Jacques Fath showed his first collection of just twenty garments in the spring of 1937. It was received well and he steadily built a strong clientele and became of of the busiest ateliers in Paris. He eventually expanded into the America through the American manufacturer Joseph Halpert. In 1949, Fath signed an agreement to produce two ready-to-wear collections a year with Halpert. This dress is from that early label and it has some extra historical significance since this agreement was one of the first of its kind between a couturier and a RTW company. The Fath label was shuttered in 1957 after Fath's death three years earlier. One of his signature looks was a low plunging neckline and this dress has just that. 

The dress is not perfect bit it is still so beautiful that I hope that someone can love it for its history and beautiful lines. The fabric that it is made out of is incredible. It is a silk organza and it feels like it has been treated with something that has added a touch of stiffening to it. Silk organza already has an incredible ability to hold its shape while being virtually weightless and this fabric seems to have just a touch more hold then usual. The silk has been dyed to the perfect nude blush pink. The fabric is semi-transparent and but there is so much of it that there is a real illusion effect created. A modern woman could wear this with a full structured underdress, choose a simple light slip or even just wear only nude undergarments under it if she dared. The dress curves over the shoulder with wide straps and then crosses over itself at the front. There are tiny pleats that you see as it gets closer to the waist. The waist is cinched for shape and then more of those tiny and perfect pleats circle the hips and open to the extraordinary skirt. There are yards and yards of fabric in the skirt and it is cut to perfection. The hem is cut so that the sides are slightly longer then the front and I love how it has volume even without anything underneath. There is so much fabric in there that you could easily add a crinoline if you really wanted it to be very full. The dress does have some flaws. It is sound and wearable but please review the full condition report below.  

The dress closes with a side painted metal zipper and is unlined. I see a small tear in the fabric near the waist and another near the base of the arm opening. There are stains throughout the skirt that are primarily near the hem but there are some higher up as well. I see a couple of small well done repairs. Please see the photos after the label shot. There looks to be older repairs to parts of the seams on the bodice and a repair beside the zipper at the back. It is sound and wearable as is with care. It could be easily worn as is for a shabby chic feel or perhaps dyed to hide some of the discolourations.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15.5" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 57" from waist to longest point of hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3656

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

Rene Lewis is a NYC diamond jewelry designer who uses antique materials worked into modern pieces. In the late 1980s and early 1990s she did a limited clothing line that reworked vintage pieces into contemporary shapes and silhouettes. This is one of those pieces and the fabric would have originated from the 1940s. She tweaked the shape perhaps or maybe this was originally a damaged dress that she converted into a top. It is made out of a black crepe that has a wonderful metallic thread embroidered detail at the neckline. The cut of the top is simple and sleek, with a straight cut through the body with just a hint of shape at the waist. At the neck, the embroidery work is exceptional. Gold metal thread is curved and stitched into place for the intricate design that you see. A black and gold band also loops around each arm. Antique buttons run down the back to close the top. You can easily see that it is completely done by hand on the opposite side of the fabric. Excellent vintage condition with a note below

Unlined and slips on. It buttons down the back. The embroidery work is hand done. Normal wear and patina to some of the gold from aging. All of the buttons at the back have some small chips out of them. I have photoed the one with the most of them

Shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 19" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# S934

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 one of the most incredible things I have ever had. At first glance I thought that it must be from the 1940s but I actually think it is earlier that that, largely due to the fused/glued on sequins that are attached directly onto the fabric. You usually see this done slightly earlier in the timeline. Beyond dating, it is just incredible. The set consists of two pieces; a soft halter and a sarong style skirt. The halter is soft and wireless as fitting for the time period and it is backed in an ivory silky rayon. I photoed the back of it for you to see. It simply hooks into place and ties around the neck with nude coloured ribbon. It is cut fairly wide and has just a simple seam down the front. The sarong is equally as simple. It wraps around you and hooks into place under the attached ties that extend out from the skirt. It slightly overlays but is open all the way down under where it hooks. I photoed it at the side but you could also wear it with it hooked just under the belly button. The fabric is absolutely incredible and a really stunning example of textiles from this era. It is a soft coral tinged red that has an extensive print covering its surface that depicts Hawaiian life. I have photoed several of the vignettes for you to see. Worked into the design are words that include Aloha. Highlighting this are hundreds of little sequins in red, green and gold that are fused directly into the fabric. These catch the light and give the set an extra shot of glam. You could easily see some Hollywood starlet wearing this and it is truly incredible. Excellent condition 

The halter is backed in a silky rayon and hooks to close and the back and ties around the neck. The ribbons seem to be original. The skirt is unlined and hooks to close. The sequins show some patina from age but overall for its age I would rate it as excellent. A remarkable find

