The exact twin of this dress was shown on the Fall runway for 2006 for Look 61. 2006 was an important year in Oscar's history. This is the same year that Parsons awarded him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at their 58th Annual Benefit and Fashion Show. In Vogue's review of the collection journalist Nicole Phelps said in part; 'While other designers flit from one influence to another, Oscar de la Renta has made a four-decade-long career of staying true to his brand of ladylike elegance'. On the runway the dress was worn by model Liya Kebede and it was styled with maximum simplicity. It was just Liya in all her beauty and this stunning gown. Her makeup was barely there and they did not even add an earring to detract from her beauty or the beauty of the dress. It was a stunning moment and I am happy to have the runway clip included here so that you can see just how beautifully the dress moves. 

This Oscar de la Renta dress is stunning. It is red carpet worthy and would even make an amazing wedding piece for the bride looking for a non-traditional choice or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. It is in fabulous condition. It is coming from the same estate of a woman I am just starting to go through who was personal friends with Oscar and she bought some of his most beautiful pieces. The dress is made from yards and yards of a black silk brocade that has a vivid teal blue pattern woven through the fabric. The silk he chose is just incredible. It has a black base with beautiful motifs woven through the silk. They become a design element in themselves. The silk is just heavy enough to hold the shape and structure of the dress but even with all of that fabric it is not so heavy that it is uncomfortable to wear. It has a full built in boned corset inside the bodice so you don't have to worry about additional underpinnings. I did add a crinoline to the dress for some of these photos so that you can get an idea of just how full the skirt is and see its full shape. I also photoed it without a crinoline so that you can see how it falls on its own. The bust is strapless and fitted with high peaks on each side of the bodice. They curve toward the centre with a scalloped pattern at the edge. It hugs the body, curving in at the waist, and then hugs over the top of your hips. The seaming is all done on the vertical to create that beautiful shape and give the the dress a sense of added length. It is cut to follow and highlight the curves of your body to below the hip. At each hip there is a panel of fabric added to create a fantastic curved ruffle. This acts like a modern day pannier and is quite a beautiful detail. The skirt flows directly out from the bodice with no seam at the waist to break the line. It is cut to sit slightly more sleek and flat at the front and then you have all that wonderful volume starting at each hip and going around to the back. The back of the dress is very dramatic. It is trained so that it flows out behind you in a dramatic swoop of fabric. There is a wide inner band of stiffened netting that circles the hem to help hold the skirt up and keep the shape rather then have it just drag behind you. The upper back is left bare and it is just impossibly wonderful. Those details combined with that spectacular colour make it one of the best gowns I have seen from this time period. It is a stunning example of Oscar's work. Excellent condition.

Unlined with ribbon finished seams. There is a full built in corset that closes with its own zipper and then the dress closes over that with a hidden set zipper. A wide band of stiffened netting finishes the hem as mentioned above. There is an inner grosgrain waist stay that hooks to close. I see a break in the silk that covers the interior netting at the hem but it is inside the dress so does not show at all. Tagged a size 2. 

Bust: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 53.5" from top of bodice to front hem, 75" to back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-SML

Item# DD3861

Reference Photos/Video: Fall 2006 Oscar de la Renta Runway Collection, Look 61. Model: Liya Kebede.

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 1951, 27 year old James Galanos launched his first label called Galanos Originals. 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. That said, his ready-to-wear line was made to almost true couture standards and piece in it were made with a level of craftsmanship that was on par with the French couturiers. Galanos was a master cutter and draper and he used many couture techniques in the construction of his dresses and other pieces. Grace Kelly was an early fan and he was truly one of the great American designers. His work is held in all of the major museums around the world and he is one of my personal favourite designers. This dress is exceptional and I was very excited to have it come into the shop.

The dress is absolutely gorgeous. The label that is in it was the one used starting in 1977. Looking at the dress it is almost hard to imagine that it is not from an earlier time period with its decidedly Old Hollywood feel. It is made out of a fine silk chiffon that has been dyed to a deep moss green. In the skirt they are also more olive coloured panels mixed in and this adds depth there. The bust is shaped and structured underneath that draped exterior. You would not think it to look at it but that part of the dress is very formed underneath and hides an inner foundation that follows the complete length of the bodice. The top is cut straight across and it curves in at the waist and then hugs the tops of the hips. A long chiffon panel snaps into place on one side of the interior and you can then drape this over your shoulder to create a few different looks. You can let it sit to cover your entire arm like a half cape or just have it trail down the back for a little floating detail as you walk away. You could also have it float over the entire upper chest to drape over the other shoulder. That panel is completely removable so you could also wear the dress without it for a true starless feel. The panel is long enough to play double duty as a sash or even a head piece. You have a lot pf options with it. The silk has been hand draped over the bodice and I love the contrast between the horizontal draping there against the vertical panels in the skirt. The skirt itself is a marvel. It is literally made up of vertical panels of silk that have been cut in different widths and slightly different lengths. These are layered over a inner single layer skirt of the same silk chiffon. When the dress is on it gives the illusion that you are very bare under the panels. Each panel is set in by hand and this would have been a meticulous and tedious method that would have added several hours of construction time to the dress. The panels give the dress a very unexpected sexy feel as they move around you and give the illusion that you will get a glimpse of your full leg at any moment. The dress is stunning on and the movement that the panel over the shoulder and the panels of the skirt have when you move is stupendous. Excellent condition 

Fully lined in a green silk and closes with a hand set zipper at the side. Hand finished throughout. The shoulder panel snaps onto place with silk covered snaps. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Bust: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips at the bottom of the bodice: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 48" from top of the strapless bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3862

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 a stunning dress that has a Saks Fifth Avenue tag and no other so its origins are a bit of a mystery. It is coming from the same estate of a woman I am just starting to go through. She bought a lot of Oscar de la Renta, Fath, Versace and other high end labels and you can tell that this a dress of quality even without knowing her label preferences. It is made out of a beautiful clear and true red matte silk satin. The fabric is just heavy enough to be able to hold the shape, but is still light enough that with every move it billows out around and behind you. The bodice is very unusual. At the front it is strapless and curves across your bust. At the back it has an almost racerback feel with the an angled cut that extends all the way to the high back of your neck. It then extends out and wraps around to form a collar that you see at the front. This gives the dress a bit of an edgy feel that I love. The bust is fitted and shaped to accentuate your curves. Below that the skirt is very full and billows out and around you beautifully. It is cut to be very full. It curves over the hips and then flows to the floor as it widens out. At the back it is cut longer then the front to give it a beautiful curve. Big soft pleats start at each side of the hips and then continue to the back. The way they are set into the base of the back give the skirt more fullness there and the effect is just beautiful. From the side this creates a beautiful curving angle from the waist to back hem. No matter what angle you see the dress it is stunning. It is just fabulous. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a red silk through the bodice and a the skirt is self based in a black. Built in inner skirts that give it the fullness that you see and then a red silk inner skirt under that. It closes with a back hidden set zipper.  Ribbon edged finished seams. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little.

