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Vogue raved about this show saying that it was Clare's most confident Chloe show to date. The show had a bit of a folksy feel to it and given what we just saw on the recent Chloe runway this feel very relevant still. Clare said after the show that "To be modern, it has to be real. I really wanted to capture something confident, but still with a carefree spirit. I can only describe the Chloé girl as a 'gentlewoman,' wearing guardsmen's coats and gentlemen's clothing, but still with the flou and lingerie lace. There is something clean and narrow about her silhouette, but still with a fluidity to it." The twin of this dress was the final look presented in the show and it was just one of several amazing pieces in that collection. The skirt in the same fabric was used in the ad campaign and it appeared in several editorials and on red carpets.
The dress is made out of a soft velvet that has an incredible patchwork print covering its entire surface. The neckline is lightly scooped at the front and then the back crosses over itself to create a deep open plunge. I love that this leaves a bare expanse of skin at the back. It is completely unexpected and when you turn around it is a little unanticipated sexiness. The sleeves are long and easy. The body of the dress is cut to be loose and easy over you with an almost caftan feel to it from the front. It skims over the bust and the waist and hips are meant to be loose and easy. From there the skirt falls in this extravagant swoosh of bias cut velvet that has incredible movement when you move. At the waist area there is a long cord that has stops on each side of the waist. You can use these to adjust and add shape through the waist or leave it completely open so it has that more caftan feel. The ties hang down each side and add a touch more movement when you walk. Because of the way that it is crossed over at the back the skirt is also crossed over and a slit is created so you get a flash of leg as you walk. It is so well made that you can even wear it backwards like Karen Elson when she wore its twin. The patchwork print is fabulous and gives it its fabulously glamorous bohemian feel. It is immensely flattering once on and should work an a wide variety of shapes. This is a dress you will want to wear over and over. And it has pockets. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition
The body of the dress is fully lined in a black silk chiffon and the sleeves are unlined. It slips over the head to wear and then you can adjust the waist as described above. Tagged a 38. The loose and easy cut should work on a range of sizes. On a smaller frame it will just feel more like a caftan
Sleeves: approx 27" to their longest points
Soft shoulders: 16"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam and then can be cinched with the cording
Hips: to 25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 63" from the shoulder to the hem
Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG
Item# DD4703
Reference Photos/Videos: (1-5) Fall 2015 Chloe, Final Look 45. Model Ophelie Guillermand. / (6) Fall 2015 Chloe Ad Campaign. / (7) Harley Weir for Vogue Italia, August 2015. / (8) Liya Kebede by David Sims for Vogue, September 2015. / (9) Photographed by Will Davidson for Vogue Australia, November 2015. / (10) Karen Elson at the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards, 2015.
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.
valentino
Incredible c. 1972 Original Valentino Three Piece Acorn Print Silk Top, Velvet Skirt & Jacket Set
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This is a fabulous three-piece complete set circa 1972 from the Valentino boutique label. Valentino launched his ready-to-wear label in 1962 just two years after opening his first salon in Rome. His work was so popular that when he launched the New York boutique in the fall of 1970 it shut down the city. Traffic was backed up 3 blocks with everyone who was anyone trying to get in on opening night. He wanted everyone to have access to the Valentino experience and he often brought in the designs that he created for his main couture label into the boutique work. In these early days pieces were remarkably close in quality and the line between the two labels was often blurred. On this set you can see that in the hand finishing that is has. Though I have seen various combinations of these pieces this is the first time I've seen all three sold as a proper full set. I love it.
