The fabric has folds and soft pleats worked through it for a final touch of texture. Excellent condition.

Unlined with self backed satin finish fabric. It closes with a low back set zipper. Tagged a Prada 42

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Under Bust at Ribbon: 15"
Natural Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 11.5" from natural neck to waist
Skirt: 26.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2816

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

USE CODE couture50 AT CHECKOUT TO GET THIS AT 50% OFF

I am very happy to be able to pass on this extraordinary opportunity to you. Throughout the shop there is now a collection of items you can buy at a discount of by 50%, identified by this note at the top of the listing. (to see all the available items click here).

Some of them are couture pieces and all of them are of exceptional quality and highly collectible. All are from the archives of one client with whom I have worked with for many years, getting a steady stream of vintage and couture pieces from then as they have downsized their extensive collection. It is now time for them to retire. They have asked me to put all of their items down to 50% as a final clear out with all sales final for these items. For those of you that have shopped with me all these years this is a golden moment.

USE CODE couture50 AT CHECKOUT TO GET THIS AT 50% OFF

This amazing little Azzedne Alaia black knit dress is from his Fall 1990 collection. It is made from one of his signature stretch knits that was made to mold to the body like a second skin and exaggerate every curve. It instantly sucks some parts in and emphasizes other and is quite genius in its cut and design. The neckline is scooped low and is set very wide on a curved line that shows off a girls cleavage to full advantage. You can see how it would sit on a body on the reference photo I found from a 1990 Vogue editorial. The dress in that photo was worn by Christy Turlington and is a version of the dress in white with the same neckline but a fuller skirt. On our version, the dress is fitted from shoulder to hem. The seaming on the dress further exaggerates the curves and give it an hourglass feel. At the back the seaming is curved to follow up and around the butt. Each sleeve is cut lean and long. It is sexy as hell. Excellent condition.

The dress is unlined and slips on to wear. Tagged a vintage Alaia medium. The fabric does have stretch

Sleeves: 23"
Dropped shoulders: 16"
Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 31" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD1694

Reference photo credit: Vogue 1990, Hans Feurer

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 matches the coat listed today and is a beautiful 1950s silk dress. It is made from a very fine, high end silk. The silk has a beautiful red thread woven through and used in the black silk base to create the beautiful little floral designs sprinkled over its surface. The red is not a true metallic thread but it seems to almost glow in real life. It is really something special and much better in person then how the camera has captured it here - the color is even richer and more true. (One thing to note - the color is a true red - in the label photo it has more of a orange hue and that is the camera lighting not the true color - the other photos are far closer) The little floral medallions are woven directly into the silk. The sweetheart neckline and front pleating detail on the bust are finished with a little romantic bow. The way this is set into the front bodice is a little unusual and very pretty once on. The dress itself is wonderfully cut with that shaped bodice and simple capped sleeves. The waist nips in and the skirt flares out into a gentle A-line. It is a nice light weight and very well made.  The shop label it still has was a high end one and I would not be surprised if this was a designer piece that has lost its label. Really it is a steal at this price. Excellent condition

Fully interlined in a black silk organza. It closes with a painted metal zipper at the back. Hand finished and beautifully made.

Shoulders: 16"
Bust: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 38" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# E639

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 little beautiful Suzy Perette dress is made of a beautiful light weight fabric with a floral pattern in an array of citrus hues. I have not found a really great Perette dress in ages and am so pleased to have such a fine example of her work in the shop today. There never was an actual "Suzy" behind the label but the company that created the line relied heavily on the designs coming out of Paris and the interpretations of the Couture looks, in particular Dior's "New Look", were spot on. This gorgeous little dress dates from the 1950s and has such pretty colors and pretty lines that you can't help but swoon at the sight of it. The top is a simple sleeveless affair with a wide boat neck cut. It is seamed to hug the body and then this flares out and tops a full skirt that has lots of fabric in it and could be worn over a crinoline if you wanted it even fuller. The entire skirt is made from a series of perfectly spaced, crisp knife pleats so it has a lot of movement. The original, matching fabric belt cinches in the waist even more and I love the large flat belt that adorns the belt. The colors are lovely, the cotton voile fabric of very good quality and the lines and cut are wonderful. Excellent condition

Fully lined with a white muslin and closes with a back painted metal zipper. The belt is in excellent shape as well.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 26.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2810

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 Hawaiian label Kamehameha was launched in 1936 and was named after King Kamehameha who united the Hawaiian islands. They were famous for their brilliant tropical floral prints which they made for the tourist markets. They combined the feel and beauty of Hawaii with the looks popular on the mainline. The items were manufactured on the island and the prints done in-house.  They primarily used cotton for their designs and this dress is no exception. The fabric is that perfect crisp fifties cotton and it has been screened with a brilliant pattern of leaves on an abstract yellow backdrop. The bodice is fitted and cut so that it has shape and molds to the bust. I love the double front panels of fabric around the bust that allow for support but give the dress that interesting detailing. The waist is cinched and the skirt is very full below that. I have photoed it with a light crinoline for that full fifties cupcake effect but it can easily be worn in its own as well. The back is finished with a panel of elastic so the fit adjusts to the wearer. Excellent condition with one small note regarding the elastic to review below.

The dress is unlined and closes with a side metal zipper. Some small areas of the elastic back have loosened out a touch. I am being pretty picky. It is perfect otherwise.

Bust: 15-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 43" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2809

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 stunning dress that dates to the late forties, early 1950s combines a beautiful print and color combination with sequins and a pretty feminine feel. The entire dress is stunning and made of a beautiful black cotton voile with a pretty floral print scattered over its surface. The fabric choice helps it to keep its shape and volume and really show off those ruffled tiers perfectly while still keeping it light and summer feeling. Three full tiers make up the skirt and are layered over each other with each getting wider as they near the hem. This creates incredible volume and movement. The top is fitted around the bodice and has a pretty pleated and draped detailing that highlights the bust.Two tiny straps curve over the shoulders. The best part is the finish of green sequins that are hand set everywhere you see the flower print. These early dresses are harder and harder to come by and this one is exceptional. Excellent condition.

Unlined and closes at the side with a metal zipper. Hand finishes and hand applied sequins. Note that there is no tag present but the owner passed onto me that it did have a Fred Perlberg label originally.

Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 17" from top of shoulder strap to waist
Skirt: 32" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# D578

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 beautiful dress was created by Ceil Chapman who is often referred to as Marilyn Monroe's favorite designer. It is so beautiful in person and the level of detail put into the construction is wonderful. The dress is constructed from a blue silk crepe that has a touch of stretch to it which allows the dress to move and mold itself the the wearer. The silk is then covered in swirls of blue glass tube beads mixed with iridescent blue sequins that trail over and on top of the beads. Once on, the dress seems to be sculpted onto the body. The skirt hugs the hips and is cut close to the leg with a back vent to allow you to walk. The waist nips in to create that sexy hourglass silhouette. The bodice has an inner boning and a front tulle detail to bring all the attention to the bust. The shoulders, upper back and arms are left exposed. The workmanship is exquisite and it is absolutely stunning and provocative. What I love most is that is is very close in design to the dress that was worn by Marilyn to performing for the U.S troops in Korea, February 1954 (click here to see more on our blog). Excellent condition.

Fully lined in matching blue silky rayon. Boned through the front and back and the interior has hand finishes. It closes with a painted metal side zipper. Note that the color has a slight purple undertone that does not quite come across in the photos. Museum quality

Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to waist
Length: 31" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD1163

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