• This is the actual dress that walked the runway for Look 31 for the Fall 1992 collection as noted in its hand written tag.
• It was made under the creative direction of Paco Rabanne
• I love that we have runway video of this one so you can see how fantastically that it moves once it is on the body and you are moving.
• The piece would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris Atelier.
• There is an inner built in black silk sheath dress that skims over the body from the shoulder to the hem and then you have the multiple added layers of the black silk and silk chiffon placed over that by hand.
• The fabrics used are incredible. Both the silk and silk chiffon have had a metallic gold eyelash weave in a flat velvet applied that gives the dress an incredible bit of a metallic glint from every angle.
• The very top part of the dress that runs across the shoulders is made from a black silk and then the rest of the top layer of the dress is made out of a black silk chiffon. Both fabrics have the gold overlay done over their surfaces. 
• It has very full sleeves that have no lining so that you have a touch of transparency. They are set to poof out above a wide cuff at the wrist. Each cuff is made out of black silk and zips to close with a handset black zipper.
• The panels that cover the dress are extreme and extravagant. These are what give the piece the movement and volume that a caftan would have except it is all done in the most extravagant of ways. Long panels are split length ways and upwards to various degrees and this is what allows the silk to move with the slightest bit of air around you. This simple and ingenious extra detail with these vertical splits are really what add movement. It also breaks the pattern as you move, and then when you stand still the pattern, all settles back into place. It is quite genius. It also what gives the hem its pointed detailing.
• The neck is cut wide across the shoulders and then the entire top layer of the dress floats down and around you from there.
• The metallic gold pattern that covers the entire dress is perfectly mirrored from one side to the other. Each piece of fabric would have had to have been pre-planned and deliberately made to specifically piece together to achieve the final look of the dress.
• It closes with a hidden set back zipper. The upper portion of the bodice is not lined and the backing has an almost canvas feel to it. The inner sheath part of the dress is lined in a black silk. All of the work is done by hand to Couture standards.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the listed measurements below. Note that it looks like the hem of the inner dress was taken up at some point so I have included how much has been turned under in the measurements below. I see some light marks on the inner dress that do not show but mention for accuracy.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 30" and are 17" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Inner bust: 17-18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 13 " flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: 18-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 58" from top of shoulder to inner hem with 2.25" turned under. The outer dress extends another 10" past that.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5257

Reference Video: Fall 1992 Paco Rabanne Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This is the actual piece that walked the runway for Look 51 for the Fall 1993 collection as noted on its hand written tag. It may be the only one that exists. 
  
• It was made under the creative direction of Paco Rabanne
• The piece would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris Atelier.
• It is such an incredible statement piece and it is very light in weight which makes it so easy to wear.
• The fabric is gorgeous. The base black silk netting has been hand painted with a deep rich gold and then heavier coatings of the same gold creates patterns within the design. The outlines of each of the designs that cover the entire coat are highlighted with a hand applied gold cording. This combination is what makes that spectacular pattern that covers over the entire piece. Once you start looking closely, you see that he has used three different types of netting to achieve the final effect. The use of all that gold gives the coat an incredible glint from every angle.
• A single hook sits at the neck and the shoulders are soft and slightly gathered across their tops.
• It has very full sleeves and like the rest of the coat they have no lining so that you see a bit of skin underneath the netting. The sleeves widen out as they near their ends to be a full 38" around. This gives them incredible movement and it is just striking to have those beautiful wide sleeves.
• The rest of the coat is equally as extreme and extravagant. It falls outward as it drapes over you  to the floor and it is extremely wide and extremely full by the hem. You can see how beautifully this allows the pattern to fall in soft folds. It is also extremely long so that it trails and billows around you as you move. 
• The pattern that you see on the netting is perfectly mirrored from one side to the other. Everything would have had to have been pre-planned and deliberately made to specifically piece this together to achieve the final look of the piece.
• This is an incredible piece of true Haute Couture and is the perfect thing to add over any piece to add instant high drama and glamour.
• It has a single hook at the top of the neck. It would be very easy to add hidden set snaps or hooks down the front if you wanted to wear it fully closed and more as a caftan. It is unlined so has a touch of transparency. All of the work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards.
• There is no size tag present being Couture so please go by the listed measurements below. Its easy cut should it allow it to fit a full range of sizes.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: approx 27" and are 17" around the upper arm
Slightly dropped shoulders: 17"
Bust-hips: open
Total length: 63" from neck to hem. The back hem extends another 3" past that.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD5255

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This amazing dress is from the Spring 1985 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The reference photo we found is of a version with a different sleeved, more covered bodice but has that same long front trailing panel down the front.
• The dress has a very Old Hollywood / 1940s feel that I love. This is an era that Yves often touched upon in his work.
• It is made out of a combination of a brilliant pink and a purple with a bit of a pink undertone. The fabric is a silk crepe that drapes beautifully once on.
  
• The front is cut across you and I love how the more purple toned silk has been draped and brought over from the sides to wrap all the way around the bodice. At the front he has created the illusion that you have simply tied the dress in place by draping it over itself at the front and then the fabric left extends down from under that all the way to the floor in a flowing panel.
• The skirt is gathered in under that to fall to the floor. As it reaches the hem it widens out so that when you move it has beautiful movement around you. 
• Tiny piped straps curve over each shoulder and then meet in the centre of the dress at the back.
• The dress is not perfect but is wearable if you do not mind that it does have some small flaws. Please make sure to read the full description below carefully. This is still an outstanding example of his work during this time period.
• The dress is fully lined in a pink silk through the bodice. The inner bodice of the dress is boned for support. It has its own side set zipper to close and then the dress closes with a zipper over that at the side. The purple panel wraps over that to snap and hook into place along the top of the bodice and at the centre of the front. The dress has fading and some marks throughout the purple parts. There are along the hem and it has been re-hemmed at some point. I see a couple of faint marks on the skirt but they are under the front tie once it is on. Please see the photos after the label shot. The actual silk is sound and stable. The dress could potentially be dyed if you preferred not to wear it as is. Sold as found and priced accordingly.
  
• There is no size tag present since it is a Couture piece. Please check the measurements below.
  
• Great overall condition.

Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam and the outer waist is open
Hips: to 25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 47" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5229

Reference Photo: Spring 1985 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This is original Haute Couture piece dating to the late 1980s, early 1990s.
• The set was made under the creative direction of Emanuel Ungaro.
• This would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
  
• This is a stunning two piece set done in a pale pink silk that has a hint of a lavender undertone. The silk is very high-end quality.
• The top is a classic and easy tank cut. Wider set straps curve over the shoulder and the front is scooped. It has a full and generous cut through the body and flares out slightly at the hem. This is a piece you just slip on and it is very easy to wear. 
  
• Inside there are little handmade straps across the top of the shoulder that snap into placed to hold your undergarment perfectly. Every stitch is done by hand. Little hidden set hand covered silk snaps close the top up one side.
• The skirt has an inner band at the waist and it wraps over itself at the front. It closes with hand covered silk snaps and then has hook and eye at the side of the waist. It is gathered into soft pleats along the front and then is opened down its length where it wraps over itself at the front. When you sit or walk a certain way you get a bit of flash of bare leg. It is cut generously over the hips and then narrows down to the hem. The back is cut slightly longer than the front for a pretty line.
• The top is unlined and the skirt has a nude silk chiffon inner handset lining to just past the hips. The top has snaps up one side as described above and the skirt closes along the waist as described above. A teeny tiny bit of pulling here and there on the back of the skirt. All of the hand work is to Haute Couture standards throughout.
• There is no size tag present because it is couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Top
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam and widens to 21.5" by the hem
Total length: 22" from top of the shoulder to hem

Skirt
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam. 
Total length: 44" from the waist to the longest point of the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5228

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.

• When my client sold this to me I told me it was from 1978. We have not yet sourced a runway photo of it because these early collections were not always documented but if we do at some point we will forward that on to its new owner.
• It was made under the creative direction of Pierre Cardin.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier. 
  
• The dress is made out of a very high-quality black silk chiffon that is feather light in weight. It gives the dress phenomenal movement around you once on the body.
• This is a fantastic and surprisingly avant garde Haute Couture dress by Pierre Cardin that shows the breadth and depth of his talent. From a historical perspective it is also an interesting insight on the volume and play on proportion being done during this time period.
• The design is simple and has a minimalist feel but is still striking and dramatic. It is really a piece that will only truly come to life once on so is a bit of what I like to call a 'trust me' dress because you have to trust a bit on how phenomenal it will be.
• The neckline is squared off right to the outer edges of the shoulder on both the back in the front. The back dips down a little bit lower for more skin to show. I think that you might be able to also wear this fully off the shoulders if you wished.
• Inside there is a little strapless soft cupped bra made out of lingerie nude netting. 
• The silk falls from the shoulders and skims over the inner bra, flows generously past the waist and hips and then it widens out a touch more as it nears the floor.
• Under the top layer of black silk chiffon there is a layer of a dark brown silk chiffon. This keeps the dress from being too transparent and at the same time it creates the illusion that the dress has more transparency than it actually does as the two colours play against each other. 
  
