oscar de la renta

Documented Fall 1970 Oscar de la Renta Ostrich Feather & Sequin Silk Dress

The twin of this dress is held in the archives of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and it was photoed for Vogue Magazine for the November 1970 issue giving us the exact date for it. The version here no longer has its ODLR label but is clearly the same dress. I have included the reference photos of both those examples.

The dress beautifully combines several textures to work together wonderfully. It really showcases the the genius of Mr. de la Renta's work and attention to detail. The dress has a beautiful elegance to it and is quite striking. This sense of refinement is a constant in Oscar's work and I particularly love the earlier examples of it. You can see how many of the elements you see here carried through his entire career and body of work. The bodice of the dress is made from a sheer black silk chiffon that is backed in a nude silk. This gives it the illusion of being quite bare underneath. It also gives the perfect backdrop to really showcase the hand applied, glossy black sequins that trails up from the waist and circle all the way around the back and front of the bodice. Each sleeve is left unlined for a touch of transparency and each is finished a glossy black feather cuff. These explode at the end of each sleeve and add a touch of high drama. A silk satin ribbon with a bow finish sits at the waist and below that the skirt falls to the floor, widening out as it nears the hem. The skirt is made from a rich jet black velvet that is then covered with an intricate, densely applied sequin design. Here too all the work is done by hand and each sequin meticulously placed. It is a beautiful example of his work during this time period. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a nude silk chiffon through the bodice and a black silk taffeta through the skirt. The sleeves are left unlined. It closes at the back with a hand set, painted metal zipper. Hand finished through out. It looks to have been worn very little if at all

Sleeves: approx 21" including cuff
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 40" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# E489

Reference photos: (1) Dress in the Philadelphia Museum of Art archives.  /  (2) Oscar de la Renta Dress in Vogue, November 1970.

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

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

Setting up a layaway is super easy and we are happy to provide this service!

Here's how deposits work on a standard layaway:

  • We require three equal payments of the layaway total. You will be invoiced for the first amount upon request
  • payment two of the remaining balance will be billed two weeks from the date of the initial deposit.
  • The final payment is due two weeks after the second payment and shipping will be billed on this invoice as well.
  • items less then $500, or that are on sale, require a 50% deposit with the final payment due in two weeks from the date of deposit 

Read More

We offer flat rate Standard UPS shipping worldwide. All shipping options are displayed at checkout in the pull down menus provided.

Want it faster?

We offer flat rates for expedited and express shipping options - these will also display at check out and can be selected with the drop down menu during the checkout process.

Read More

SIZE GUIDE

Please review all measurements carefully. More often than not, vintage garments do not fit any size category exactly. If in doubt, measure a garment of your own that fits and is a similar cut and compare it's measurements to the listed measurements below.