This a great little black dress by Yves Saint Laurent. It is strapless and cut to hug your curves. The fabric is a black cotton that is heavy enough to give the dress some structure. To put it on you first do up the bandeau that is inside the dress. This is made from a black muslin and this inside piece zips into place so that the dress is held securely around you. Then you simply button it up down the front. I love the flap finish that runs all the way around the top of the dress. There are two big pockets on each hip that are finished with that same exaggerated flap. They not only add detailing but also add the illusion of more shape. The flap at the top adds shape to the bust and the ones on the pockets help to give the hips a flare out for an hourglass feel. The hem is cut short to that you get miles of legs showing. Everything about the cut of the dress is done to highlight the curves of the body. It is wonderful. Excellent condition

Unlined with an attached interior bandeau as described above. Buttons to close. Pockets are functional. The fabric has a very very slight fade feel to it at some or the edges that is a natural component of this fabric as it ages. 

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist at inner waist stay: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 26.5" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3641

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 the twin of the dress that was worn by Judy Garland in 1963. It is tiny and I would like to think that somehow it is that exact same dress but I have no provenance to be able to prove it. What I do know is that this is one of Garland's most iconic photos and that the dress is incredible. having the photo also gives you an extraordinary example of just how fabulous it is on the body.

Norman Norell dresses were not only extremely chic and sophisticated, they are also cut with exception mastery. Every line and seam is placed exactly where it should be to flatter the body and create an air of sophistication. This particular dress is a fabulous example of just that and the lines of it are amazing. It is a chic wool jersey sheath whose fabric has a bit of texture to it and has a long and sleek line to the cut. The neckline is squared off and the sleeves are capped. There is an attached piped belt made of the same fabric that ties, and defines, the high set empire waist. From there it falls in a sleek column that gently widens out as is nears the floor. It closes off side and with a tightly spaced row of black buttons. These start at the square neck and run all the way down, ending with an open vent below the last one so if you choose to do a drama pose in it like Judy did, you can! Don't be fooled by it's simplicity - it is seamed and constructed to couture levels and the finishes within it are superb. I love it. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a fine black silk and closes at the front with the buttons as shown. The attached belt ties into place. Proper button holes finishes on all. Hand finished throughout and made to demi-couture standards.

Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10.5" from shoulder to seam under bust
Skirt: 42" from neck to hem, with 2.5" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3377

Reference Photo: Judy Garland in Norman Norell by Richard Avedon, New York, January 7 1963.

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

Louis Feraud launched his couture label in 1950 in Cannes and by 1955 opened the doors to his Paris atelier. In 1958 he presented his first Haute Couture collection. His couture pieces are hard to find and this one is exceptional. By the 1970s he was well established and in 1978 he won the Golden Thimble Award. The dress comes direct from the daughter of the original Haute Couture client who purchased it in and around that same time period. 

This is a beautiful dress that you can wear for day and into the cocktail hour. It has a classic silhouette that still feels fresh and in line with what you are seeing on the runways now. The dress is entirely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and the silk is of the highest possible grade. The top is cut to skim over the bodice and the sleeves pouf out above their buttoned cuffs. There is an attached tie at the neck that ties into a bow. The waist is nipped in and it is cut so that the the top blouses over slightly as you see in the photos. The skirt falls from under there to just past the knee. The entire body of the dress, both the front and the back, has been meticulously pleated into sharp knife pleats. These run horizontally across the upper shoulders and then fall vertically below that. Each pleat is perfectly spaced and some are actually doubled with another pleat of fabric hidden underneath. This technique uses an excessive amount of fabric and it is only in couture that you would see this. The time to hand pleat these so perfectly is mind boggling especially when working with a fabric like silk. The colour in person is a true rich pink. Ot is slightly more dusky and not quite as vivid as how it photoed. It is far better in person and that dress has a wonderfully refined and elegant feel to it. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition.

Fully lined through the skirt in a pink silk and unlined through the bodice and sleeves. All interior seams hand finished. It closes down the front with hand made silk covered buttons. It buttons from the neck to the waist. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand. Proper Haute Couture label present

Sleeves: 25.5"
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 18-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 21" from neck to waist
Skirt: 30.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD2353

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