Halter
Bust: measures 31" flat end to end from where the hooks are currently set 
Height: each cup is 6" tall at its widest point

Skirt
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 34" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# D624

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

Voguepedia says of Gilbert Adrian: "In the hands of the legendary Hollywood designer Gilbert Adrian, clothes could do and say magical things. From the flower-festooned munchkin costumes in The Wizard of Oz to the elegance-defining “Gowns by Adrian” worn by screen stars like Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, and Joan Crawford—and copied by the hundreds of thousands for the humbler masses—Adrian was the definition of cinematic invention for more than a decade.....Adrian’s signature custom-retail label, founded in 1942, was wildly popular. His gowns bore distinctive names like “Dinner with a Dash of Gold” and “Shades of Picasso,” and he catered to an elite set of style mavens in Hollywood."

After some extensive research I believe this gown is from from Gilbert Adrian's 1945 collection. It was sold to my client and dated as being from a few seasons later, but I feel that the advertisement that I found is too much of a coincidence with its similar feeling pattern worked through the design. The gown is absolutely outstanding and in a world where Adrian Gilbert pieces are already rare, this particular gown is even more special, even if you simply based it on how utterly beautiful it is. It is made of a stunning black silk that has a metallic lame thread woven through it to create the design work that you see. The metallic parts are done in a gold  mixed with a bright, true green and a deeper olive. The addition of the metal thread gives the entire ensemble a subtle glow. The fabric has a good weight to it that helps it to hold the shape and also adds to it rich and luxurious feel. This is fabric that you would simply not be able to even have made anymore. The Grecian inspired pattern is woven through the entire fabric. The addition of this metallic thread highlights the design that runs all the way around the skirt and the top. The top is a simple halter bodice with straps that curve up and around the shoulders. It curves in towards the waist through vertical seaming and is cut to end exactly on top of where the skirt flares out. Once on it gives the illusion of a true gown. The top is entirely finished with the metallic thread, allowing us to see the full beauty of it. The skirt sits under this and the upper portion of the waist is fitted and set high so that it creates no break or lines when it is worn under the top. From under that, a magnificent ball gown skirt cascades to the floor in a sweep of silk. The construction of this is wonderful and it is gathered all the way around the dropped hip seam and set into that seam with a series of tiny, perfectly spaced knife pleats that open up to the fullness you see. I styled this over a light, full length crinoline to really give it the proper shape it would have had been meant to be worn as when it was made. The shape that this creates is amazing. The dress is entirely hand made to Haute Couture standards. This is a rare opportunity to own an original Gilbert Adrian that is not only in wonderful condition but is also heart breakingly beautiful and still to this day, feels modern and wearable. Excellent condition.

Both piece are unlined with hand finished inner seams and the inner construction is done to Couture standards. The skirt closes with a painted metal zipper and hook & eye on the inner waist band. The top closes with a back painted metal zipper. The skirt was photoed over a full length crinoline that is not included. I have included detail photos of both the fabric and the inner hand done seams. The top looks like it has been out along the side seams from the waist up on both sides and one seam on the fitted part of the inner top skirt was also opened at some point. The work is well done and it could easily be made smaller again if needed.

Top
Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 25" from shoulder to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips at lower seam of skirt: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 44" from waist to hem with a 3.5" hem turned up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3242

Reference Photo: Gown by Gilbert Adrian, available at the William H. Block Co., Indianapolis, 1945.

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 Western world in the twenties to fifties had a special fascination with the far Eastand this highly influenced the fashion of that time period. Japan and China especially began to export and sell pieces made specifically for the tourist market that combined classic design elements of the respective cultures with a slight western twist to the cut and colors. You often will see the shorter jackets come up for sale but the coats are a little harder to find and far more versatile in my opinion. These were the most prized both then and now. This one is stunning and done in a high grade, fine red silk with off white detailing to contrast the cuffs, collar, front and hem. Over this is is embroidered with absolutely brilliant colors. The floral pattern in its soft pastel tones and the overall design are exquisite. Its lovely and light so easy to wear. This one is not 100% perfect but still has lots of life left to it if you don't mind wearing vintage with a flaw or two. Presents as excellent condition at first glance but does have flaws as noted below.

Fully lined in red tissue silk, it closes with frog knots at the front. In person it is a more vibrant red with a slight cherry cast to it. There is a dark mark at the front and the fabric has thinned, I see grubbiness and spots to the cuffs, fraying along the side slits, on one arm and some small interior fraying and shattering. I have photoed all the areas and these photos can be seen after the label shot. It is in fabulous shape other then these areas. Priced accordingly. The loose cut should fit a range of sizes. This is sold in as found condition and as a final sale.

50" from the end of one sleeve to the other flat across
Bust: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 24" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 43" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-LRG

Item# C514

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