Neck: 12.5" around
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from neck to waist
Skirt: 42" from waist to front hem, 48" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3858

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

John Anthony is an award-winning American fashion designer best known for simple, elegant clothing with a strong sense of chic. His work veers towards minimalism, with sharp tailoring, striking evening wear being his signature. He is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. From the day that he launched his atelier in 1971, his design philosophy is a fusion of function and purpose. The function is his logical, wearable approach; the purpose, his pared-down ideas. As a designer, he considers it his job to make things easy for the customer. He designs with focus and a narrow palette for both day and night, so items can easily intermingle. He uses natural fabrics and is noted for contradictory daywear fabrics in his evening collections. In the early 70’s he was one of the first designers to promote the idea of easy-to-travel clothes that resist wrinkling. By 1976, he was showing soft, liquid separates in muted colours that became his trademark and received 2 Coty awards, one in 1972 and one in 1976, as recognition. 

His business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces did, and still do, retail for over $10,000. His work is a personal favourite of mine and I am thrilled to offer this exclusive nine piece capsule collection of pieces and samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you. 

This dress is a little extra special as Janet Jackson wore a later version of the dress for her Today's Black Women cover. I included it as it is always fascinating to see the progression of a design. It also has some similarities to the ivory one we have in this capsule that is made from a similar lace and sequin fabric. The dress is very light in weight and it is made from the most beautiful fabric. A deep blue netted lace is placed over a silk chiffon lining in the same colour.  The lace is then detailed with thousands of deep blue iridescent sequins that run over the entire length of the dress. This allows the dress to catch the light from every angle and it creates the most beautiful effect in the light. It is strapless and the top of the bodice curves down into a sweetheart shape to emphasize the bust. It cleverly closes down the front with a hidden zipper and hidden snaps running under the edges of the fabric. I love how all of the edges follow the curving pattern of the lace so that everything has that touch of romance and detailing. To wear it you just wrap it around you and close the snaps down the front. The snaps run to about the mid-thigh and then below that a subtle slit is created so that you see a flash of leg when you move or sit. The lower hem is set on a curve so comes up slightly at the front and is longer at the back. The skirt is lined in a silk chiffon and this gives it a slight transparency in the light. Very sexy.  I love the little rosette created and placed to one side at the waist for a touch of detailing. No detail is too small with John's dresses. It is incredible. It is wonderful. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a hand set deep blue silky rayon through the bust and a silk chiffon through the skirt. It closes at the front with a hidden set zipper and a series of hidden fabric covered snaps. Lightly boned through the bodice. Hand finished throughout. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 9" from the top of the bodice to waist
Length: 46" from the top of the bodice to longest point of the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3831

Reference Photo: Janet Jackson in John Anthony for Today's Black Women, June/July 1998.

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

Jean-Louis Scherrer was one of the great French couturiers in the grand Parisian style. He counted Sophia Loren and Jackie Kennedy as fans in his heyday and his work in the 1970s especially was wonderful. Opulence, hand beading and rich passementerie were his trademarks. He launched his own Haute Couture house after working at Christian Dior and by 1977, the year that this dress was made, he was just reaching the top of his game as a couturier. It is an incredible find and even more beautiful in person

I love the soft yellow silk organza that has been used for the skirt and the shawl in this dress. This choice of fabric allows it to have the volume that you see but without adding any weight at all. It also is a soft and romantic contrast to the sequin work on the bodice. The bodice is strapless and cut to be fitted to the bust balancing the volume of the skirt perfectly. Thousand of tiny sequins have been hand applied to create that stunning floral design that you see. As you look closer the work just gets more amazing. The edges of the green sequin leafs fro example are all finished with the tiniest glass tube beads possible. Little glass crystals edge other parts of the design and create a border across the top of the bodice. The workmanship is exquisite and the care and time to have created the design using these very small sequins and beads is astonishing. Under the bodice the skirt is cut to skim over the tops of the hips and than flows outwards with its first ruffle. There are three ruffles in total making up the skirt and each is cut to be very wide and each is made out of several yards of fabric. The skirt under the ruffles gradually widens as it reaches the hem. I photos most of the full length shots here with a light crinoline underneath so you could get an idea of just how full the skirt could be. The final full length shot is without anything underneath and even then it has stunning volume. The movement and airiness the skirt creates in person is amazing. At your smallest movement the ruffles float around you. The dress comes with a matching shawl that is so large it really could be considered to be more of a cape. It is made of the same silk as the skirt and is finished with the same ruffled treatment we see on the skirt. It can be wrapped or just lightly held. The entire dress is finished to Haute Couture standards and it is even more beautiful in person. Excellent condition with a small note to review below

Fully lined in the same silk organza that is used on the exterior. All of the work throughout is done by hand done to the edgings of the inner seams. It zips to close with a painted metal zipper and the exterior skirt snaps to close over the zipper. An inner waist stay hooks to close. The bodice is lightly boned. I see one tiny dot of a mark just under the bodice seam and a tiny repair near the base of the back closure. Numbered tag 002576

Bust: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 9" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 42" from waist to hem
Shawl: 9 feet long x just over 5 feet wide

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3393

Reference Photos: (1) 1976-1977 Fall-Winter Women's haute couture runway show.  /  (2) Jean Louis Scherrer with model, 1977.

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 is absolutely incredible and one of the prettiest things I have seen lately. I love this dress. The fabric is a wonderful silk taffeta that has a romantic washed floral design covering its entire surface. The print is set onto the silk in a soft washed feel like a watercolour painting. The bodice is strapless and fitted to hug the body. Light boning at each side helps to hold it in place. The silk was then draped to closely follow your every curve. The fabric on the bust crosses over itself and gathers bring the dress in at one side to create the illusion that it has been wrapped around you. The wrapped illusion is made even more apparent by the wide ruffle that trims all of the edges. This wide panel os fabric follows the cur of the dress and curves around the hem and then back up. The form is shipped ups lslightly as a result for some leg to show and I love ow the hem is slightly asymmetrical as a result. The ruffle also acts to emphasize the curves and the shape of the dress. It has a very bombshell feel to it as a result. The waist is cinched in with seaming and a large flower made of the same fabric is nestled into the folds just under the bust for the perfect finishing detail. Everything on this dress is done to create that highly sculptural shape. It looks to have never been worn or worn very little. In person the colour is a bit more towards a dusty pinky red then the coral it photoed as. It is even better in person. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a pink silky rayon and closes with a hidden set side zipper. 