• The sleeves are phenomenal. They are cut on a curve and are gathered into a piped wrist finished with a little bow, made of the same piping. Once on they pouf and balloon out fantastically above your wrists. They are one of the most exaggerated balloon sleeves that I have ever actually seen on a dress but in the best possible way. On my dress form they appear to hang very long and low but once on and held in place by your wrists they sit properly and billow out around the arm. They are quite brilliant.
• It is an incredible dress and like many of his pieces it truly will only come to life once there is a body in it.
• It is remarkable piece of true couture and a true piece of fashion history.
• The dress is fully lined with a layer of dark brown silk chiffon. It slips on to wear and the inner bra hooks to close. You could adjust the fit a bit by replacing that inner bra with one fitted to you and I have included the measurements of the outer dress for you as well as the inner bra.
• The dress has no size tag since it is couture so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 24" to the actual wrist and then the sleeve extends another 10" past that when hanging loose. They are 17" around the upper arm.
Inner bra: tagged 34-35B and is 15-17" flat across from side seam to side seam, the outer dress is to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19-20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 58" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5225

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This spectacular dress is true Haute Couture from the Spring 1992 collection and its twin walked the runway that season. 
• It was made under the creative direction of Emanuel Ungaro.
• It would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The dress has a beautiful structure to it and it is meant to have an hourglass feel once on the body with inner support and it's cut all done to achieve that goal.
• The dress is made out of an iridescent pink-burgundy-red silk taffeta that has a gorgeous subtle shimmer over it. That slight iridescent quality helps to highlight the cut, curve and draping in the dress.
• The top of the bodice is rounded and shaped to plunge between the breasts. It curves around the back from there to leave the upper back bare and exposed.
• The silk has been hand draped over the bodice and I love how it crosses over itself at the front. The shape of the bodice is very sexy and a nod to Old Hollywood.
• The draping continues down on an angle to the hip on the opposite side. The silk sweeps over the hips and one side falls to just above the knee. That is all gathered up and into the bow on one hip. This wrapping around the body with the deliberate placement and angling of the hand drape silk is what really gives you that hourglass feel.
  
• The oversized bow on one hip is made from the same silk with added handmade velvet flowers at its centre. The velvet flowers are handmade and have their own label.
• Set under the angled seam that makes the top portion of the dress is a spectacular tiered and ruffled lower skirt that is created by spiralling the silk around the body. This also allows it to have that beautiful flare that you see. When this is on and moving, the skirt kicks out around you and adds too the bombshell feel the dress has.
• The dress is fully lined in a matching silk. There is built in hidden support and boned structure through bodice. The dress closes with a back set zipper. Where some of the stitching is done and along the edges of where the zipper is set, you can see the under colour of the taffeta. Please see the photo after the label shot. There are some minor marks around the hem at the longest point. This is all very minor and mentioned for accuracy
• There is no size tag present because it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

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" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 56" from top of the bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5222

Reference Photo: Fall 1991/92 Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This is a spectacular piece of true Haute Couture that we believe is from the early 1980s.
• It was made under the direction of Hubert de Givenchy
  
• The dress would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The fabric of the dress is a beautiful silk velvet that has been hand cut into an open cut out floral pattern.
• All of the edges of the flowers have been embroidered so that they are finished perfectly. There is an inner black silk fabric that lies under the top layer so that it is safe to wear with those open cut outs falling from the neck line to the hem.
• The dress is strapless and there is a inner cupped and wired boned corset that holds the dress perfectly in place around you.
• It skim over the inner corset and then is shaped to come in slightly at the waist for added shape.
• The dress comes back out over the hips and falls to the floor. At the hem there is a little bit of a flare set all the way around with extra fabric at the back.
• That extra panel at the back is set so that it falls slightly longer than the front for a very pretty line.
• All of the flowers have a little gold town metal flower set in their centres. These are scattered over the dress and add the perfect finish. It is just enough added glitz but still has that very refined feel that the best of his work had.
• The dress is fully lined in a hand set black silk. It has a built-in boned inner corset that closes with its own zipper and then the dress closes with a zipper over that. An inner waist stay that hooks to close. I see one missing gold flower near the bottom. Its proper numbered Couture tag is present.
• There is no size tag since it is a true couture piece. Please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition.

Bust: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Under bust: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 50" from the top of bodice to front hem, 53.5" to the back hem with 3" turned under

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5220

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This is an exceptionally beautiful Jean Patou silk chiffon dress that is an absolute masterpiece. It is an important and early representation of both the house of Patou and the level of Haute Couture being produced during this time period. 
  
• Jean Patou once said "Certain dressmakers desire to pass for an artist. I have one ambition: that is to have good taste." and this dress is the very epitome of that statement.
• The dress is made entirely by hand and represents countless hours of dedicated hand work within the atelier. It is one of the most beautiful dresses that I have had come through my hands and the photos cannot begin to convey the detail and fine work that has gone into the creation of this piece.
• It is constructed from a fine black silk chiffon and the bust is fitted with a boned and shaped interior to hold the dress around you. The upper edge of the bust has a little silk chiffon ruffle that folds over for a pretty detail.
• It cinches in at the waist and the skirt flows down on a gentle curve. The waist seam curves upwards at the centre front and then curves downward towards the hip. The back seam continues curving downwards to to create a dip at the back.
• Under this the skirt falls in a cascade of silk chiffon tiered panels. There are three in total and each one overlaps the one underneath. Hidden in between the ruffles are panels of silk organza which helps to give the dress its volume. An extra panel sits under the very lowest tier. Inside the skirt is a layer of stiffened netting.
• The skirt follows the same curve the waist seam has with the front coming up a touch and the back sweeping out behind you.
• We have not added anything under the skirts. There is room to go fuller if you wanted to add a crinoline underneath you can go as full as you wish.
• A spray of pink silk flowers and black velvet leaves run down one side of the skirt.
• This is really an extraordinary piece of early golden era Haute Couture. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand.
• The bodice has a hand set silk lining and is boned. It closes with hand set back metal zipper. The skirt is lined as described above. I see some minor grubbiness around the hem of the interior lining. The tulle lining under the skirt is raw cut and there may be occasional little break near the hem here and there. There is light stress near the seams on the bodice around the waist area that indicate there was a belt or ribbon attached at some point. You could easily add a belt or ribbon and you would never see these. The flowers do not feel fresh. They are just tacked in place and they could be removed or replaced.
• Excellent overall condition.

Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam at the top of the hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 12" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 53" from top of bodice to front hem, 62" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5219

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This is dated to 1971 by the reference photo that we have here.
• It was made under the creative direction of Pierre Cardin
• I had the twin of this many years ago and that one sold to a museum. It is a brilliantly important and beautiful dress and an amazing example of his work during this time period that perfectly illustrates how much of a range he had.
• The entire dress is made out of a printed silk organza. The colours are mixed together like a painting and are done in the prettiest jewel tones. 
• The neckline is scooped and edged with a handset piping in the same fabric. The bodice skims over you to the waist where it curves in slightly for shape and then curves back out over the top of the hips.
• The technical construction of the bodice and upper portion of the sleeve is an absolute master class. The silk has been flat pleated in vertical rows set side-by-side. They are each perfectly spaced apart and then manipulated to form the shape and structure of the dress. Given the fabric that the dress is made out of and the difficulty in working with this fabric the skill required to have this fall over the body so perfectly is not to be underestimated.
• The shoulders are soft and the flat seam work runs down the arm to just about the elbow. Each little pleat opens out and the silk is allowed to expand outwards to create the huge bell sleeve that you see. The immense volume of the fabric that the lower portion of the sleeve has is all from the opening up of those hand sewn flat pleats which gives you an idea of how much fabric was actually used to create this dress.
• The skirt is constructed in the same manner as the bell sleeves but on a larger scale. Its volume is all achieved by the opening out of the vertical pleats that extending down the length of the bodice. I have taken a close-ups of how they open out for you to see. The skirt falls to the floor from there and mimics the shape of the sleeve as it curves outwards to the hem.
• In the reference photo you can see that a solid colour sash was tied around the waist and if you wanted to add more shape you could easily re-create that feel.
• The silk organza for the fabric choice keeps the dress feather light and it is an amazing thing to see in person. It is well deserving of its museum status.
• The dress is fully lined in pale green silk and the bell of the sleeves is a double layer of the organza. It closes with a back zipper. Hand work throughout.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the listed measurements below
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 22" and are just under 12" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 55" from top of shoulder to hem with 4" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5215

Reference Photo: Jeanne Moreau and Pierre Cardin, June 1971.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This amazing dress is from the Spring 1985 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• On the runway the dress was shown in a brilliant pink. I am sure that this green colour was a special order by a Couture client.
• Jerry Hall was photographed in one that season and we have included other references for it as well so you can see how fabulous this sits on the body
• The dress has a very Old Hollywood / 1940s feel that I love. This is an era that Yves often touched upon in his work.
• It is made out of a pale grass green silk crepe that drapes beautifully once on.
  
• The shoulders are shaped with handmade padding inside and the sleeves are more generous through the upper part and then narrow as they reach the cuff. Each sleeve has a little handset zipper at the wrist.
• The front comes down in a V and I love how the silk has been draped and brought over from the sides to extend into ties that sit at the base of the V at the waist. This is an extremely clever way to hide all of the closures for the dress. Underneath the tie and extending down a few inches under the waist are hidden snaps and hooks that close the dress around you all while giving the illusion that you have simply tied the dress in place.
• The skirt is gathered in under that to fall to the floor. As it reaches the hem it widens out quite a bit so that when you move it has beautiful movement around you. The back also extends a little longer than the front hand for a sweep of extra movement behind you. Yves was a master at manipulating fabric to fall perfectly over the body.
• The dress is not perfect but is wearable if you do not mind that it does have some small flaws. Please make sure to read the full description below carefully. This is still an outstanding example of his work during this time period.
• The dress is fully lined in a green silk and closes with a series of snaps and hooks at the front waist. Zipper sits at each wrist. The dress has fading across the top of each shoulder and some slight fading throughout. The hem has fallen down in places and there is a touch of grubbiness and fading around the edge of the hem. There is a series of little dots near the seam at the back. The actual silk is sound and stable. The dress could potentially be dyed if you preferred not to wear it as is. Sold as found and priced accordingly.
  