This really is an incredible set and it shows his love of prints. I love how all three pieces use the same print layered on top of each other and the combination of the two fabrics. The skirt and jacket are made out of a flat pile cotton velvet and the top is made out of a scarf weight silk. A charming acorn pattern combined with flowers covers all three pieces and you will notice how the design on the skirt and jacket are weighted heavier towards the bottom. This draws the eye downwards and cleverly gives added length to the wearer. On the top the pattern is scattered evenly over the entire bodice which gives a slight contrast to the other two pieces. The skirt is banded at the waist and skims over the hips. There are pockets on each hip for the perfect slouchy feel. It falls to the floor in a slight A-line that perfectly showcases that gorgeous print. The jacket is also made of a velvet and it has an equally simple cut. It has soft shoulders and the sleeves end just above each wrist depending on the length of your arms. There is a yoked seam across the top of the bodice on the front and the back and then the jacket falls in a soft A0line from there to just past the hips. The jacket also has pockets and these are sat at each hip on a slight slant. It has no closures and is meant to just sit over the little silk top underneath. The top is everything you want from a piece from the 1970s. It has a structured and very pointed little collar and it buttons down the front. It is shaped to follow the curves of the body and then the sleeves are phenomenal. Each is cuffed and above that there is that beautifully shaped arm that balloons out extensively just above the cuff. I love that the three pieces are phenomenal when worn together but they are also pieces that you can easily mix-and-match with everything else in your wardrobe. Excellent condition.
The top is unlined and buttons to close at the front. There are two buttons on each cuff. It is tagged a size 6 and I see evidence that the back was let out a touch. The jacket is fully lined in a brown silk. It has no closures and it is tagged a vintage Valentino 10. The skirt closes with a flat hook and eye at the waist and a zipper below that. It is lined in a black silk and it is tagged a vintage Valentino size 8. It has pockets on each hip
Top
Sleeves: 26" and the upper arm measures 12" around
Shoulders: 14.25"
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 22" from neck to hem
Jacket
Sleeves: 21" and the upper arm measures 12" around
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist-hips: open
Total length: 31" from neck to hem
Skirt
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 40" from waist to hem with 5.5" turned under
Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML
Item# DD4705
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.
givenchy
Fall 1978 Givenchy Haute Couture Original Runway Sample Black Silk & Velvet Dress w Beaded Sleeves
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The House of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy. He has always been strongly associated with the work that he did dressing Audrey Hepburn but his range was incredible as a designer behind that relationship with her. Some of my personal favourite vintage pieces over the years have been from his work. His Haute Couture pieces are always amazing to find and this wonderful dress is an extraordinary example of his couture work during this time period. It is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and the workmanship and craft out into this dress is extraordinary. This is also the actual runway sample and you can see its near twin in the reference photos that we have added here that would have been in the same grouping as this one, which makes its place in fashion history even more special. As good as the dress is on the dress form you can see how it transforms even further on an actual body. This is true Couture and it is fabulous. I love it.
What a beautiful piece of couture. The bodice of the dress is made from a black silk with a slight sheen to the finish and the fabric has a touch of weight that allows it to hold the shape that you see. For the skirt he used a black velvet with a thick pile finish and this fabric choice also really allows it to hold those beautiful lines that you see in the photos. Its beautiful shape is almost sculptural and it is a testament to the level of workmanship that you only see in true couture pieces. The bodice buttons to close down the front and the buttons run all the way up to the neckline. Each button is a thick circle of black with a glass rhinestone set inside. The neckline has no collar and it is just a simple, elegant swoop around your neck. The bodice has vertical darts so that it follows and accentuates the curves of the body. It narrows in slightly at the waist and then curves out and over to the top of the hip below the natural waist. A ribbon is tacked at the back and then ties on the front to give the dress the same look as how it was shown on the runway. The sleeves are amazing. Each is cut on a curve to follow the shape of the arm in the traditional manner of making a sleeve. They are set into the shoulders with a beautiful series of soft pleats so that you get a bit of volume at the shoulder. There is stiffened tulle just inside