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam with an A to small B cup
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bust: 10" from top of waist
Skirt: 30" to the longest point at the back

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3581

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

Loris Azzaro founded his label in 1967 and quickly was dressing women like Raquel Welch, Brigette Bardot, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, Sophia Loren, Marisa Berenson and many more. His label gained international recognition and was known for his bright, clear colour choices and daring cuts. He once said in an interview; 'When a woman has found her style, she should stick to it. We forget too often that it is the dress that must serve the woman and not the opposite.' He is one of my favourite designers to find and with all of the emphasis on recreating these looks from the eighties by many modern designers you can't beat these original vintage version on terms of cut, style and quality. 

I love how this dress combines the sexiness of the fitted strapless dress with the drama of that flared skirt. The dress is made out of a printed silk taffeta that combines a bold pink with a deep purple in a soft washed print that covers the entire dress. The silk keeps it light in weight but at the same time is the perfect choice to help to hold the shape and give the dress structure. The top portion of the dress has been gathered in soft folds from the bust to just past the top of the hips. The folds are set to help to highlight the hourglass shape of the dress. They have the illusion of being wrapped around you and they are set on dramatic curves to really emphasize the shape of the body underneath. The neckline is strapless and the top of it curves over the bust to make a sweetheart neckline. The centre plunges down and is set to perfectly meet where the draping crosses over on each side. Inside the dress there is one of his signature built in strapless bras for extra support. The waist nips in beneath this and the shape you see is created by the cut rather then having a horizontal waist seam to break the line of the dress. The gathers continue down and over the top of the hips for shape. Below that the skirt flares out in soft folds and volume. There are two layers of the skirt and this lets the skirt move with your slightest move. It is even better on an actual body. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a pink silk and closes at the back with a painted metal and nylon zipper. The bodice is boned and there is a strapless bra set into the inner bodice. Hand finishes throughout that are to the demi-couture standards his main line pieces were made to.

Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 34" from top peak of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3307

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 exquisite Pierre Balmain Haute Couture dress is a stunning and very rare example of what the house was producing during this time period. It is true Haute Couture and has been entirely made by hand to Haute Couture standards. It is from the Spring 1956 collection and a long full length version of the dress was photoed on Renée Breton. I love having the reference photo of it as it gives you a very good idea of how wonderful it will be on. Besides being a very wearable cocktail dress and an extraordinary piece of fashion history, this would make a stunning wedding choice for the bride looking for something not as traditional or as an option for an event over a wedding weekend.

The dress is made from the most exquisite French Alencon lace. Alencon lace is characterized by a delicate mesh work motifs surrounded by a raised rim of fine silk cording. Though it can now be made by machine  the lace used on this dress would be the authentic hand made version and would have been made and brought in specifically for this dress. The silk cord has been meticulously hand applied to the lace to follow and define each delicate motif within the pattern. The lace runs from just under the high set waist to the hem and it is breathtaking to see. At the hem the lace has been hand stitched onto a silk organza edging for a very refined finish. For the bodice he chose a simple silk jersey. It is strapless and cut to hug the body. The silk has been hand draped over the bodice in soft folds. The folds are set on a slight angle and in the center a section has an an opening on either side. Through that winds a wide black silk taffeta sash that follows under the bust and then ties at the back. The use of the contrasting black ribbon adds a stark contrast to the ivory and also visually cinches in the waist area. The skirt billows out to a beautiful fullness beneath the nipped in waist. The shape and fullness that you see is all built in. Under the top layer of lace there are layers of silk netting and tulle. The inner construction of the dress is absolutely exquisite. The bodice has a boned lingerie net corset that is made entirely made by hand and to Haute Couture standards. It has several straps that wrap around you to help hold the dress in place and built in cups. Under the skirt there are a three full layers of silk tulle and netted underskirts. I did not add any additional crinolines for these shots but you could create an even fuller shape by adding another underskirt. It is a beautiful example of the very early work that the House of Balmain was doing and a wonderful example of the golden years of Haute Couture. It is a work of art. Excellent condition with some minor notes to review below.

Fully lined in a ivory silk with extensive boning, inner construction and skirting. It closes with an intricate combination of chest and waist stays that hook to close and there are two zippers. One closes the inner corset and the other closes the exterior dress. The inner layers of the skirt are attached with some having addition half layers at their hems for additional volume. The innermost skirt is interlined with netting and the built in corset is made of lingerie netting, metal boning and padding that has been made by hand. Proper Haute Couture label and tape underneath, though the writing on the couture tape under the label has faded to almost nothing. I see a couple of small areas of darkening to the inner bodice. On the exterior bodice there are very light changes in color at the across the sides near the arms. There is a mark near the top of the zipper and the lace at the bottom of the zipper is a little fuzzy looking. Please see the photos after the label shots.

A small note for brides. The Black sash is just lightly tacked onto place and could easily be removed, set aside to keep, and yo could then switch it out to an ivory (or to any other color) if the black was too stark. You could then have it fall as long as you wish as well.

Bust: 15" flat across the back from side seam to side seam with cups built in that would fit an A or smaller
Waist: 11.5-12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 5" from top of bodice to seam under front cups
Skirt: 36" from seam under the cups to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3344

Reference Photos: Renée Breton in Pierre Balmain, 1956. Photographed by Georges Saad

This garment is sent in clean, as found condition and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.

This is a stunning Valentino that is from the time period of Valentino when it was being co-designed by both Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. They had stepped into Mr Valentino's shoes and were breathing new life into the brand. I love that they still adhered to the label's heritage in keeping with using the classic Valentino red colour.

The dress is made from a light stretch silk crepe chiffon in the signature shade of red that Valentino is so well known for. The fabric choice lets the dress light in weight while still holding that beautiful shape that you see. The bodice is strapless and is kept very simple and elegant. It is cut straight across the edge at the top and then the silk has been gathered across and over the bodice. The outer layer of silk is set so that it wraps over one side of those gathers and and then is caught up in a curve below the bodice. It follows along the waist line in a soft curve and is caught up on the opposite hip. There it drapes down the skirt in a pretty soft panel that creates a slight ruffled effect down the full side of the dress. The back is cut to fall in a smooth sheath so you get the feeling of length. It is the perfect mix of simplicity and elegance. The skirt falls to the floor in a graceful column and gradually widens out just a touch as it nears the hem. The lightness of the silk combined with the open panel on the one side allows the fabric of the skirt to move with the slightest bit of movement on your part and it is so pretty when you walk. Inside it is beautifully constructed. There is a built in full interior corset to hold you in place. It is lightly wired and boned and that is combined with a stretch lingerie netting for comfort. It is a beautiful and romantic dress. It is a very wearable size and looks to have been worn very little it at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a red stretch silk and closes with a back zipper that is covered with a red silk satin ribbon. The interior cupped and boned corset closes with its own separate zipper. The interior bodice has some stretch so I have measured the comfortable range laying flat - you could probably get a little more out of it if needed. No size tag bit I would guess that this is a modern Valentino 44 or 46

