• The twin of this dress walked runway for the Cruise 2011 Chanel collection for Look 36.
• It was made under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld
• I have had a version of this dress in the shop that had a more tank bodice to it but this is the first time I have had the actual twin of the runway look and I think I love it even more with its one shoulder silhouette.
• The Chanel Cruise collections have an interesting history. Gabrielle Chanel actually sailed and her love of the sport led to her inception of a 'cruise' collection in the 1920s. She was not the first to come up with this concept but hers were among the first to show a complete collection in a fully fledged show. They eventually fell off in popularity within the brand and it was not until Karl Lagerfeld took over Chanel that the Cruise collections started again.
• This was a very successful collection and was lauded by critics. Vogue said that 'It was like something out of a quintessential Riviera movie.... And like the carefree starlets and jet-setters they were channeling, the models traipsed down the street-cum-runway often barefoot, wearing seventies-ish diaphanous caftans, long crocheted dresses, ruffle-lapelled silk jersey trouser suits, and patchwork denim skirts.' They noted that 'Key, of course, is that lightness of touch, the sense of enjoyment and ease. And with fashion once again experiencing a 1970's revival, the show also ended up feeling—as Lagerfeld's Chanel outings often do—very much of the moment.' And the location choice? Karl said the location was a personal choice "I spent many years of my life here," he said. "I know Saint-Tropez like I know Paris. The collection is very casual, very down-to-earth."
• Of course only Karl and Chanel would think a gold knit ribbon dress is casual, to the rest of us this is an incredibly glamorous dress. 
• The dress is beautiful. For all the talk of the seventies influence on this collection this one definitely has a nod to the twenties, a decade that Karl often touched upon.
• The base of the dress is made out of a knit that combines a natural deep linen silk cord that has a gold metallic thread woven through it. Gold grosgrain ribbon is braided through the knit and then additional strands of ribbon and silk cords are set vertically over the different parts of the dress to create the final effect that you see. 
• The knit that edges the neckline has a chunkier feel to it than the knit that runs through the body. The ribbon on those two parts of the dress is also set into the knit differently.
• For the area around the waist and the seam above the final part of the skirt, Karl treated the knit and ribbon differently again. It is quite interesting to see how he used the change of direction of the knit and different finishes of both the knit and the ribbon to separate and highlight the different parts of the design on the dress.
• Through the body the weave of the knit is all set vertically with gold ribbon braided vertically. Long vertical expanses of ribbon are set over the underlying knit layer along with strands of metallic finished cords that are very fine and delicate. These attached into the seam above and below and because of how they are attached and set they sit off of the dress underneath and create its unusual texture and 3D feel. This is an absolute testament to the genius of Karl and his constant pushing forward of the technical aspect of fabrics.
• At the very bottom portion of the skirt, the final 10" of the ribbon and cord are allowed to fall like a long fringe. When you move these create incredible movement as they swish and swoop around you. You also see your leg through the fringes as you walk. It is incredible.
• Once on the body it simply falls over you and is super easy to wear and just a really interesting and unique dress.
• The gold gives it that added glam factor and you could easily wear this for day with sandals and then go all out for an evening look. It would even make a great bridal piece for the bride not looking for something traditional or as a dress for an event surrounding the ceremony. 
• The dress is fully lined through the middle portion in a stretch lingerie feel silk jersey that makes it very comfortable to wear. The bodice is unlined. It has no closures and slips on to wear. It does have some stretch and I have given the comfortable range of measurements below. It appears to have never been worn very little if at all.
  Tagged a vintage Chanel 38 
• Excellent condition 
  

Bust: 15-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 14-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 14" from the top of the shoulder to the bottom of the 2" band at the waist
Total length: 49" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5275

Reference Photo/Video: Chanel 2011 Chanel Runway Collection, Look 36. Model: Sara Blomqvist.

