• This dress is from the 1978 season. 
• 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.
• You could also wear this fully off the shoulders if you wished and just have the top of the sleeves drape down the arm. 
• Inside the bodice of the dress there is a strapless soft cupped bra made out of lingerie nude netting for the barest bit if support. 
• The silk chiffon falls from the shoulders and skims over the bust, flows past the waist and hips and then it widens out a touch more as it nears the floor.
• The easy flowing cut of the dress makes it easy to fit and wear.
• 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. Once on and held in place by your wrists they 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. It appears that a extension piece was added to the bra at some point. It would be easy to adjust the fit a bit on that if needed. 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 true couture. 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# DD5616

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 top is from the Spring 1974 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of the original Mr. Valentino
• Valentino launched his ready-to-wear label in 1962 just two years after opening his first salon in Rome. He often brought in the designs that he created for his main couture label into the boutique work. In these early days pieces were remarkably close in quality and the line between the two labels was often blurred. 
  
• I love that this has the classic seashell print from that year. We included reference photos of similar pieces from the collection. It is a very special and rare piece of original Valentino.
• The top is made out of a beautiful green silk that has the fantastic seashell print made up of several varieties of seashells.
• The seashell pattern has been set onto the silk on an angle and it covers the entire top.
• The shoulders and the way the sleeves are cut on this one are wonderful. The shoulder is deliberately dropped and then the sleeves are cut to be extremely full and generous. They almost have the feel of a pirate sleeve. They are full all the way down and then are brought back in at the buttoned cuffs.
• The cut is boxy and generous through the body for an easy fit. The top came with its original little matching silk string belt that you can use to tie around the waist for added shape. You could always use it around the neck.
• The collar is fantastic. It is pointed in that wonderful feel of the 1970s.
• Not only did this one come with its original little belt but it also came with a triangular shaped matching scarf that you can wrap and tie around the neck or around the head as a head scarf like how I styled it here for you to see.
• This is a fantastic piece of Valentino history, and I love that it has one of his most iconic prints from this era.
• The top is unlined and closes at the front with a series of buttons. Each cuff buttons to close. I see one small mark. Please see the photo after the label shot. The top is meant to feel more loose and generous if you choose to wear it without a belt and un-tucked. It should fit a variety of sizes and just feel more oversized on a smaller frame.
• Tagged a vintage Valentino 8
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 25" and they are up to 21" around the upper arm
Dropped shoulders: approximately 21"
Bust- hem: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 26" from neck to hem
Head, scarf: 49 from end to end x 21" at the widest point wide

Modern Sizing Equivalent:XS-MED

Item# DD5659

Reference Photos: (1) Spring 1974 Valentino Ad Campaign photographed by Gianpaolo Barbieri.  /  (2) Spring 1974 Valentino phootgraphed by Andre Carrara.

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 gorgeous dress is a true couture piece from the Fall 1970 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan.
• The book Dior:Catwalk noted that the Vogue proclaimed that "Any woman anywhere on earth would want to own these total feminine clothes"
• In the few photos that survive of pieces from this collection, it is interesting to note that he showed most of these shift dresses under capes, which would be a lovely combination even now.
• This dress would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris atelier. 
• The dress is made out of a jet black silk velvet that is extremely soft to the touch and has beautiful drape.
• I love the nod to classic minimalism that the dress displays.
• Straps in a matching black velvet curve up and over your shoulders and then the front and back have just the most gentle bit of a scoop across. Just enough to take away the harshness a straight line would have.
• It skims over the bust and is cut more generously over the waist so that it falls in a perfect shift or column feel around you. If you wanted to add more shape you could easily add a belt or corded rope tie.
• It flares slightly out over the hips and then the skirt falls from there widening out as it near the hem.
• The dress closes down one side with glossy black buttons and I love the deliberate contrast in texture that it has against the black velvet. That pop of shine of the high gloss of the buttons is the perfect subtle detail against the inky texture of the velvet.
• The buttons close the dress down one side to just past the hip and then the rest of that seam is completely open all the way to the hem. When you walk, move, or sit, you get a flash of bare leg all the way up that one side. It is almost startling to have that flash of bare skin against the column of black and I love this play between elegance and sexiness.
• It is a dress that appears to be so simple in shape but every seam and line of the dress was purposefully and masterfully executed and planned.
• This is an extraordinary example of his work during this time period and it is an absolutely stunning dress.
• The dress is fully lined in a matching hand set black silk and closes at the side with the row of buttons. All of the work is done by hand to Couture standards and it has its appropriately dated couture tag present. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• There is no size tag present because it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 57" from top of shoulder to hem and the slit is 29" from the hem up to the last button.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5655