the edge of the shoulder for shape and this lets them puff out slightly around the upper arm and then it narrows down to their ends.The skirt has some built-in fullness around the inside of the upper hip that allows it to lift slightly off and away from the body. There are also weights that are set all around the inner hip so that it sits perfectly on the body once on. The skirt curves down and inwards from there. The skirt at the front is cut on a curve that swoops up at the centre so that you see a flash of leg as you walk or sit. The back is fuller and it also falls a touch longer so you get a beautiful curving line from the side. The sleeves are works of art. Each is detailed with hand applied prong set glass rhinestones in red green and clear to form a stunning red flower with trailing leaves that run over and down the outer edge of each sleeve. Little hand cut velvet bits are hand applied in and around the flowers to give them depth. The rhinestones catch the light beautifully. It is incredible. These have all been added one by one by hand and the entire dress is completely hand made to couture standards. I have taken some detail shots of the interior seams for you to see the fine Haute Couture workmanship inside. It is an incredible piece and beautifully made. Excellent condition with a small note below
The bodice is unlined and the skirt is fully lined in a black silk organza. Built in panniers around the hip area with weights that I have photoed. It closes down the front with the buttons as shown and the skirt snaps into place under that. A little hidden set snap is set on each cuff. Hand finished throughout. The proper runway sample tag is present. One rhinestone is broken but it is the button that lies under the ribbon when it is tied. Please see the photo after the sample tag. Some of the seams show minor stress. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction.
Sleeves: 25" and 14" aroid the upper arm. 6.5" around the wrist
Slightly inset shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam and meant be cinched with the ribbon
Seam across top of hips: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural hips: open
Bodice: 20" from the neck to the seam at top of hips
Total length: 41" from neck to shortest part of the front hem, 58.5" to the back hem with 2" turned under the hem
Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML
Modern Sizing Equivalent:
Item# DD4562
Reference Photos: Givenchy Fall 1978 Haute Couture Advance.
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.
yves saint laurent
Fall 1982 Yves Saint Laurent Iridescent Purple Silk Taffeta Gigot Sleeve Dress
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The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 1982 show and I love that we found photos of it for you so you can see just how spectacular it is one and how the sleeves sit once on a body. This silhouette with its dramatic sleeves and full skirts was an important element for that season. It is just a stunning example of one of his most recognized looks.
The dress is made from a combination of two of his favorite fabrics, silk taffeta and silk velvet. These became signatures of his and ran through his collections from the start of his career to the finish. It is a stunning piece. The top is cut to skim over the bust with a scooped neckline at the front. It is seamed at the waist and then extends down over the top of the hips. There is an attached silk taffeta sash that wraps around the waist and cinches you in for added shape and detail at the waist. The sleeves are full with a beautiful sweeping cut that starts at the shoulders and remains full to just past the elbow. At that point the fabric changes to to a velvet. Four glossy dome buttons detail the lower part of the sleeve. These are meant to be pushed up slightly to exaggerate that pouf of the upper sleeve even more. The skirt falls from under the velvet and it is beautifully full. The photos do not really do the amount of fabric in the skirt full justice. I love that under the top purple layer of silk there is a lining finished in a coral red silk taffeta. You don't see that inner layer when you are standing, but when you sit or move just right, you get that extra flash of color. It's a small detail that I am obsessed with. The fabric choices helps keep the intended shape and volume. Pieces by Yves from this time period have become an important piece of fashion history and having documentation like this one has makes it that much better. Excellent condition.
Fully lined through the bodice in a black silk satin. The skirt is lined in a deep red silk taffeta and the sleeves are unlined. It closes at the side with a metal and nylon zipper and each cuff buttons to close. The sash is attached at the back. Slight flattening to the velvet here and there along the waist seam that is covered by the belt once on. Tagged a vintage YSL 40.
Sleeves: 29"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 17" from shoulder to waist
Skirt: 43.5" from waist to hem
Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED
Item# DD2856
Reference Photos: (1-2) Fall 1982 Yves Saint Laurent Runway. / (3) Alice Englert wearing this dress for Harper's Bazaar, 2023.
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.
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