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 dress from the Spring 2017 collection. It was not a piece shown on the runway but it was shown in the Lookbook for that season and has since become another of her iconic pieces.
• It was made under the creative direction of Pheobe Philo
• As with many of her pieces, this dress and the longer variation of it that were released, were loved by her loyal clients. We have included some photos for reference for you so you can see how this looks on the body.
• The knit has stretch so it is very easy-to-wear dress. This one is the slightly shorter length that has the added patchwork insets of extra colour at the sides. The longer length was a more monotone with the ivory hem. You can see the difference in the reference photos.
• The neck line is cut wider across the top and there is a slight seam that runs underneath the neckline where the striping has been offset for a little added detail. The sleeves are long and are slit at their wrist. There is a gusset set underneath each arm with the stripes set differently there as well.
• From there the dress skims over you to the hem. The stretch and ribbing allow it to expand and contract as needed as it follows the body. She has used seams to cleverly break up the stripes and change the direction of the ribbing. On one side there is an inset of a more densely woven knit that runs all the way to the hem for a block of extra colour.
• The front bottom portion of the hem and around partway to the back is finished with an ivory knit.
• The colours of the net are a pinky-red and an ivory. The way it has been knit creates a beautiful texture and colour over the entire dress.
• The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear with no closures. It has its original tag attached and was never worn. The easy cut and stretch of the knit should allow it to fit a range of sizes.
• Tagged a Celine large
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 26.5" from the drop show and are 8-12" around the upper arm
Dropped shoulders: approx 16" 
Bust: 15-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16-26" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 52" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD5253

Reference Photo: (1) Spring 2017 Celine Look Book.  /  (2-3) Irina Lakicevic at SS18 Paris Fashion Week, October 2017.  /  (4) Credit unknown.

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 from the Act 1 Fall 2010 Chanel collection. The Act 1 is the collection done for shops between the Pre-Fall collection and the runway shows. These are often specialized items that are made on an extremely limited basis.
• It was made under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld.
• The dress is made out of a slightly more open feeling woven cotton mix knit. The base net is a deep navy and then that has a silver metal thread running through it. This gives the entire dress a subtle shimmer.
• These amazing textiles are a testament to the commitment that Karl had to continually developing and pushing the envelope when it came to fabrics. This is a fabric that was specifically developed for Chanel.
• The weave of it gives it a touch of transparency and the dress comes with a little silk chiffon half slip to be worn underneath and make it wearable. I love that the slip is separate because it gives you the option to wear something more bare under it and play on its touch of transparency.
• The openings for the arms are extended low so they are longer than a normal arm hole. Curving around each is a wide hand braided band made out of blue and white silk cord. There is also a white silk cord that has been hand covered in silk chiffon so that it breaches the colour of the darker blue and white. Chanel's iconic glass pearls are then looped through the cording on each side of the braiding. These have a slight movement to them and it's incredible. A wider band of the same textile is that all the way around the sea that sits at the top of the hip.
• Given the cost of jewellery with those famous glass Chanel pearls I cannot even imagine the cost to produce this now.
• The bodice skims over you from its wide, scooped neck line to that seam at the top of the hip creating one long line through the body.
• At the back there is a long slit that runs from the button at the neck to the seam at the top of the hip. There is a hook hidden about midway down that you can choose to wear it more closed or you can leave that slit open all the way.
• The skirt falls to the floor from there and it is gathered softly into the band that circles the top of the hip. It widen out slightly as it near the floor and there are high slits that run along the outer edge on both sides so that you get a flash of leg when you walk.
• This is a spectacular Chanel and my photos are not coming close to doing it justice.
• The inner matching slip acts as the lining and slips on with no closures. The outer dress slips on and hooks at the back of the neck. There is a hook halfway down the opening of the back and then it has hidden set hooks on the band that circles around the top of the hips.
• It is brand new with its original hangtags and its Chanel packet and was never worn. These fantasy level dresses are currently $15-30K+ at Chanel.
• Tagged a vintage Chanel size 38.
• Excellent condition

Outer dress
Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: to 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Band at the top of the hips: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 21" from top of shoulder to the band at the top of the hip
Total length: 63" from top of shoulder to hem but may come up once on, depending on where the band sits on the top of your hips
Slits: 24" from the hem up

Inner slip
Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36.5" from top if the shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5238

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.