• There is no size tag present since it is a Couture piece. Please check the measurements below.
  
• Great overall condition.

Sleeves: 29" and are 15" around the upper arm
Slightly extended shoulders: 16.5"
Bust: 16-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 59" from top of shoulder to front hem and the back extends another 6" 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5209

Reference Photos: (1-2) Spring 1985 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.  /  (3) Jerry Hall in YSL for Harper's Bazaar France, 1985.  /  (4) Jours de France Collections Haute Couture Soir S/S 1985.  /  (5) Spring 1985 Yves Saint Laurent Couture. Photo by David Seidner.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• A version of this dress walk the runway for the Fall 1979 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is incredible.
• I love having the runway photos so that you can see just how amazing it is in the body and I think the longer version is even better. It's more balanced and proportional with the upper body.
• The dress is made from a crisp black silk and this fabric choice allows it to hold those beautiful lines that you see.
• The neckline dips into a shallow V and the dress is vertically seamed to follow the curves of the body.
• 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. They puff out slightly around the upper arm and then narrow down at their ends.
• At the back the dress scoops low to give you a bare expanse of skin across the upper back. The back has a low set seam under the open scoop and this allows the top of the back skirt to lift slightly off and away from the body. A tiny detail that feels very sensual on the body.
• That same seam curves over the hips and angles up towards the waist at the front. The skirt falls under that. on a curve that widens out as it reaches the hem. The back is fuller and it also falls a touch longer to give it the feel of it sweeping out behind you.
• Underneath the skirt is a built-in ruffled black silk net underskirt and when you move or sit you see just a peek of the ruffle around the inner hem. Layers of silk net have been added under the sea, where the skirt starts to help to hold the fullness there as well.
• The dress is detailed with hand applied sequins to form little varying sized circles that run over the entire bodice, the waist and the top part of the skirt. Two types of sequins have been used - tiny silver sequins one and others that are an iridescent pale blue. The blue ones catch the light and range in colour from silver to an ice blue. Mixed into that are some circles that are made from little glass crystal beads. 
• The bodice is unlined and the skirt is fully lined with a built in underskirt in a black silk net and taffeta. Built in interior panniers around the hip area that I have photoed. It closes with a hand set back zipper and the skirt snaps into place with silk covered snaps over that. Hidden set zippers at each wrist. Hand finished throughout. There is the occasional sequin or crystal missing on the dots here and there and I have photoed one area for you to see as an example. Please see the last detail photo for that. Unlabeled. Completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards.
• There is no size tag present, so please go by the listed measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23.5" and are 16" around the upper arm
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 58" from top of shoulder to front hem, 60" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5188

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This amazing dress is from the Spring 1987 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier. 
  
• The dress is made from a black French corded lace and this choice in fabric gives the dress its structure and shape. This is mixed with silk satin details across the top of the bottom, around the hip and finishing the hem.
• The bodice is strapless and is cut to curve across the front. Inside there is a full separate couture corset that is boned and shaped to hold the dress perfectly in place around you.
• It curves in to skim over the waist and curves back out for the hips. Sitting just under the hips there is an attached black silk ribbon that wraps around you and ties in a bow at the front.
• The skirt falls underneath that ribbon detailing to the floor. It widens out quite a bit around you for a lovely movement when you move. The skirt is cut longer at the back so you have extra fabric there and a bit of a sweeping feel behind you. I love how there is a matching dip at the back of the bodice so that there is an illusion of added length created.
• As with all couture pieces they only truly come to life once on the body. This dress looks so simple and easy but it is really a bit of an understated masterpiece in person.
• It is fully lined in a black silk and closes with a side set zipper. The inner corset closes with its own zipper inside that. The corset is lightly boned through the bodice and shaped. An inner waist stay hooks to close.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements list listed below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: to 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 50" from top of bodice to front hem, 54" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5158

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 1989 Haute Couture Runway 
  
• It was made under the creative direction of Emanuel Ungaro
• The dress is made out of a handmade French lace in a pale silver grey with ivory cord overlay and subtle silver thread woven throughout. It is extremely beautiful.
• It would have been completely made by hand in the Paris Atelier
• It is fitted and shaped through the bodice with internal boning and structure. I love the soft curve at the top edge.
• The lace has been hand draped over the bust and it is swept up to one hip with a tiny handmade flower in a matching lace. 
  
• It curves down and over the hips to the top of the thigh and the bottom of the full bodice is set on an angle.
• The skirt is gathered in and up underneath that. It is tightly gathered all the way around the lower portion of the dress which gives it incredible movement when you move.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a silver grey silk and closes with a hidden set, zipper, offset at the back and part of the fabric from the back extends and wraps to hook under the flower at the front. An inner waist stay hooks to close.
  
• Its proper Haute Couture label present
  
• There is no size tag present so please go by the listed measurements below.
• Excellent condition and appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 29" from top of bodice to shortest part of hem, 31" to the longest part of hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5154

Reference Photo: Fall 1989 Emanuel Ungaro Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress was a part of the Spring 2002 final Haute Couture collection by Yves Saint Laurent.
• "I have chosen today to say goodbye to the craft that I have loved so much. The next show to which I invite you, on Tuesday, 22nd January at 6 PM, at the centre of George's Pompano, will predominantly be a retrospective of my work… Some designs from the currencies will also be shown." This was how Yves the announced his intention to retire and leave the world of Haute Couture. That final show was over an hour long and was presented to a room of 1500 hand picked guests.
• A total of 371 garments were shown that day with pieces from the beginning of his career to the final collection.
• Recreations of some of his most famous dresses were made available and each has the special label that you see in this dress with both the original date of the labels inception and the 2002 date.
• This is one is a recreation of the famous Fall 1984 dress. We have included references of both the original and the twin of this one in the show.
• It is an extremely rare and wonderful piece of YSL history.
• It would have been entirely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The neckline sits wide across and the shoulders are soft. The sleeves narrow to their ends and all of the upper bodice is done in a fine black light in weight wool that has a slight texture.
• The waist is defined by two wide panels. They attached and are gathered in along each side and this gives the shape you see. The top panel is a purple and the bottom a deep pink.
• The dress skims over the hips and then falls to the floor flaring outward as it reaches the hem. The back is cut slightly longer than the front and you can see the extra fabric built in there to create a sweeping feel behind you.
• Every line is meticulously thought out and the technique to create the lines of this dress showcase his decades as one of the premier modern Couturiers in the world.
• The dress is fully lined in a hand set black silk and closes with a side set zipper. An inner waist hooks to close and the dress buttons above a small keyhole at the back. Each end of the sleeve closes with zipper. All of the inner seams are done by hand and the entire dress is made to modern Couture standards. Its proper numbered Couture tag is present.
• There is no size tag present so please go buy the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition and appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Sleeves: 21" and are 16" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 12" from top of shoulder to top of the 10" band at the waist 
Total length: 56" from top of shoulder to front hem and the back extends another 5.5" past that with just under 2" turned under the hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD5140

Reference Photos/Video: (1-3) Spring 2002 YSL Couture, Look 229.  /  (4) Fall 1984 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.  /  (5) Vogue, November 1984.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The dress is from the Spring 1972 season as noted on its Haute Couture tag we were lucky enough to find photos from the collection and you can see how beautiful it is once on.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan for Christian Dior. 
• There is very little documentation on this particular collection, but in the book 'Dior Catwalk' it notes that the New York Times exclaimed, that "romance, contemporary style, is the provision look for spring." It goes on to declare that Bohans collection for Dior was the best of the season in Paris. "Mark Bohan succeeded in bringing back the fable elegance without becoming historical. There's no pinpointing of the 1930s or 1940s. The clothes look really contemporary".
• With such little documentation of the collection it makes a piece like this that is documented even more special and rare.
• This would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The dress is made out of a beautiful stiffened or starched blue silk gazaar that is woven on the bias so that the dress has a more sculptural structure and shape while still staying very light in weight. The colour is a deep blue.
• It is cut to sit fully off the shoulders though I think you could also wear it on the top edge of the shoulders if you wished.
• Each sleeve is cut to just above the elbow and has a beautiful ruffle all the way around.
• It skims over the bust and curve in a touch at the waist. Inside there is a full boned inner corset that goes to the top of the hips. This holds the dress perfectly in place around you once it is on.
• From there it skims over the hips and then flares out beautifully to the hem. The entire hem is finished with a wide ruffle that picks up on the detailing of the sleeves.
• What makes this dress especially interesting is the way that it is almost sculpted because of the fabric treatment. As good as it looks in the photos it is even more beautiful in person.
• The dress is lined in a grey-blue silk organza. The inner corset closes with its own zipper and there is an inner partial waist stay that hooks to close inside the corset. The exterior dress zips to close over that at the side. All of the work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 9.5" and they are 11" around the upper arm
Inner bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 12.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19-21.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 55" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5132

Reference Photos: Spring 1972 Christian Dior Haute Couture. (Second photo by Frédéric Scheibe)