Interior bust: 20-22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Interior waist: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22-23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 55" from top of the bodice to the front hem, 56" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: LRG-XL

Item# DD3696

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

Ferdinando Sarmi was an actual Italian Count and started his design career working for the Elizabeth Arden couture salon during the 1950s. In 1959 he ventured off on his own and launched his label. He designed for just over a decade before closing up shop. During those ten or so years he was especially known for his evening wear. The fabrics he chose were often opulent or very difficult to work with. This dress was obtained from the same source as the other Sarmi listing today and I have included that one's reference photo from 1964 here. Since listing it we also found a 1963 photos of the dress in a different colour way. Both dresses were purchased at the same time for a mother and her daughter. I have also included a photo of them wearing this dress and the other.

The dress is very representative of its time period. It has beautiful lines with a very full skirt that is feather light due to its fabric choice of an ivory silk chiffon. Using the silk chiffon for the dress gives it a feeling of lightness and fantasy as it floats around you once on the body. You can get a sense of just how much movement it has in that wonderful reference photo I have added here. The very top layer of the silk has a hint of transparency to it that adds to the feeling of lightness that is created as it floats over the other inner layers of cream silks that make up the skirt. The bodice is strapless and fitted and has been completely covered in a natural mink that wraps around the wearer. It dips down at the front in a sweetheart neckline. The waist is accented with a large chocolate coloured silk ribbon that is finished in bow at the front. From there the skirt gently widens to a beautiful fullness in a cascade of silk. It is very light and airy feeling when on but inside the construction is immaculate with a full inner corseted foundation made of lingerie netting to keep it perfectly in place. Excellent condition

Fully lined in an ivory silk through the skirt and the bodice is finished in silk with an inner corset made of a cotton net. It closes with a back, hand set painted metal zipper. Hand finished. Made to demi-couture standards. There is some very minor grubbiness to the hem here and there.  

Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 6" from top of bodice to top of band and the decorative band is then 2" wide
Skirt: 47" from top of band  at the waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3607

Reference Photos: (1) F/W 1963 Sarmi, photo by Bert Stern.  /  (2) Brigitte Bauer in chiffon evening gown with mink bodice by Sarmi, photo by Howell Conant at the Lunar Fountain in New York's World Fair, 1964. Shown in Life Magazine, August 1964.  /  (3) Original client photo.

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 a small collection of historically important, key designer labelled vintage furs and fur trimmed pieces stored away in my archives that I will be slowly posting on the site over the next couple of years until I have none left. I will no longer be buying furs for the shop moving forward and have not purchased anything for several years now. I feel like times have changed and while there still is a place for vintage furs for some, including collectors and historians, many modern girls are choosing other options. Many of the pieces in my collection are representative of the designer during a set time period in history that was different then our modern outlook. I have decided that the best course to handle this controversial issue is to let the pieces I have go rather then sit in a cold storage unit. Fur pieces are final sale.

This is a dress that was sent to me by my couture client and this one was one that she had custom made for her for to attend an event in 1998. It is made out of a fine silk satin that has a slight sheen to it that goes perfectly with its icy blue tone. The colour is wonderful and in real life has a touch more depth and vibrancy to it. The photos are very close but it is even better in person. The dress is strapless and made to hug the bodice. It is completely boned and shaped inside and then the interior work is finished with a panel of the same fabric so that it is very comfortable to wear. The waist nips in and then the skirts very full and is cut so that the back is longer then the front for a grand, slightly trained, ball gown effect. The way that it is made is extraordinary. The silk has been set in seamed horizontal rows. Two for the bodice and four for the skirt. Within each of the rows the silk has been meticulously folded into wide set angled pleated lines that create a fascinating effect that runs over the entire dress. The skirt has several layers of attached underskirts that give the dress the shape that you see. I did not add any additional crinolines under the dress. The volume is all built in and it is fantastic. There is a spray of bead work done in silver thread and rhinestones at the waist for the perfect pretty finish. This would make an amazing bridal piece for someone not wanting to wear traditional white or as an alternate dress for an extended wedding weekend event. Excellent condition with a minor note below

Fully lined through the nodule and has full boning all the way around. It closes with a back zipper and the inner waist star hooks to close. There are multiple layers of skirting built in. Two silk layers finished with a stiffened label around the hem and then a multi-layer of tule between those. Some grubbiness to the inner hem only that you can see in the last photo here. It does close properly at the back - it was just a touch small on my dress form 

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam with room to a B cup
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 10.5" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 44.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3590

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

Loris Azzaro launched his label in 1967 and quickly defined his trademark looks with colour, ornate beading, sequins, daring cut-outs and avant garde ways of defining the body. Some of the most beautiful women in the world wore his clothing including Marisa Berenson, Raquel Welch, Jane Birkin, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Tina Turner. It was a label that defined sexiness and had a certain French flare that women world-wide loved. By the eighties he was experimenting with volume and proportions and new fabrics that at the time were all cutting edge. This is a killer example of his work during this period and I also one in the shop in a black if the red one is too bold for you. I have dated this to 1987 after we found a reference photo of a model wearing an Azzaro dress with a very similar shoulder treatments. I love it 

This brilliant red dress is over the top dramatic and an absolute statement piece that will turn every head when you walk into a room. The bodice is hand draped into soft rounded gathers. It  is constructed to follow the curves of the body from the top of the neckline to below the hips. For the main body of the dress he has used a red jersey that has a touch of a metallic feeling finish to it so that it has a liquid effect. Inside is his signature black strapless underwire bralet that is sewn into the dress for support. The bodice is shaped into a low sweetheart curve and the gathers run horizontally down the body. Vertical hand done seams run all the way around to give the gathers a slight scooped feel. This keeps the draping from adding bulk and keep the focus on emphasizing your curves underneath. The low set skirt is made out of a metallic red textured silk that is set over layers of built in under skirting. The fabric of the lower skirt is placed to give the effect that it is wrapped and fanned around you. On each outer side the panels of the skirt lift up and away from the dress. These suggest flames in their shape and the colour. The same fabric and flame-like effect is then used to create a fan of fabric on one side of the bodice and this flares out dramatically up and over the front portion of the shoulder. It is very bold. In person the red and fabric are a touch richer and more textured feeling then how they photoed. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a red silk with a built in bra though the bodice that hooks to close separately. It closes at the back with a painted metal and nylon zipper. The interior bodice is boned. Layers of tulle and silk underskirts under the low set skirt. The flame/fan detailing on the bodice has stiffening fabric inside to hold it up and it does tend to fall a bit. It would be easy to add additional wire or stiffening inside if you wanted it to really hold tall. Hand finished throughout

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 52" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3587

Reference Photo: Model in Loris Azzaro, L'Officiel No. 734, September 1987.