Bust: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: approx 60" from neck to hem with the length adjustable by how tight or loose you tie it behind the neck

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5157

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 rare two piece jacket and skirt set from the Fall 1999 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of John Galliano.
• We have included several runway shots that we found that show various pieces made of the same fabrication and with similar silhouettes.
• Both pieces are ultra soft to touch. The angora/mohair and wool mix that both pieces are made of would have been specially created for the collection in order to get the pattern to lay so precisely. The fabric would have had to have been pre-planned out prior to making the final design.
• The jacket is phenomenal. It has soft shoulders and is meant to feel at touch more oversized through the upper bodice. The waist is cinched in with a single oversized hand carved button that sits at the front. From there  then it curves over the hips under that. This cut is what gives you that fantastic exaggerated hourglass feel that the suit has.
• The shawl collar is very wide and covers almost the upper bodice. It is finished with a bolder print and feels like a statement piece in itself. The body of the jacket has an angled black-and-white chevron print and I love how he has placed this to emphasize the shape even more.
• The sleeves are extra long and they are meant to bunch up slightly on the arm. They are finished with a wide band of the same design that details the collar.
• The skirt has a simple black piping at the waist and then it is cut in a long slim pencil shape. The upper portion of the skirt is done in that chevron pattern and then the lower part of the skirt picks up that amazing design that was used on the collar and ends of each sleeve.
• The jacket is lined in a black silk and buttons at the front to close as described above. The skirt is unlined and closes at the back with a zipper and hooks at the waist.
  
• Both pieces are tagged an early Galliano large.
• It appears to have never been worn.
• Excellent condition and so so very rare.

Jacket
Sleeves: 26.5" and are 14" around the upper arm
Dropped shoulders: 17.5"
Bust: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 22" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19-23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 35" from the waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD5130

Reference Photos: Fall 1999 John Galliano, Looks 1, 4 & 9.

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.

• A shorter version walked the runway for Spring 2012 for Look 47
• Under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld
• The body of the dress is a pale pink knit whose design is set in little individual scallops that slightly overlap the one underneath. It is very intricate and beautiful 
• The neckline is scooped and there are flowers made out of stiffened silk organza mixed with an iridescent fabric that also is stiffened. These are curled inward to form petals. There is a cluster of five flowers around the neck and then ten run down the centre of the front. More circle around the entire hem. The iridescent petals catch the light and add a beautiful dimension to the dress.
• The sleeves are made out of a ivory silk chiffon and each closes with a little domed Chanel button with the double C logo in gold. A third button sits at the back of the neck. Despite having the Chanel button I think that these sleeves may have been added at a later date or upon request of the client. It would explain why they still have the Chanel buttons but they don't look like they were integral to the dress by the way they are set into the arm. I have left it as found but if you did not like them they could easily be removed.
• The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear. It buttons to close at the back of the neck and on each cuff.
• Tagged a Chanel 36
• The button at the back of the neck has lost its little gold double C logo. I see a tiny little break in the silk at the top of one shoulder. It otherwise is an excellent condition.

Sleeves: 23" and are 13" around the upper arm
Bust: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent:  XS-SML

Item# DD5044

Reference Photo/Video: Spring 2012 Chanel, Look 47. Model Anna Selezneva.

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 spectacular and rare dress from the Fall 2004 McQueen show and its twin walked the runway that season. On the runway it was shown with a sash wrapped around the hips and you could easily replicate this if you wished. It is equally as good on its own. The runway pieces were not produced in significant numbers and were often only found at the flagship stores in very limited quantities. For this collection McQueen was quoted as saying that he wanted to 'strip away all theatrics and focus purely on design'. The colours in the show focused on a nude palette and these taupe pieces were a predominant element in the collection. He also kept the embellishments to the bare minimum throughout the collection and this dress showcases that nod towards simplicity. 