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress walk the runway for the Spring 1988 show.
• Made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan for Christian Dior.
• The evening portion of the collection focused on short dresses that had a corseted waist and bust with wrapping techniques that gave the feel of a sarong. The dress is a wonderful example of that feel he was after and it is fantastic.
• We found a teeny slice of it or a very similar piece on the runway and even though the photo shows the model on an angle, it does give you an idea of how wonderful this will be on the body.
• This would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The fabric of this dress is fantastic. It is made out of a black silk organza that has been gathered so it has a slight 3D puffed effect. This creates an incredible texture over the dress.
• The fabric is light in weight and despite the elaborate construction of the dress is not at all heavy once it is on.
• Inside the dress has a full proper corset with boning through the bodice to give you some support and built in cups. A wide grosgrain ribbon hooks in place around the inner waist to hold everything perfectly in place.
• All of the seams are finished by hand and it is really is a nod back to the early couture days in terms of it's construction.
• The bodice is cut with a curving sweetheart neckline and it is meant to hug the body. It is elaborately gathered and fitted around the bust with all of the gathered folds coming in to the seams that run over the bodice. This is all done to emphasize your curves and it make the dress very flattering once on.
• It nips in at the waist and there is a large and elaborate bow that sets at the base of an angle seem coming from the bust. I love how this is set to curve around the hip to the back. It instantly adds to the hourglass field the dress has.
• From under the bow, the skirt curves down and over with to wrap around you and then come back in and under that panel to give it that wrapped sarong feel.
• Fully lined in a black silk and closes with a side set zipper. The interior of the bodice is boned and cupped for support. The inner corset closes with its own zipper and a wide band on the interior waist hooks to close. There is a tiny bit of lightening to some of the edges on the fabric. This is a natural aging of this type of fabric and I don't consider it to be a flaw, but it is mentioned for accuracy. It otherwise appears to have never been worn, or worn very little.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Interior waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: qpprox 10" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 29.5" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5110

Reference Photos: Spring 1988 Christian Dior Haute Couture.

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.

• From the Fall 1985 Givenchy Haute Couture collection and we have included some photos showing the extensive use of this particular fabric for pieces shown on the runway.
  
• Under the creative direction of Hubert de Givenchy
  
• Completely made by hand in the Paris atelier to Haute Couture standards.
• This gorgeous dress is made out of a black silk velvet with a leopard print done in a different finish of velvet within the fabric. This pattern gives the velvet an extra depth and richness, and also catches the light as you move. It is stunning.
• It drapes absolutely beautifully over the body. It is really an outstanding fabric. The bodice is set into a V that crosses over itself where it is set into the waist. The bodice drapes more loosely over you at the front. 
• The waist is seamed and cut slightly on the more generous side. I have added a ribbon and if you wanted more shape, you could have it cinched and even more with a belt or it also works perfectly well without.
• The sleeves narrow down to a hand set zippered cuff.
• The skirt falls to the floor in a pretty sweep of fabric that is at the front. This lets the front hem curve up slightly.
• It is a gorgeous dress and a wonderful piece of his fashion history.
• Fully lined in a black silk. There's a inner built-in half skirt. It closes with an inner side set zipper and the outside snapped into place with a series of hidden set, snapped around the waist. And inner waist state hooks to close. Each cuff has a hidden set zipper. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 
  
• There is no size tag present so please check the listed measurements below
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23.5"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 16-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 17" from top of shoulder to slightly dropped waist
Total length: 55" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5100

Reference Photos: Fall 1985 Givenchy Haute Couture.

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.

• Note that due to new regulations this coat can only ship to a Canadian address 
  
• This appears to be the actual Haute Couture sample coat that walked the runway for the Fall 1985 Jean Patou collection for Look 12
• Made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix 
  
• This is an extremely rare and important piece of fashion history. Very few pieces of his work at Patou come up for sale and this is more then likely the only piece to exist.
• Made in the Paris atelier
• Made of a soft orange wool shaped in an enveloping cocoon shape highly reminiscent of a 1920s flapper coat.
• It is all cut on the bias so once it is on the body it wraps around you beautifully. It is extraordinary. 
  
• The sleeves are quite extremely wide and they have a long wide cuff that flips up and over the sleeve. The cuff is completely covered in hand dyed feathers.
• More of the same hand dyed feathers are used to create a huge shawl collar that drapes down and over the shoulders. It continues to run all the way to the hem and circles around to the back hem.
• The coat narrows in as it reaches its bottom. This is a classic cut for this style of cocoon coat
• It feels wonderfully decadent and opulent, both key design elements in Lacroix's work. It is literally like wearing a work of art.
• Partially lined in a silk through the upper body of the coat and through the sleeves. The rest is unlined.
• Has its hand written Haute Couture sample label in place and attached metal couture tag
• Excellent condition

It is very full and open and has no closures so should fit almost any size. It is approximately 52 inches from neck to hem but that will come up a bit once it is on the body.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD5048

Reference Photo: Fall 1985 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture.

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.

Guy Laroche began working for Jean Desses in 1949 and eventually launched his own Haute Couture label in 1957 as a full member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Parisienne.  He became known for his colour sense along with the young and sexy look of his clothing comparison to the older more established couturiers. In 1985 he won the Haute Couture Golden Thimble award and two years later he was awarded the insignia of Chevalier de L’Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur. His second Golden Thimble was given posthumously after his death in 1989. Michel Klein took over the couture division where he remained until 1996. This dress is from Klein's tenure and it is a beautiful example of the work he was doing during there. Laroche once was quoted as saying “It is my intention to try and adapt haute couture to modern requirements: to make dresses that are simple and chic.” and I feel that this dress tries to live up to that thought while still maintaining the feel that couture had during the mid-nineties.

This is the type of piece that is so bold and edgy that you will only ever find it in a Couture piece. It has some subtle differences from the runway version which is normal for couture since each piece is fitted to the client. The bodice is scooped wider across and the back skirt feels longer. A long panel has been added that falls down the back and matches the colour and fabric of the skirt. The pale taupe inner dress is a mini in length with a panel of silk attached at the side and back. The long skirt that is attached over that is done on a soft olive green silk. This part falls to the floor in a long smooth drape of fabric. A wide deep blue/black silk band wraps around the waist for shape. This narrows down at one end and hooks into place under a long swooping gold brooch which I believe is gold plated. A long panel is attached at the back and while I have left it extending down  you could probably be clever and tie it to create a bow if you wished to emulate the runway photo more. The sleeves are spectacular. They are the same deep blue-black colour but in a silk chiffon and are cut extra long. They are very wide and full and this lets the hem to fall at an angle when your arms are down. The softness and transparency the sleeves have are the perfect contrast to the rich silk the rest of the dress is made from. It is a very unusual and uniquely gorgeous dress. Excellent condition with a minor note below. 

Fully lined in hand set silk that matches the colours of the various exterior silks. The sleeves are unlined. The dress closes with a hand set hidden back zipper and then there is another zipper that closes the inner mini skirt. The sash at the waist wraps and hooks into place. The brooch is detachable and shows a sight patina. Proper couture label present. The dress is entirely made by hand to Haute Couture standards. The inner silk of the long skirt is scuffed near the hem and I see slight grubbiness along the hem on parts. Please see the shot after the label photo. 

Sleeves: 34" to the longest point
Inset shoulders: 12"
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Mini dress length: 31" from top of shoulder to hem
Full Length: 60" from shoulder to longest point of the hem
Waist sash: 26.5" in length to where the hooks presently sit with an extension past that that wraps and hooks into place

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4012

Reference Photo: Fall 1994 Guy Laroche Haute Couture Runway Collection on Kirsty Hume.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

The Nina Ricci brand was founded in 1932 at 20 Rue de Capucines in Paris and quickly became one of the top couture ateliers in the world. In 1964 Gérard Pipart succeeded Jules-François Crahay, Nina Ricci's former designer assistant, as head of the brand. Pipart, who had previously worked for Balmain, Fath, and Patou, brought a wide range of experience in all aspects of fashion to the brand. Over the following three decades, Pipart's couture vision 'celebrated a flamboyant woman and his ready-to-wear found a loyal following among the most stylish women of the day.' He headed the Couture division until 1998 which makes this a dress from one of his final few seasons. This is an incredible and very beautiful piece of Haute Couture. It is truly magical once on.

The dress is made out of layers of a deep blue bias cut silk chiffon. The bodice is strapless and it has an inner shaped corset that is lightly boned and shaped for light support. The top of the bodice is slightly rounded above each breast and then dips down and into the centre. The silk chiffon has been gathered and softly draped by hand over the body from the bust to the top of the hips. The draping goes all the way around you and adds to the hourglass feel the dress has. The waist cinches in and the dress comes with its original matching silk sash that you can tie and style around your shoulders or neck. The skirt flows out from under there and it is made up of yards and yards of feather light silk chiffon all cut on the bias. The layers of chiffon are feather light and the movement they create as they float over each other as you move is just incredible. It is incredible to see in person. I love that added bit of glamour from the beautiful band of glass crystals, silver tube beads and silver sequins that run from the centre of the bust to curve down and over one hip. It is like an added bit of jewellery to the dress and just beautiful. It is truly one of the best dresses of his that I have seen. Excellent condition with a minor note below.