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 comes directly from the original couture client and is in immaculate condition. This is an exceptional example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. It is one of a group of dotted red chiffon dresses that Valentino showed on the runway that season. Finding pieces from this time period in such immaculate condition is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop. I am also pleased to have found runway footage of the group of dresses that he did. The twin of this one was a runway piece and you just get the tiniest glimpse of it on the video I have added here. I have also included a gorgeous shot of Daniela Ghione wearing the dress that year. Style icon Nan Kempner was photoed wearing a different version of the dress which gives you another idea of how fantastic the dress will be on. It is an extraordinary and historically important piece of Valentino's couture work

This dress is divine. The lines of it are beautiful and as good as it looks on the dress form it is perfection on an actual body. The bodice of the dress is fitted and nipped in at the waist. It is cut in a sweetheart neckline that softly curves at the top and is strapless. The bodice is done in an extremely intricate manner. Panels of the silk chiffon have been cut on the biased and then shirred and diagonally crossed over each other to form that complicated pattern that wraps around the entire bodice. The little striped illusion effect that you see in each curving panel is actually the white dot in the silk hat has been meticulously lined up to precision with the one above and below. This painstaking pleating and gathering technique would have taken hours and hours to accomplish. This then forms a shaped bodice that runs down past the waist and molds over the top of the hips. From under that the skirt flares out to the floor and is made up of many yards of the same bias cut red and white dotted silk chiffon. The fabric is feather light so that your slightest movement cause the silk to flow around you. On one hip there are panels of silk that are set to run down that full side to give it an extra burst of volume and movement. The interior of the dress is made to couture standards with a full built in cupped corset that is boned and shaped to just past the waist. From under the bodice the skirt is made up of three full layers of silk; two of the dotted silk and a red silk inner layer. It is one of the most beautiful dresses I have seen and looks to have been worn very little if at all. It is an amazing example of his earlier Haute Couture work. Excellent condition. 

The bodice has a full built in boned corset made that hooks into place. The dress zippers to close over that. The skirt is made up of three layers as descried above. Done with Haute Couture construction techniques. Inner waist stay hooks to close.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 52" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3588

Reference Photos: (1) Daniela Ghione in Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1986. Photo by Oliviero Toscani.  /  (2) Valentino Haute Couture SS 1986. Photo by Lord Snowdon.  /  (3) Model in Valentino Haute Couture, Vogue Italia, March 1986. Photo by Albert Watson.  /  (4-5) Nan Kempner at Barbara Walters's Four Month Wedding Anniversary Celebration at The Pierre Hotel in New York, September 1986.

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

At the age of 31, Stephane Rolland took over as Artistic Director for the Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture atelier, making him the youngest of the 20 official couturiers at the time. That was in 1997 and he remained as the head of the Couture division until the last showing in 2005 when the house officials shuttered is couture business altogether. This dress is from the Fall 2001 Haute Couture presentation and it is the actual runway sample that was worn on the runway. It was Look 7 In the presentation that day. I have included several runway reference photos for you so that you can see just how spectacular the dress is once on an actual body. 

Any Haute Couture piece to come into the shop is a reason to celebrate but to have the actual runway sample is even that much more amazing. The dress is a work of art and is entirely made by hand to Haute Couture standards with the added touch of all those last minute adjustments done to perfectly fit the model to walk the runway that day. This is an amazing opportunity to see what few see; a dress straight from the atelier, overseen and fitted by the couturier himself for its debut on the runway. The entire dress is made from multiple panels of a red silk gazaar that are hand set to overlap themselves as they cascade down the length of the dress. The panels gradually become larger is they run downwards over the dress to the train at the back. They cover the entire dress from the strapless bodice to the very end of the train. By layering the panels the dress has a sense of depth and texture then even the photos can truly convey. Each panel is secured to the base fabric just along its edges so that there is a movement and lightness created when it is on and you move about. The inner part of the dress is cut to above the knee so that you get a long flash of leg at the front. The rest of the dress flows back and around you from there. At the back the train is very long and dramatic. The bodice is strapless and here the panels are set so that they form a peak upwards on one side. The interior is corseted and structured so that it firmly holds the dress onto the body and gives you shape. This is an incredible piece of modern Haute Couture and would have been priced well into six figures when it was originally made. Excellent condition with one small note to review below.

Fully lined in a fine red silk and closes with two zippers. One is on the interior corset and the second is on the outer layer of the dress. The interior corset is boned and shaped. The skirt is lined in a red silk taffeta. Done with Haute Couture construction techniques. The hand written runway sample tag is present. There is some deepening of the colour/ marks on some of the squares of silk that make up the train and some minor grubbiness from being worn for the runway and then stored. Nothing that detracts once the dress is on. It is close to a true zero and will zip properly in the back on the right sized person. 

Bust: 15-15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 11.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner dress length: 26" from top of bodice to hem NOT including panels that go over the edge of the dress a bit above and blow the actual inner structure
Length including train to the very longest point:  Approx 92" from top of bodice to final tip of the train

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3054

Reference Photos: (1-4) Fall 2001 Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture Runway Show.  /  (5-8) Alexandra Daddario photographed by Storm Santos.

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 had a version of this dress in the past in a paler icier blue so when I saw this one with it's deep sapphire blue colour I had to have it for the shop. It is a beautiful and romantic bias cut silk chiffon dress by the great American couturier Oscar de la Renta. It is constructed from multiple layers of a lightweight, slightly textured, silk chiffon in the most stunning deep sapphire colour. The bodice of the dress is gathered in an elaborate ruching of silk that meets in the center in a thick braided detailing. This runs down the centre of the front of the bodice. The strapless neckline above that is cut into a rounded sweetheart shape that is very flattering. The bodice is fitted and cinches in at the waist with interior boning to help hold the shape. The skirt cascades to the floor at the back and at the front it curves up higher so you get a flash of leg when you move. It is made up of three full layers of weightless silk chiffon that float over and around the body to give it the feel of airiness and lightness. The lightness of the silk gives it a billowing effect when you move and walk that is stupendous. A really lovely and romantic dress in one of the best blue colours I have seen. Excellent condition

The dress is fully lined through the bodice in a hand set blue silk and the three layers of silk chiffon the skirt is made of serve as its lining. The dress closes with a side painted metal zipper. Hand finishes. I see one tiny area on the side off the skirt that has darkened. 