The dress is made from a very fine knit jersey that has a slight sheen to it. The seams are then either surged and top stitched, or have been covered and highlighted with a silk cording. This use of the seams as a way to create design details within the dress is a very McQueen feeling signature and it really highlights the cut of the piece. The neckline on the dress is a wide ribbed panel that has a lot of stretch available to it. You could wear it up and off the shoulders but it is best worn as shown on the runway, stretched and pulled down to leave the shoulders bare and exposed. The bodice is cut to skim over you and the sleeves are long. Each sleeve has some fullness above its 4" cuff. On the runway, they pulled the cuff up and inside so you just saw the part that blouses over and not the cuffs itself. A very clever styling trick. From there it continues past the hips to the floor. If you thought the way the seams have been detailed on the bodice is pretty, the skirt is magical. There are stacked side by side peaked panels whose tops sit at different heights around the entire skirt. Each has a touch of open cut work around their seams which gives the dress more depth and detail. This piecing of the side by side panels also allows the skirt to have more of a flare at its bottom. You can see how beautifully it moves in the runway video here. It is my understanding from my client that only a limited amount of these were produced. This is an iconic piece of McQueen's history. Excellent condition with a minor note below

Fully lined in an ivory stretch lingerie type fabric and slips over the head to wear. The knit jersey has stretch and the measurements below are the comfortable range when the dress is laying flat. I see a tiny area on the knit where it misses a stitch. Please see the photo after the label shot. Tagged a McQueen 38. Any change in colour you see is just the lighting. The stretch fabric should allow it to accommodate a variety of sizes.

Sleeves: 25"
Shoulders: variable
Bust: 17-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 11.5-15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17-22" flat across from side seam to side seam 
Total length: approx 60" from the top of the natural shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD4816

Reference Photos/Video: Fall 2004 Alexander McQueen.

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 as Look 38 for the 2018 resort season. The show was held in the remote Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve in Calabasas, California. The show was star packed with Rihanna, Charlize Theron and Solange Knowles there alongside the fashion pack. The inspiration for the show came from the archives and Chiuri said 'she went to the archives, where she came across the house founder’s Lascaux collection of 1951, inspired by the ancient cave paintings discovered in southwestern France a decade earlier.' This dress to me also harkened back to  the earlier Galliano era and the times that he did knits in a similar colurway. It was a favorite of the street style crowd and it is a gorgeous little creation. I believe that I read at the time these were all hand knit.

The dress is easy to wear and makes a huge visual impact that I love. It is made of a knit virgin wool that is light and feels fantastic once on the body. I love the horizontal stripes of colour that were meant to depict desert sunsets. The weave is loose and open so that you will see either your bare skin underneath or whatever you decide to wear underneath it. It is cut to skim over the body. The neckline is a wide boat neck and then it travels down over the bust, waist and hips, opening up to be quite flared as it reaches the hem. You can see in the reference video that this flare allows the dress to kick out around you when you move. The sleeves are cut to just above the elbow and they are finished with hand knotted yarn tassels in black. These circle the cuffs for pretty detail. These same hand-tied tassels are also set all the way around the hem for added movement there as well. It is just gorgeous. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Unlined and slips over the head to wear with no closures. It looks to have been worn very little if at all. Tagged a US4, GB8, FR36, IT40. The knit has considerable stretch. I have put the comfortable range of measurements lying flat and there may be a little bit of room beyond that once on the actual body

Sleeves: approx 15" and are 7-13" around the upper arm and is 12-14" around the cuff above the 2" fringes
Shoulders: no defined seam
Bust: 13-17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17-25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 54" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD4218

Reference Photos/Video: (1-3) Resort 2018 Christian Dior Look 38, Model Zuzu Tadeushuk.  /  (4-7) Sofie Valkiers in Dior at Paris Fashion Week 2017.  /  (8) credit unknown.

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.