The bodice of the dress is fully lined in a  hand set blue silk. The skirt has an inner layer of silk under the top layers of bias cut silk chiffon. The bodice is shaped and lightly boned inside with softly shaped cups. It closes with a hand set back zipper. The dress is entirely made by hand with its proper Haute Couture tag present. There are a couple of tiny repairs and tiny areas of thinning/pinholes here and there in the skirt. There is so much fabric you do not see them but this is mentioned for accuracy. Please see the photos after the label shot.

Bust: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam at the top of the hips: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 17" from top of bodice to the seam at the top of the hips
Total length: 44" from top of bodice to shortest point of the front hem and 56" to the back hem
Scarf: approx 20" x 80"

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD4993

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.

Hubert de Givenchy moved to Paris in 1942 where he worked for Jacques Fath, then Elsa Schiaparelli, and eventually Cristobal Balenciaga. Givenchy often attributed much of his later success to the years with to Mr Balenciaga and what he learned while there. In 1952, Givenchy founded his namesake house in Paris and quickly rose to fame as one of the great couturiers of our time. I am always pleased to find any of his Haute Couture work as it is so rare. This particular dress is exceptional with every detail on it finished to Haute Couture standards.

This is an amazing true Haute Couture Givenchy dress that is a very rare and special find. Two things of immediate note for this dress. First is the absolutely beautiful fabric combination. The bodice and sleeves are an inky black silk velvet and then the ruffles on the neckline, end of each sleeve, and the entire top layer of the skirt is a starched cotton and silk mix netting that has beautiful little gold metal thread flowers hand embroidered over the netting. I took closeups of both the front of these flowers and also their backs so that you can see the beautiful workmanship put into each individual flower. I also included close ups of the hand finished seams on the interior of the dress. The time and technique to complete this dress would have been astounding and I cannot even imagine how many hours this would have taken. The second thing of note is that stunning cut through the neckline. It is tremendously flattering to have that bare expanse of skin across the top of the shoulder like that. It feels a little bit sexy with the way the top sits off the shoulder to leave that expanse of bare skin. You could also wear it on the shoulder but I chose to show it off. I love that you have the versatility of the two different ways to wear it. A ruffle goes all the way around the neckline and around the end of each sleeve. It is shaped to come in at the waist and then curves out over the hips. The skirt is set into a seam that sits at the top of the hips and the netting is softly gathered into that seam so you get a touch of fullness. As the skirt flows down to the hem it expands outwards to give you pretty movement as you walk. There is a full black silk organza inner skirt under the top layer of the skirt so that it is opaque enough to wear. It is spectacular. This is a very beautiful example of Givenchy from this time period and an amazing example of the technical skills that can be achieved in Haute Couture. It is easy to see why his work is the subject of so many books and retrospective shows at museums worldwide. Excellent condition

The dress is fully lined in a matching hand set black silk. It zips to close and an inner waist stay hooks to close. Completely made by hand throughout to Haute Couture standards. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Proper couture tag and numbered tape present. 

Sleeves: 26" and are 11.5" around the upper arm
The opening across the neckline is 18" flat across from side to side
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam at top of hip: 16.5" flat across from side to side
Hips: open
Bodice: 19" from top of natural shoulder to seam at the top of the hip
Total length: 61.5" from top of natural shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4975

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

The Spring 1982 collection marked the 20th anniversary of Yves' Couture house. In the book Yves Saint Laurent: Catwalk they note that the historical importance of his collection made him feel very anxious. He was quoted as saying "I am frightened of this collection. I am far more anxious than I was for my first collection. It is a reassessment of 20 years… It is the end of adolescence, the beginning of maturity. I really feel like a beginner." But of course, it was a masterpiece of a collection and raved about.

The collection was extravagant and was heavily influenced by India and the beautiful work done by Indian artisans. There was a play on proportions with wide shoulders and a narrowing at the hips. This tunic was one of the more simple pieces in the collection but it still has the touch of an oversized shoulder and the ease and elegance of a beautiful silk in its making.

I love that you can wear this as a tunic over something else. It was shown over a skirt and a modern girl could easily wear it on its own as a dress. It was shown belted with a silk sash in the advance photos for the collection and you could easily add a belt or ribbon if you wanted to have more shape. The shoulders are padded and set a little wide. The sleeves are cut wide through the upper arm and even as they narrow to the wrist, they are still wide set by the cuff. The cuffs and collar are done in a black silk and I love the contrast to the ivory of the body. It is meant to be worn fairly loose and easy to skim over your bust, waist and hips. It falls to about the knee or just above depending on your height. A slit runs up each side and you can see that he has lined the entire inside of the piece in that same black silk as the collar and cuffs. When you walk and move the slits let you to see that flash of black which ties the whole piece together perfectly. The silk is a rich and heavy weight that drapes beautifully over the body. This is a dress that really needs to come to life with a body in it and my dress form photos are nowhere near to doing it justice. It is completely made by hand and an absolutely beautiful, refined and easy piece of true Couture. Excellent condition with a small note below.

Fully lined in a handset black silk and closes at the back with a hand set zipper. Handmade padding in each shoulder. It is completely made by hand to Couture standards. Has it proper YSL numbered Couture label. There is one small mark near the elbow of one sleeve. Please see the photo after the label shot. The easy cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes. On a smaller frame, it will just feel more oversized.

Sleeves: 22.5" and each is 20" around the upper arm
Exaggerated shoulders: 16.5"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 39" from top of shoulder to hem
Slits: 11.5" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD4913

Reference Photos: Spring 1982 Yves Saint Laurent  Couture Advance Preview. Model Kirat Young.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This is the actual runway sample from the Fall 1975 collection and you can see how fantastic it is on the body by the reference photo we found. Like the ivory coloured one already in the shop, the bead work on this dress was done by hand by Madame Gandini, who did beading for many of the Couture houses of the day. John's business is 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 like this sold for over $10,000 even in the 1970s. If you convert that to modern dollars you get to about $68,000. Having this actual runway samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you is just amazing. 

This is an amazing dress that has been densely beaded by hand. The base of the dress is a black silk chiffon and then onto that are thousands of glossy black glass tube beads laid out in vertical rows to fully cover every inch of the dress. The dress has weight to it with all those beads and it is almost 10 pounds off the body. Yet once on, the weight is distributed over you perfectly. The impact of all those beads from head to toe is stunning in the light. The cut is kept simple so that the bead work can take centre stage. The bodice has a high collar and the beads are set there in a slightly different pattern for a bit of added detailing. The dress falls from the shoulders to skim over you all the way to the floor. There is just a suggestion of the waist and then it skims back out over the hips. The sleeves are long and they also have that same slightly different bead work to detail each cuff. The skirt widens out just a touch as it nears the hem and there is an extremely high slit up the back. You don't get as much sense of it in these photos but once on the body this really adds a high flash of bare leg as you walk away. It is insanely sexy. As good as this dress looks in these shots once it is on an actual body is eve better. It is completely made by hand and it is stunning. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk chiffon and it closes at the back with a metal and nylon zipper. Hand finished throughout. There is perhaps the occasional bead missing here and there but no bare areas. Numbered sample tag on the inner hem.

Sleeves: 22" and 10" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 59" from neck to hem
Slit: 30.5" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4404

Reference Photos: Fall 1975 John Anthony Runway.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Spring 1990 Haute Couture collection. Its twin was shown under a jacket on model Gloria Burgess and we found the original sketch of the dress in my YSL folio. I thought it interesting to see that Gloria was not the original model intended for the dress and that there was a change by Yves as to who wore it on the actual runway and you can see that interesting little detail in the sketch. I have included all the reference photos for you here and it gives you a beautiful idea of how fabulous this is once on the body. This is also the collection that the book 'Yves Saint Laurent: Catwalk' notes that "The end of this catwalk show was greeted by 10 minutes of a standing ovation, following Yves Saint Laurent's homage - via 119 designs - to the hugely talented men and women who had thus far influenced him and made an impression upon him". The dress is gorgeous and Yves always cut his couture pieces so perfectly. It really is a beautiful piece and in my opinion, owning a piece of his couture work is one of the ultimate vintage acquisitions.

The dress is amazing and showcases how wonderful Yves Saint Laurent could cut a dress to flatter a woman's body. It is made entirely by hand and the silk is that heavier richer silk that you only see in the very best pieces of couture. The top is cut to skim over you and blouse over the waist. The shoulders have padding to extend the line of them outwards a touch over the ends of the shoulder. The sleeves are cut full through the upper arms and then narrow to the wrists. Each cuff ends with four handmade silk covered buttons and loops and each button is perfectly functional. The neckline is set a touch wide across. The silk is gathered around the waist into soft folds to create a little extra bit of a detailing. The folds are set slightly off to the side and on an slight angle that visually helps to extend the body of the person wearing it. The waist is seamed but cut on the more generous side. To cinch it in we have added an ivory silk chiffon sash that is a beautiful match to the dress. The skirt falls under that in a simple shape that flares out as it nears the hem. It falls to just about the knee or above depending on your height and there are hidden pockets along each hip. The colour of the silk is beautiful creamy ivory. This is a brilliant dress and when you see it in person you will fall in love with how good it is in person. It really shows how sometimes simplicity can have so much of an impact. It would be a dress that might make an amazing wedding dress for the bride looking for a non-traditional choice, for a day wedding, or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in an ivory silk and all the work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards. It closes with a hand set side zipper and a button at the back of the neck. An inner waist stay hooks to close. Each cuff has four hand made silk buttons and loop. Padding in each shoulder as described above. Completely made by hand. Proper Haute Couture numbered label present. The silk chiffon sash is not original to the dress but will be sent with it. Any change in colour that you see in the photos is lighting.