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 48" from top of strapless dress to back hem, 37" to the front hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3583

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 lovely dress by Reem Acra who for twenty years has been producing ready to wear and bridal collection. Her pieces tend to combine traditional elements with modern aesthetics and her work can be very beautiful. This was shown on the Spring 2006 runway with a slightly different bodice and then a version with sleeves and upper shoulders was used for the Bridal campaign ads that year and that one matches the bodice of the one I have in the shop today. 

The dress is very simple in cut and very flattering. It is made out of a pale silver grey silk chiffon through the skirting and then the bodice is a silk satin that is covered in a combination off seed beads and prong set rhinestones. The strapless bust is set in a high empire line and it is meant to be fitted and just cover the breasts. It is boned and formed inside to created that banded effect and to keep it in place. On to this is a lovely and intricate design that covers the entire bust all the way around. The design combines the tiniest of silver seed beads with small rhinestones. These catch the light and add a bit of glamour against the grey silk chiffon. Under the bust the skirt falls to the floor in a cascade of silk chiffon. It is feather light and made up of multiple layers of silk. There are two top layers of silk chiffon and then under that are two more layers of a silk dyed to the exact same colour. There are lots of little details that portray its high end origins. Each of the two pairs of layers of skirting are attached by little slips on the side so they hang perfectly in place. And at the back each layer closes with its own zipper and closure. It is very beautiful and even better in person as the camera doesn't quite capture the right shade of soft grey that it is or the glimmer of the rhinestones as they catch the light. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition

Has a built in inner corset through the bust that is boned and closes with a back zipper. Another zipper closes a layer over that and then the outermost layer snaps into place. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little.

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 5.5" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 46" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3573

Reference Photos: (1-2) Spring 2006 Reem Acra Runway Collection.  /  (3) 2006 Reem Acra Bridal.

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

Isaac Mizrahi presented his first collection through a trunk show at Bergdorf Goodman's in 1987. By 1992 Chanel had bought a stake in the company and Isaac's name was everywhere. He was doing custom work for clients and Hollywood on top of his mainline. In 1995 Isaac was the subject of the movie 'Unzipped' based on his Fall 1994 collection. He is known as much for his personality as he was for his clothing. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) recognized him with the Perry Ellis Award (now called the Swarovski Emerging Talent Award) in 1988 and the women's wear designer of the year award in 1989. He loved to experiment and would often change his aesthetics from season to season which was his ultimate downfall. After the fall 1998 show Chanel pulled its stake and the company folded. He did have a couple of subsequent come back attempts, but for collectors these early years are the most important pieces to find.

My client had this dress custom created for herself and worked one on one with Issac on it. It is a dress that really showcases his depth as a designer and it is stunningly beautiful. It is made to demi-couture standards and it looks to have never been worn. The bodice is amazing. It is strapless and is densely covered with large, glossy black beading mixed with large prong set glass crystal rhinestones. These are so heavily applied that you cannot see even a smidge of fabric between them. The size of the beads, combined with the ultra tight spacing of them give it a 3 dimensional effect. The beadwork wraps completely around you to the back. The top of the bodice curves in the most flattering of ways and to is molded to follow the curve of the breast. The dress falls from directly under the bust so that there is no line at the waist to break the beautiful curve of the skirt. The body of the dress is made from a fine black lace and he has set that over a inner nude silk lining. From a distance this gives the effect that you are covered in just a layer of lace. The skirt sweeps down from under that heavily beaded bust, skims past the waist and then starts to flare out from there. It is cut so that by the time it has reached the middle of your legs it flares out tremendously for the lower skirt. This combination of the flared out lower skirt and the black lace give it a touch of a Spanish feel I think. Extra tulle attached to the inner lining help to keep that gorgeous shape that you see. It is even better in person and once on an actual body it really comes to life as the skirts float and swish around you at the slightest movement. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a two layers of a golden nude silk. The innermost layer of the skirt has additional tulle around the hem to help hold the shape. The bodice has a built in inner corset that closes with its own set of lingerie hook and eye. The exterior layer closes over that with a back zipper. Some marks to the inside hems but otherwise it appears to have never been worn or worn very little. 

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam with an approx A-B cup
Inner waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 56" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3564

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

Glossy black sequins that are extra large in size have been densely applied to a structured and fitted base to make this amazing strapless dress. The sequins cover the entire surface of the fabric of the bodice. The dress is strapless and the neckline is cut into a sweetheart shape and the interior is boned and molded. The waist is nipped in and the sequin part curves over the top of the hips for a long and shaped line. Under that is a wide panel of glossy black feathers that gives volume that and movement. This fullness at the bottom adds shape so that your waist and curves are emphasized. It is cut very short and is an amazing vintage find. Excellent condition.

The dress is fully lined with a silky black rayon and closes with a back painted metal zipper. Light boning through the bodice. The bust is shaped and would probably fit up to a C cup. Tagged a UK 12. The dress appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Bust: 16.5" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across the back from side seam to side seam
Length: 28" from top of the bodice to the bottom of the feathered hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3517

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 Haute Couture tape hidden behind the label gives us the exact date on the amazing Emanuel Ungaro dress and jacket set. Ungaro recently passed away and that always makes you look at a designers work with a new appreciation. Ungaro launched his label in 1965 after stints at Balenciaga and Courrreges. He was a brilliant designer who was known for his of extravagant fabrics and flamboyance.

This two piece set is fantastic. The inner dress is signature Ungaro for this time period and is cut to hug every curve of your body once on. It is made out of a metallic silver velvet that has little bits of a silver lame thread worked through it. This is then hand gathered into soft pleats that run the full length of the dress. On the bodice they are set to curve and accentuate the bust with high peaks and a boned interior. The waist nips in and the skirt has more of these same gathers that add shape and emphasis to your curves. There is a thin strip of hand applied sequins that runs down each side of the dress. All applied by hand and incredible. Over this is an ivory silk jacket that has embroidery work, silk netting insets and applique work, in addition to the feathers that you see. The closer you get to that fabric the more astonishing it is. In the lace netting insets the netting is detailed with tiny rhinestones and pearls. These are all connected with the embroidery to give it a touch of a patchwork feel but in a very couture way. The shoulders are gathered and then the sleeves narrow as they reach the cuffs. The waist is shaped in so it almost has the curve of a dandy coat in feel. Then of course the feathers that wraps around the neck, down the front and around the hem, give it the most amazing finish. It is true numbered Haute Couture and remarkable. Excellent condition with a minor note below