Sleeves: 22" and 14" around the upper arm
Slightly wide set shoulders: 16"
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from top of shoulder to waist but mean to blouse a bit
Total length: 38" from top of shoulder to hem with 2" turned under

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4727

Reference Photo: Spring 1990 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Runway. Model Gloria Burgess.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

The twin of this dress walked the runway as Look 53vfor the Spring 1983 Haute Couture collection. It was shown under a jacket initially and then the jacket was removed. I love that this shows you how versatile these little dresses can be. We also found the fabric noted in a WWD editorial and then I looked into my folio collection book and found the model number and original sketch for you to see. I have included all these reference photos for you here and it gives you a beautiful idea of how fabulous this is once on the body. The dress is gorgeous and Yves always cut his couture pieces so perfectly. It really is a beautiful piece and owning a piece of his couture work is always one of the ultimate vintage acquisitions.

The dress is amazing and showcases how wonderful Yves Saint Laurent could cut a dress to flatter a woman's body. It is made entirely by hand and the silk has the tiniest ribbed texture running through it. The top is cut to skim over you and blouse over the waist. The shoulders have light padding just at their outer edges to slightly extend them outward. They are set into the bodice with gathers so that they slightly pouf above the shoulder line. The sleeves are slim and pouf out just slightly as they slim down to the zippered cuffs. The neckline is set wide across the collarbones and edged in a black silk band. The waist is seamed and we have added a black grosgrain ribbon there for shape. You can add a belt instead if you wanted a really cinched in look. The skirt falls under that in a simple pencil to just about the knee or above depending on your height. There are hidden set pockets along each hip. The colour of the silk is the best thing about the dress. It is a mix of a bright pink, green, blue and a deep purple set in a large floral design that runs over the entire dress. It is so pretty. Truly a brilliant dress and when you see it in person you will fall in love with how good it is in person. And it is just so good on the body. A masterpiece. Excellent condition.

Unlined through the bodice and lined in a black silk through the skirt. All the work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards. It closes with a back zipper and two buttons at the back of the neck. An inner waist stay hooks to close. Each cuff has a hand set hidden set zipper to close. Light padding in each shoulder as described above. Completely made by hand. Proper Haute Couture numbered label present. The grosgrain ribbon is not original to the dress but will be sent with it.

Sleeves: 22" and 13.75" around the upper arm
Slightly wide set shoulders: 16"
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from top of shoulder to waist but mean to blouse a bit
Total length: 38" from top of shoulder to hem with 2" turned under

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4642

Reference Photos: (1-4) Spring 1983 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Runway.  /  (5-7) Spring 1983 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Advance Preview.  /  (8) Womens Wear Daily, February 1983.

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.

"I have chosen today to say goodbye to the craft that I have loved so much. The next show to which I invite you, on Tuesday, 22nd January at 6 PM, at the centre of George's Pompano, will predominantly be a retrospective of my work… Some designs from the currencies will also be shown." This was how Yves the announced his intention to retire and leave the world of Haute Couture. That final show was over an hour long and was presented to a room of 1500 hand picked guests. To tell the story of his decades long career there was a total of 371 garments shown that day. The presentation began at the beginning of his career and the show was a full retrospective of his work that showed a highlight of all of his creations through the decades. There were also a small group of 11 new items for the 2002 season included about 2/3rds of the way into the show created as the Spring 2002 couture collection. All were pieces that were based on dresses from the past but done in new colours. They were all made of weightless chiffons and were in a variety of colours. This blending of past and present further evoked the idea of his journey and how his designs are truly timeless no matter when they were made. The twin of this black dress was included in that grouping and it is based on the green dress we have included a reference photo of for you here from the Spring 1991 collection. I love it even more in its black version. The dress has its own special couture tag that commemorates it as being a part of this final show. It is an extremely rare and wonderful piece.

This dress is stunning. It has a strapless bodice that is fitted perfectly to hold the dress on the body and then it falls from there to the floor in layers of weightless black silk chiffon. The silk of the bodice is gathered and set vertically and inside the bodice there is a full inner built-in corset that is shaped and seamed so the dress stays perfectly in place once on. A wide band of silk wraps underneath the breasts to the waist and there is a sash that ties in a soft bow off to one side. The ends of the sash trail all the way down the side to the floor and this helps to add to the beautiful movement this dress has once on. Below the beautiful shape through the bodice the skirt falls to the floor in a soft cascade of silk chiffon. The. side of the skirt that opens is slightly longer than the other and this is a clever way to give that side of the skirt even more movement. These are the tiny details in Couture that make a dress move the exact perfect way. The innermost layer of silk chiffon is set all the way around you and then the other layers of the skirt are set over this and slit right up to where the waistband meets the top of the skirt on that side. So when you walk and move you are covered by that single layer of silk chiffon underneath but you are still bare underneath the transparency of the chiffon. You can see this clearly in the video as the model walks. It is very sexy. The layers and open side of the skirt combined with the trailing ties from the waist are then what allow the dress to move so beautifully around you when you move. It is  absolutely perfect in every way. The workmanship is beautiful and the dress appears to have never been worn or worn very little. What a joy to have such an important dress from Yves very last collection. Excellent condition.

Bust: 15.5-16" flat across from side seam to side seam with an A-B cup
Seam under the bust: 14.25" flat across from side seam to side seam 
Inner waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 4.75" from top of bodice to seam under the bodice
Total length: 51" from top of bodice to shortest part of the hem, 54" to the longest

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD4624

Reference Photos/Video: (1-3) Spring 2002 Yves Saint Laurent Couture, Look 240.  /  (4) From the book “Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture: CATWALK”  /  (5-6) Spring 1991 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture. 

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This is a very rare dress that is the twin of the dress that walked the Yves Saint Laurent Spring 1992 Haute Couture runway. It is extremely well documented and I have included photos of the original sketch and swatches that I have here from the Saint Laurent couture archive book set that I own in addition to runway reference photos of it that we found. You can see just how fantastic it is on the body. This was Look 47 and part of the short evening segment of the collection.

This collection marked Yves' 30 year anniversary and it was presented on January 29 to coincide exactly with his first collection presented January 29, 1962. The book, Yves Saint Laurent Catwalk, notes that at the time people were expecting a retrospective but Yves actually surprised everyone by producing a full 91 piece collection. There was a definitive tribute aspect to his first 1962 collection. Flowers were a main motif and ran throughout the collection as did polka dots and stripes. Puff sleeve tops with balloons skirts were integral and dresses like this one were a key look. It is an exceptional to have such beautiful documentation on this stunning dress. Every piece of Saint Laurent Couture is a treasure but when it's as highly documented in from such an important collection as this, it is just that much more special.

The dress is exquisite. It is made from a combination of a white silk that has been hand embroidered with roses and leaves across the entire bodice. This is then combined with a silk faille skirt that has dots that appear to be hand painted onto the fabric. A silk organza bow is wrapped around the waist and I love the deeper mustard yellow tone of it. It perfectly offsets the black and white palette. The neckline is scooped across the front and the bodice is meant to skim over the body to the waist. The sleeves are fantastic and each insets into the bodice in a series of pleats across the top of the shoulders. This is what gives them the volume that you see. The edges of the neckline are finished with a black cord and this runs around the cuffs as well. Each cuff is brought into the arm with a button and loop and this bringing in at the arm also helps to exaggerate the puff above. The entire silk of the top is embroidered in this magical, dreamy, black rose embroidery that pops against the white of the silk. The embroidery is done onto the silk directly in some places and then in other places the leaves or roses have been cut out and hand stitched in place. The waist is seamed but it is more generously cut and the organza ribbon that circles it adds the perfect pop of color. Under that the skirt is fantastically full and the fulness is created by the pleats that are set into the waist and the way it has been wrapped in and under at the hem to attach to the skirt underneath. Between the those two layers of the skirt you can feel that there is tulle and some structure inside that helps hold that exaggerated shape. It is a fantastic magical piece of Haute Couture and an important piece from an important collection. Excellent condition with a note below.

The bodice is lined in an ivory silk and the sleeves are unlined. The belt at the waist is attached and wrapped and hooked into place. The skirt is lined in the same fabric as the outer skirt and there is stiffening between the layers as described above. It closes at the back with a button at the top of the neck and then there is a hidden set side zipper too close. The dress is unlabeled, but I have seen the original label that came with the dress. The dress had been let out at some point and my client had it brought back in and unfortunately when she had it altered back to its original size, the tailor lost the tag. I see some very minor evidence of that alteration on the bodice. There are some areas of stress near the embroidery and some minor reinforcements underneath the arms. I see slight dustiness on the fabric at the top the shoulders and there is a tiny chip on the button on one sleeve. Perhaps a slight grubbiness along the inner edge of the lining under the arm. The outside presents as clean and fresh and once on it looks immaculate. 

Slightly inset shoulders: 14.5"
Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Natural waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 18" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4509

Reference Photos: (1-4) Spring 1992 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.  /  (5-6) From the book "Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture: L'oeuvre Integral 1962-2002".

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This is a stunning and extremely rare example of the Haute Couture work being done by the house of Lanvin during the years that Antonio Castillo headed the atelier. Castillo started off his career at the houses of Paquin and Piquet. He also did a stint designing accessories for Chanel. He quickly became known as one of the most promising designers to emerge after WWII and that reputation was part of why he was chosen in 1950 to become the head designer at the House of Lanvin. The press at the time lauded him, along with Balmain, Dior and Balenciaga, as the new generation of the Paris Couture designers. During his time at Lanvin the house was known for the simple and elegant lines. This is a very rare and early Haute Couture coat and we found a reference photo of its near twin that was styled with a belt, dramatic gloves and matching hat added. It is very beautiful and the colour is exceptional.