The dress is hand lined in a ivory silk and closes with a hand set side zipper. Boning in the bodice of the dress and an interior waist stay that hooks to close.  The jacket has no closures and slips on wit padding in each shoulder. All made to Haute Couture standards and the dress has its Couture label and numbered /dated tape present. There is a slight bit of yellowing to the interior of the dress which of course does not show when on. Please see the last photo after the label shot

Dress
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 9" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 24" from waist to hem

Jacket
Sleeves: 23"
Slightly extended shoulders: 16"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: approx 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: approx 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 32" from neck to hem, including the feathers

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3367

Reference Photo: F/W 1984/85 Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture. Photographed by Bill Connors. (via @only_french_couture)

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 had the twin of the dress ages ago and I was so pleased to find another recently. Ungaro recently passed away and that always makes you look at a designers work with a new appreciation. Ungaro launched his label in 1965 after stints at Balenciaga and Courrreges. His pret-a-porter line, Ungaro Parallele, was created in 1968. He was a brilliant designer who was known for his of colors and flamboyance. I am very please to have found a reference photo of the couture version of this dress from the Fall 1985 collection which means this RTW version was probably released that same season or the season after. 

I absolutely love this Emanuel Ungaro dress. The color is wonderful. It is perfect shade of purple that is done on a fluid silk. He has used two types, a solid silk to create the pleated bust and for the skirt, the fabric has a wonderful secondary pattern of small dots woven through it. The fabric is quite light in weight so despite the elaborate construction of the dress is not heavy to wear, but it does hold the intended shape fabulously. The bodice is cut with a strapless, peaked and plunged neckline. It is elaborately pleated and fitted around the bust with hand placed and gathered folds and internal structure and light wiring. Under that the skirt is set into the bust to follow the angled line at the front. It is set in with soft gathers all around, and then wraps and closes at the back. The bodice has a touch of asymmetry to it and the way the skirt is set in subtly plays on this At the back it wraps over itself and snaps into place with a series of snaps hidden along the lower edge of the bust. This allows a bit of leg to show at the back when you walk. It is incredible. Excellent overall condition with a note to review below

Fully lined in a purple silk chiffon and closes with a back zipper for the corseted interior and then the skirt snaps into place along the seam line. There is a touch of fading to the fabric along the edge of the back panel. Please see the photo after the label shot. The corset fully zippers open and if it's not caught right the teeth can open a touch I have left it as it works fine if you just re-zip it until they catch. The bodice is boned and shaped. Hand finished

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 54" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3353

Reference Photo: (1) F/W 1985/86 Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture Runway.  /  (2) F/W 85/86 Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture. Photo by Hiro.  /  (3) F/W 85/86 Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture. Photo by Marco Glaviano.

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 very pleased to begin presenting a collection of Bill Blass pieces from a woman who was a close personal friend of Mr. Blass for many years. Many of these pieces were custom made or tweaked specifically for her and all of them are in exquisite condition, having been stored and cared for properly over the years. These are rare and hard to find example of his work from the late 1970s and into the 1980s. Some may be the only version of its kind that were made. The family would also like it to be known that their portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to charity.

This is a lovely example of Bill's work that has the added provenance of being featured in the September issue of Vogue that in 1986. It's twin was photographed on Paulina Porizkova and I have included that reference photo here. Both the dress and jacket are made out of the most extraordinary fabric. He has used a fine silk velvet that has gold thread lame running through it in the manner of a men's suiting. This gives both pieces an incredible sheen when combined with the velvet. As it catches the light it almost has the feel of a liquid running over you. The dress is strapless with a built in inner bodice that gives it structure internally but from the outside you only see the fabric falling in one smooth line. The bodice has carefully placed hand done gathers that give just the hint of detailing. Under that the skirt falls to the floor in one long lean line. There is no slit on this one, rather the fabric is cleverly laid out so there is hidden volume as it nears the hem. Over this is the remarkable jacket that has a more structured feel to it. The cut is pure Blass with the waist just a suggestion and the shoulders boxed and padded. The sleeves are long and each is finished at the cuff with a wide band of hand done bead and sequin work. This same incredible detailing runs around the collar, down the front and circles all around the hem of the jacket. It is incredible and very chic. Excellent condition

Both pieces are fully lined in silk. The dress closes with a double zipper at the back, with the inner one closing the inner corset. The inner corset is boned and shaped. The jacket closes with hidden snaps at the front and hook & eye at the neck and waist. The bead work is hand done and elaborate.

Dress
Bust: 17" 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: 14" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 40" from waist to hem

Jacket
Sleeves: 23"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3260

Reference Photo: Paulina Porizkova in Bill Blass, Vogue UK, September 1986. Photo by Bill King.

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 is absolutely incredible and the workmanship that has been put into making it is just extraordinary. It really is one of the most phenomenal dresses I have ever had in the shop. Philip Hulitar designed under his own namesake label from 1949 to his retirement in 1964. He was known for his sophisticated cocktail dresses and evening gowns. Shortly after the launch of his label, a journalist wrote; 'The star of a gifted designer has risen recently on the fashion horizon'. Prior to launching his own label, Mr Hulitar was the in-house designer and head of the women's dress division for Bergdorf Goodmans for 18 years.

This dress is really a thing of beauty and shows the high level of meticulous care put into the execution of design during this time period. The fabric is a high end, luxurious silk in a pale dusty blue. Onto this is a hand screened  custom floral design. The print is set onto the silk in a soft washed feel like a watercolor painting. The silk has then been meticulously hand pleated into rows of sharp knife pleats that are stacked one upon each other. They are set so that the pleats are facing upwards rather then facing down as you would typically see. This gives the fabric a slightly surreal edgy feel and as gravity slightly pulls them and opens them the lines of the body are exaggerated. It is really spectacular in person. The bodice is strapless and fitted. Inside it is boned and shaped. The silk is draped into place by hand draping it to closely follow every curve. It cinches in at the waist and then follows the curve of the hips and narrows at the hem The back is spectacular with a large half bow that sits above a tightly gathered ruffle. This begins at the low back and slowly tapers out just above the knees. Everything on this dress is done to create that highly sculptural shape. Overall excellent condition with some notes to review below

Fully lined in a cream silky rayon and closes with a hand set back painted metal zipper. The interior bodice is boned. The back bow snaps into place. I see some extremely minor pinholes along the one part of the top pf the bodice at the fold and some very minor watermarks on the silk near the hem. It has a area of fading on one hip that I have photoed and placed after the label photo for your review. It can be seen in some of the photos before that as well. You could perhaps shorten it to remove this area or just wear it as is and not worry about it. It is marked a lot lower in price then it would be but for this area.

Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam with an A to small B cup
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 39" from top of the bodice to the front hem, 41" to the back hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3214

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

After much research I have narrowed this down to being a version of the dress that walked the 1998 Haute Couture Runway. It is very similar and you could easily see how a client could have modified that dress to become the one that we see here. It is not unusual for a client to have a dress completely customized to her in that world afterall. The cut and feel are so alike and everything else about the dress feels like Mr. Valentino's work during this time period. It is absolutely exquisite and the cut and fit are the sheer perfection that you would expect from a gown made to this degree.

This may be the perfect black dress. It mixes Valentino's unwavering sense of elegance with the high standards of Haute Couture. The dress is strapless with a fitted and sculpted bodice that wraps the wearer in wide flat pleats that are curved, placed and set by hand. The bodice is a masterpiece in shaping and couture techniques. The fabric has been shaped and molded by hand and immaculately stitched into place to create the soft pleats that curve over the bust and highlight your shape. Inside it is boned and shaped with an inner corset. The corset holds the dress perfectly in place but not to the point where it feels constrictive, just enough so that it shapes you perfectly. The pleats cross over the bust and wrap around the back. There they are sculpted into place and they fall to become a part of the skirt, overlapping the panel that comes from the front. This same technique is used at the front, but there the panel that extends into the skirt does not wrap over the other panel but is set more open to show the inner skirt off to its full advantage. The inner skirt is slim cut and falls to the floor. It is made of a silk netting, backed by silk chiffon, and the netting is completely covered with the finest bead and sequin work that I have seen. This is certainly the workmanship of Lesage and would have been made completely by hand  - worked that would have taken hours and hours and hours. What is truly incredible is that the entire inner skirt is finished with this hand done bead and sequin work even though you only see a touch of it from the front. In the second last photo before the inner bodice photos I lifted the back outer panels to show you how the inner skirt is finished all the way around. That is the level of work that you see only in couture.  This is the type of gown that Valentino excelled at. A refined elegance mixed with a luxurious fabric and finished with a master's touch of provocativeness and romance. The dress appears to have never been worn, or worn very little. Excellent condition

The inner skirt is fully backed in a silk chiffon. The outer panels of the skirt are unlined. The inner bodice has a full couture level netted corset and this is boned and cupped. The bead work extend all the way up to just under the bodice on the inside. There is a zipper to close the corset and it also has a hooked waist stay. Another zipper lies over this to close the outer layer. Completely finished by hand work throughout.

Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 14.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to inner waist seam
Skirt: 40" from inner waist seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3156

Reference Photo: Valentino Spring 1998 Haute Couture Collection

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 lovely little dress is one of the several versions that were produced that year for both the Haute Couture runway and the Rive Gauche line for Yves Saint Laurent. A version in pink and black was featured heavily in the  fall ad campaign for the Rive gauche line that year. I love the pink version as well but think that the all black is perhaps even more wearable for a larger variety of occasions.

The dress is lovely with its strapless, curved bodice and short, fitted silhouette. The main fabric that makes up the body of the dress has a slight bubbled textured feel to it which make it more of an interesting choice than a plain black fabric would have. I love the ruffle detailing that finishes the edges. This is a classic YSL touch and gives it a flirty, girlie feel that it would not have without that finish. The ruffles edge the curving neckline and go all the way around the back. Wider ruffles edge the hem and there he used three full layers of the ruffle set atop of each other so that there is a touch of volume and a flare to the skirt. At one hip is a large black bow done in the same silk taffeta that the ruffles are made from. This adds a saucy bit of volume at the hip. Everything about the cut of the dress is done to highlight the curves of the body from the way the hem is set to that final ruffle that sits curves across the back. It is wonderful. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black cotton fabric and the interior bodice is lightly boned for shape and support. Inner waist stay that hooks to close  and the back closes with a fine metal zipper. Tagged a vintage YSL 38

Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 31" from top of bodice to hem and the top ruffle adds 2.5 inches above the top seam of the bodice

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3090

Reference Photos: (1) Naomi Campbell for Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, F/W 1987.  /  (2-3) Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture S/S 1987 Runway.

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 love Bill Blass pieces. Blass was pne of the premiere Americal designers and was known for his effortless chic. He won countless awards including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award. This dress would have been made while he was still running the company and it has many of his hallmarks, A love of simplicity, the mixing of great fabrics and a bit of a subtle play on sexuality that never crossed the line. The body of the dress is made of a mix of fabrics that add to its visual interest. The skirt and draped panels on the bodice and back are a black silk chiffon that is hand set into place. This creates that feel of softness and lightness that the dress has. When you move the skirt twirls and moves with you. It is cut to hug your curves and shape the body. The bodice has interior boning to form and shape the bust. The base layer is a nude silk that gives the illusion from the distance that you are seeing bare skin through the black lace. The lace is a heavy thread that forms little 3D flowers set into the pattern. These peek out as if it is a separate piece set under the draping and adds to the sensuality of the dress. It is wonderful. Excellent condition

Fully lined in black sueded silk and with a silk inner corseting that is boned and adds support. It closes with a back set zipper and the black chiffon panels wrap over it and hook down one side. Inner attached waist stay for added support.

Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 42" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD2989

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

Ashley Judd wore both a red version of this exact dress and a modified skirt jacket combo to the VH1 Divas Live event and after party on April 13, 1999 at the Beacon Theater in New York. Hers had more coverage on the upper bodice. I actually prefer the strapless that we have here. I think it balances out that hyper fishtail effect better. 

This Oscar de la Renta piece is very unusual and such a striking piece. If you are looking for a true statement piece then this absolutely fits the bill. It is made out of a silk taffeta whose color changes in different lights. In most it seems to be a deep purple but every once in a while it has an almost midnight blue tone if the light is right. This play with light and color only add to it intrigue. The design is very unusual as well. The bodice is strapless but made out of silk covered, spaced boning that gives it a ribbed texture that wraps all the way around you. It has built in cups and very slight padding so there is no need for any undergarment through the top. This tops a figure hugging skirt that follows the curve of the hip and then wraps in towards the ankles with just enough room to be able to walk (but not with a very long stride). At the back it gathers in just under the butt, which creates that narrowing at the bottom. From this gather and down and around the hem it is detailed with overlapping pointed cuts out of the same silk. These run down the center of that back skirting and all the way around the hem. It is extraordinary and dramatic. Excellent condition

The bodice is lined and boned all the way around and closes with two zippers, one that closes the interior and a second that closes the exterior. Slight padding in each cup. Tagged a vintage 12

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam, with B-Small C cup
Inner waist stay: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam. you can go to 14" if stay not hooked
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 42" from waist to longest point of front hem, the back skirt extend to about 62" from waist to longest point

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2906

Reference Photos: Ashley Judd at the VH1 Divas Live Event & After Party, April 13, 1999 at Beacon Theater in New York.

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