This coat is beautifully tailored. The double row of buttons at the front and curving cut makes it feel as chic and wearable now as it was when first made. It is entirely finished by hand and has its numbered couture tape under the label. It is so chic and a very important and rare piece. This is truly a vintage gem. It has a deceptively simple cut that hides the precise seams and masterfully tailored cut. It is constructed with the absolute minimal seam work to create the curves of the coat that you see. It is more fitted through the upper bodice and then skims over the waist and flares out slightly as it nears the hem. The collar is neat with a notched front and each sleeve ends in a turned up cuff. A half belt is attached at the back and you could add a belt over it to emphasize the shape even more. The fabric is amazing with a soft finish to it. I believe it is an Alpaca or perhaps a type of cashmere and it is extremely luxurious. The fact that it is dyed that amazing blue makes it that much more brilliant. It is even better in person and the fabric has to be seen and felt to truly be appreciated. This fabric choice allowed Castillo to be able to sculpt the exact shape that he desired. The front has detailed seaming that becomes part of the actual design and inside that is a double row of blue buttons that run down the front to the waist. You can wear this one open or do it up right to the neck like the reference photo. I love the sculptural effect the coat has once on and that beautifully full lower skirting. No shortcut was taken in the construction of this lovely coat and it is an outstanding piece of fashion history in every possible way. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a hand set black silk taffeta and closes with the button down the front. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand. The Haute Couture numbered tape label is present under the main label and is numbered 15.418. This is a medium to heavy weight coat 

Sleeves: 22" and 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 45" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4489

Reference Photo: Model in Lanvin, 1952.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This is an incredible set that is extra special because it is from the debut Haute Couture collection of Marc Bohan. It has the added province of being documented which is sometimes not easy to find with these very early pieces. The book Dior, Catwalk talks about the reaction to this first collection by Bohan; "Thundering applause, led by the Duchess of Windsor, rolled through the elegant grey and white salons of the House of Dior, the happy ending to the suspense story of the fashion year. At stake was the future dominance of Dior, and the career of designer Mark Bohan. The Chicago Tribune hailed him as being "Mister Dior, the third". The New York Times stated "the shouting, clapping, surging mob at the press show cause chaos in the elegant salon. Bohan was pushed up against the boiserie, kissed, mauled and congratulated. Chairs were toppled. Champagne glasses were broken. People were knocked down. It was a complete triumph for the designer". The book goes on to state that; Bohan called the collection the "Slim Line". It was a streamlined take on the original "New Look". He revisited the day suit with wide cut jackets and low waisted flared skirts fitted at the hips. The Times declared it "a success from the appearance of the first model and worthy in the tradition of the great maestro himself. And Women's Wear Daily wrote three months after the collection was shown that "the Bohan flare is everywhere. Bohan has done the impossible. He is a big commercial success and respected by the fashion intellect." 

The set is exceptional and is an excellent investment piece as well. Dior prices continue to skyrocket and finding couture examples like this from such an important collection and in this condition is getting harder and harder. 

This suit is fantastic. It is actually two pieces. A flared skirt and then a top / jacket that goes over that. The top is fascinating in the way that it is cut and we were very happy to find and see in the reference photo of it that its construction is deliberate. The front only buttons at the bottom and then there is a snap just above that button to hold it closed. It is meant to stay open above that and the button holes that you see continuing up along the edge of the jacket are actually faux. They do not open all the way through. You can see in the photo that the model is wearing it the way that it's meant to be worn. The very bottom is closed and then she has a light top on underneath. This lets the jacket play on its volume that it has. You could certainly open the fabric and finish the buttonholes if you wish to wear it fully closed, but it is meant to be like this. The jacket has a lot of volume and is meant to skim over you and then the skirt is cut in a sleek little flare that skims over the hips and flares out with a series of flat pleats all the way around the skirt. Around the waist the silk lies flat and neat. It is very flattering once on the body. When you stand still the skirt lays flat and smooth but when you move you get an incredible burst of movement and volume. Over that goes the jacket with its wonderful to the elbow wide cut sleeves and oversized MOP buttons down the front. The shoulders are soft and there is no collar. The fabric is a very high end silk twill dyed to that pale tan mixed with white. Both pieces are entirely finished by hand to Haute Couture standards and I've shown some of the detailing inside. It is chic and elegant yet still feels edgy. An amazing find. Excellent condition

The jacket is lined in a fine silk in the same colour as the exterior tan and the skirt is interlined in a white silk organza. The jacket closes with the bottom button only and a hidden snap above that as described above. The skirt closes with hook & eye at the waist and hidden snaps below that.  Completely done by hand to Haute Couture Standards. Proper numbered couture label in place on the jacket. There are some natural, variations and lines in the silk that is inherent to this type of fabric and should not be considered a flaw. It is in remarkable condition.

Jacket
Slightly dropped shoulders: 16-17"
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom hem: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24.5" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 27" from waist to hem with 2" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4484

Reference Photo: Christian Dior Haute Couture Printemps-Ete 1961. Photo Emerick Bronson. Model Nicole de Lamargé.

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.

Every so often I am contacted by someone and entrusted with something very special and this wedding set by Romeo Gigli absolutely fits that bill. This incredible set is a one of a kind, Haute Couture made to measure piece that comes directly from its original owner and she has graciously given all of the original documentation on it to share with you along with a full write up on her experience with Romeo and a scan of the Elle article that was written a year after her wedding. 

Romeo Gigli launched his label first in 1981 which failed. In 1983 he partnered with Carla Sozzani and in 1985 he presented a 25 piece collection in Milan. By 1986 he was an international sensation and his collections made world wide headlines. In 1989 he had his Paris debut. His work was romantic but dramatic. Hallmarks included shawl coats, which this set so perfectly displays, along with soft sloping shoulders and silhouettes that narrow as they come down the body. Historical references run through his work and his de-structured lines felt fresh and new.

This set has all of the original pieces that Marion wore on her wedding day and even includes the original boxes and silk bags that the set was delivered in. Every piece was made in studio by hand and when I tell you that my photos do not do the full set justice I have never been more honest as everything is more beautiful in person. This is a once in a life time opportunity to own this incredible and important piece of fashion history. The link to Marion's story is below and a short description of the pieces follows. 

Click here to see the full photo set of Marion in the fittings with Romeo, on her wedding day, see the Elle editorial, and read Marion's story about the experience >

The wedding ensemble consists of a pale pink silk chiffon top, a gold lace hobble skirt and a deep gold silk jacket or top that was worn over those two pieces. An incredible silk chiffon coat that is filled with silk flowers and flows behind you in a knotted train was worn over that. The original pale taupe velvet shoes in their original box are present along with the hand made hair sticks and pins. The two original pink raw silk hand made bags that the skirt and tops were delivered in are included and the entire ensemble comes in its original raw silk covered box. The final piece included is the little hand held green silk bag that Marion carried that day.

The skirt and inner top are the base of the outfit. The top is slightly cropped and made from a pale dusty peach pink silk chiffon. The chiffon has been hand gathered into soft pleats and crosses itself over the front and back. It wraps around you and closes on one side, inside, with a series of silk covered buttons and then the other side wraps over that and closes at the back outside with buttons as well. The skirt is made out of fine gold lace and is banded around the waist for shape. It drapes softly over the body with volume through the hips created by the layers. It narrows down at the ankles for a touch of a hobble skirt in appearance with the ends curving up and under. It is an incredible design.

An oversized silk top goes over this that has a bit of volume through the body. It is made from a deep copper gold silk with a burnished finish. The sleeves are incredibly long and are meant to be gather along the arms and follow the cut and curve of them. The collar is very high and wired so that it stands and frames the face beautifully. One side is longer then the other and you can shape the wire to give it a quirky little curve in the direction and way that works best for you. I love the open cut out just under the collar. It hints at the silk chiffon top underneath and adds an unexpected flash of skin.

The coat is utterly remarkable. It is thoroughly Romeo Gigli in spirit and it is one of the most beautiful, magical things I have ever seen. It has those beautiful sloped  shoulders he was known for and the front flips over into a deep shawl collar. It slips on over everything else with no front closures. It just falls over you in this exceptional drape of chiffon and flowers and then trails out behind you. The end has been knotted and I love this detail as it is absolutely Gigli at his best. The coat is made from a silk chiffon outer and inner layer that has a touch of transparency to it while inside and between the layers are thousands of silk flowers. Each would have been placed by hand one by one to form a solid layer of flowers that shows through the silk. It has weight yet it feels weightless. It has presence yet it feels ethereal.  The top layer of the chiffon is a pale dusty pink and then the inner layer is a pale taupe. The flowers float between the two and it make this light rustling sound as it moves that it magical. It is one of the best things I have ever personally seen.

Finally are the accessories. Her original velvet shoes that slide on and then tie in place, the little green silk bag that is held by the tied straps and the various hand made hair and stick pins in their original box.

The entire set will be sent in it original box hand covered in a deep dusty pink raw silk as it came to Marion from the Gigli ateliers.

Everything is in superb condition. I see a teeny smudge of discoloration under the arms of the inner silk chiffon top and the wear to the soles of the shoes giving away the clue that it was worn that day. The silk on the large box it came in has more wear as seen in the photos

This is a once in a life time, absolutely remarkable piece of fashion history.

Inner top
Shoulders: no true seams
Bust: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 14" from top of shoulder to hem

Skirt
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 47" from waist to hem and including the 4" waist band

Outer top
Sleeves: 39" from the dropped shoulder seam and are around 11" arond after the dropped shoulder
Shoulders: 27" across and meant to drop significantly
Bust: 30" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 27" flat across from side seam to side seam and narrows to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam by the hem
Length: 41" from neck hem
Neck: 13" around

Coat
Is about 36" flat across the inner bust and it is about 120" long from the neck to end past the knot and not including the deep shawl collar. It is pretty much OSFA

Bag
Approx 9.5" tall and about 5-7" in diameter

Shoes
Approx a 40-41

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED for the inner outfit and the coat is OSFA

Item# DD4458

Reference Photos: Courtesy of Marion Hume. (1-2) Fitting with Romeo Gigli.  /  (3-7) On the wedding day.

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.

Madame Gres' work has had profound effects on Haute Couture and her influence still resonates to this day. Her attention to detail, master draping techniques and respect for the female form is unparalleled. She was known for designing and creating garments directly on her models and this became a signature of her work. She opened her first atelier, La Maison Alix in 1932. A partnership briefly changed the house's name to Alix Barton and then the label went to simply Alix. In 1942 she married, and the label made its last change to became Madame Gres, which was a partial anagram of Serge, her husband's first name. Her work spans over five full decades with the vast majority of it, with the exception of a short-lived RTW line begun in 1980, dedicated solely to creating Haute Couture. She is one of the greatest couturiers of our time and her pieces are very rare and hard to find. This set is from the early to mid-seventies and it is fabulous.

This is an amazing vintage set. I love the camel coloured wide legged jersey pants with their wide cut legs. The jersey they are made out of is the soft wool that she used extensively during this time period and it has a soft finish to it that looks and feels heavenly once on. The pants are banded at the top with a wide gathered sash of a pale yellow jersey for contrast to the camel colour below. This hooks to the one side and there is built-in boning at the sides to hold its shape around the waist. It is a touch wider on one side then the other to create a pretty curve. The pants fall to the floor and widen out to be 64" around at each hem. The top has a metallic finish to it and the contrast between the two fabrics is fantastic. The silk has actual metal thread woven through it and this gives it a subtle glint from all angles. A design runs through the silk and the metal thread is woven onto that in a floral design The neckline is scooped and it skims over you to the waist. The sleeves are long and simple. It ties into place at the back with ties made of the same fabric. These sit on an angle that starts at the neckline, run across to one side and then go straight down to the hem of the top. This leaves a little bare expanse of skin showing between the ties. I photoed the top un-tucked and tucked as it can be worn either way. Both pieces have a Haute Couture label in them and the top has an additional handwritten numbered tag inside. This is an incredible and rare opportunity to own a beautiful piece of her work and it is that much more versatile with the two pieces since you can mix and match with pieces from your exiting wardrobe. Excellent condition with a small note below.

Both pieces are unlined and have been completely finished by hand. The pants close with hook and eye at the band and a zipper under that. There's a small repair to the jersey inside the inner structure of the band and then one of the fold along one side. Neither is seen once on. The top ties to close at the back.

Top
Sleeves: 21"
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom seam: approx 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 12" from shoulder to hem

Pants
Waist: 12" at top of band and narrows to 11.5" flat across from side seam to side seam of true waist
Band: 3.5" high on the boned hook closure side and the other side will widen to approx 9"
Hips: open
Length: 40" from true waist to hem
Inseam: 29"
Rise: 15" from true waist to inner seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD4182

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

This is an incredible Haute Couture dress that came to me from the niece of the original couture client, In our hunt for more information on it we found the runway photos from the 1982 Givenchy Haute Couture presentations and you instantly see that it is its twin in all ways. I love having the runway photos so that you can see just how amazing it is in the body. This dress was made by hand in the atelier of Ady Couture who was based in Lausanne Switzerland. Ady herself was a couture trained seamstress and headed a team who had full permission of the Haute Couture houses she worked with to make the designs they showed in Paris for clients based in Switzerland and the surrounding areas. She would purchase the couture fabrics from the couture houses along with the patterns and then make the actual dresses in her atelier. This arrangement with the couture houses was a way to work around customs during this time period and do fittings for clients unable to travel to Paris. So far we have verified that she had this arrangement with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro. There may have been others but those are the four labels we have documentation on from the runway.

The dress is made from a deep copper gold silk taffeta and this fabric choice allows it to hold those stunning lines and volume that you see. It is absolutely beautiful and a testament to the level of design that you only see in couture pieces. The colour of the silk is even better in person. I have managed to almost capture it in these photos but in person it is even richer feeling then what you see here. At the front the neckline is set in a simple high scoop. The bodice is cut to skim over your curves and is simple in cut. The sleeves are incredible. Each one is set on a curve to follow the shape of the arm in the traditional manner of dressmaking. They are set into the shoulders with a beautiful series of soft pleats so that you get a bit of volume at the shoulder. They puff out slightly around the upper arm and then narrow down at their ends. The waist is seamed and the skirt is gathered all the way around the waist in a series of soft pleats. These puff out from the waist slightly and this little couture trick gives the illusion that the waist is smaller then it is. On the runway it was shown with a black velvet bow and I have added one to emulate that same look. The skirt is one of the best skirts I have seen both from a design point of view and by its level of construction. It is made into two attached sections. The top comes out from the pleats all around the waist and it poufs out around you. A seam brings the skirt in and then the lower part of the skirt falls to the floor from there. That second tier has many yards of silk in it so that it flares out as it reached the hem. Between the two sections is a wide velvet ribbon that wraps around the seam and ties into a bow at the side. Which beautifully picks up on the bow around the waist. All of the volume and shape that you see is created through the way it is cut and the fabric choice. The skirt does not have extensive underskirts to shape it. The silk of the skirts are lined in a silk organza to help give support but it is really the genius of the cut itself that creates the shape. An elaborate and intricate floral design runs across the front and back of the bodice and down each sleeve. Hand done embroidery work is combined with tiny black sequins and hand applied beads. It is some of the finest hand work I have seen. Inside the dress is completely finished to couture standards with every seam finished by hand. I have taken some detail shots for you to see the fine workmanship inside. It is an incredible piece and absolutely beautifully made. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition 

The bodice is fully lined in a matching gold toned silk and the skirt is fully lined with a slightly gold tinged silk organza. It closes with a hand placed back zipper and the skirt snaps into place with silk covered snaps over that. Hidden set zippers at each wrist. Hand finished throughout. The velvet ribbon out is not original to the piece but will be included. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction. It is a slightly softer gold copper in person then how it photoed.

Sleeves: 26"
Slightly inset shoulders: 13.5"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15.5" from shoulder to waist
Length: 42" from waist to front hem, 45" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3685

Reference Photos: Fall 1982 Givenchy Couture Runway.

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.

My couture client had this stunning silk chiffon dress made for her and it was one of the last pieces she acquired from the house. It is an interesting thing in that it shows how the client can really direct and combine different runway elements to make a one of a kind dress like this one is. When we look at the runway from that season we can see that skirt is taken from one dress, the top from another, and the colour from a third. It's a dress that combines the runway looks 25 ,26 and 27. The experience of couture is really client driven and I love how this dress takes elements from the three Valentino's pieces, stays true to his vision for this season and yet is completely unique. We found video of the dress that shares the skirt design of this dress and I've included it so you can see how beautifully this will move once it's on the body. Being a custom piece that was made specifically for her also means that it truly a one-off-a-kind which makes much more special. It is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of Haute Couture. The workmanship is exquisite.

This dress is divine. The lines of it are beautiful and as good as it looks on the dress form it will only truly come to life 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. The bodice is done in an extremely intricate manner. Panels of the silk chiffon are hand gathered and placed in soft pleats to form that complicated pattern that wraps around the entire bodice. Sitting at the top of each shoulder is a rounded soft cap sleeve done in the same pleating technique. This painstaking manner of pleating and gathering would have taken hours and hours to accomplish. It is of course all done by hand. There is a silk band around the waist and then the skirt flows out to the floor from there. The skirt is made from many yards of a beautiful bias silk chiffon. The inner skirt is made from four layers of the bias cut chiffon and then over that are two more layers of silk. At the front the top layers are cut to just under the hip and then they trail and curve down the sides to the back. If you look at the video we have included you can see how much movement this adds to the dress. The fabric is feather light and the fact that is is made from six layers of silk chiffon allows it to catch the slightest bit of air and float around you. It is incredible. The interior of the dress is made to couture standards with a full built in cupped corset that is boned and shaped to the waist. I am obsessed with the soft degrade ombre effect that dress has because of how the silk gradually changes from a soft deeper green at the top to the palest green near the bottom. 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 original Valentino Haute Couture. Excellent condition. 

The interior bodice is boned and corseted. The skirt has six layers of silk as described above. The interior corset closes with a zipper and then the dress zips to close over that. The top silk layer of the skirt snaps to close over. Two inner waist stays that hook to close. Finished with Haute Couture construction techniques throughout. 

Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to bottom of waist seam
Skirt: 45" from bottom of waist seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4156

Reference Photos/Video: Spring 2005 Valentino Haute Couture Runway, Look 27, 26 & 25.

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