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 Fall 1978 runway.
• It was made under the creative direction of George Stavropoulos.
• Stavropoulos was known for his evening wear and his signature looks often involved draping and the use of silk done on a bias cut. He focused on cut and fabric to convey the beauty of each piece. It was said that his gowns 'seemed to float on air'.
• He launched his label in 1960 and soon was dressing women like Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Barbra Streisand and Maria Callas. His gowns are were made by hand and to couture standards in his salon. 
• I love that we have runway documentation as documentation on his work can be rare.
• The dress is made out of a feather light black silk that has tiny little red lines running over the silk that highlight the cut and line of the dress. 
• The neckline is cut straight across at the front and the back of the dress.
• Tiny straps in a matching black silk curve up and over each shoulder. 
• The seam work is set on angles and it is cut so that the waist is brought in and then it curves back out and over the hips.
• From there the skirt falls in this extravagant sweep of bias cut silk to the floor. I love how much it. widens out by the hem. This allows it to move beautifully around you as you move.
• Underneath the top layer of silk is an unexpected red lining. When you sit or move you get these little flashes of that great red that is fantastic. 
• The same red is used in the stripes that run over the entire dress. These bands of colour are stacked on top of each other and are set on angles running down and around the entire dress to add visual interest and shape.
• There is a slight elastic around the top neckline and this would let you wear this as a strapless piece and just tuck the little straps in if you wanted.
• The dress is fully lined in a red silk and it closes with a side set zipper. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from the top of the shoulder to the waist
Total length: 60" from top of shoulder to hem, with the inner lining intentionally extending slightly past the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5648

Reference Photo: Fall 1978 Stavropoulos 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 set is from the 1976 Christian Dior collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan.
• This is a shorter skirt version in purple and turquoise of the set that was photoed for L'Officiel in 1976. We had a red version many, many years ago and I am very pleased to have found this one.
• Both pieces are made out of a crepe silk chiffon that is light in weight and moves quite beautifully.
• I love that because it is two pieces you can wear it together to get the full look or you can mix and match it with pieces you already own.
• The top can play double duty as it can be worn as a proper top or you could layer it over other pieces as more of a light jacket.
• The top can be tucked in and left loose and easy, or worn belted, whether tucked in or loose, giving you even more versatility.
• The shoulders are soft and they extend out into sleeves that are cut wide and full for a bit of a kimono feel.
• The neck has no collar and there is a silk covered button at the top of the neck. If you choose to close this, it creates a slit keyhole that runs to the first of seven buttons that sit midway on the top. There are no buttons below that so if you wear it un-tucked it is open at the bottom and very pretty.
• Running around the collar and down both sides of the front is an edging of a pretty gold piping that adds a beautiful finishing touch.
• The skirt has a band around the waist and is cut slimmer around the hips with pin tuck seams for a little detail and shape.
• At the bottom of the hip the skirt opens on each side with a series of soft pleats that give you extra volume on the sides. As you move, this gives you beautiful movement around you. I also love the subtle reference of picking up on the volume of the sleeves
• It is absolutely beautiful and a wonderfully documented set.
• The top is unlined and the skirt is fully lined in a purple bias cut silk. The top buttons to close at the front and the skirt closes with a zipper and hook an eye at the waist.
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements below
• Excellent condition

Jacket
Sleeves: to 19" at their longest points and they are 18" around the upper arm
Slightly dropped shoulders: 17"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam and narrows to 19.5" by the hem
Length: 23" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 30.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5642

Reference Photo: Roland Bianchini for L’Officiel de la Couture N. 625, 1976.

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

• This dress is from the Fall 1979 Haute Couture Yves Saint Laurent collection.
• It was made under the creative direction Yves Saint Laurent.
• The 1979 collection was an a homage to Picasso and Diaghilev. Yves had been to an exhibit on Picasso costume and set designs for Diaghilev's ballet Russes. At the time he told French Vogue that he had been on a different path entirely for the collection but then he saw the exhibition and "my collection took on the structure of a ballet. I embroidered on Picasso, on a slightly soft cubism, on harlequin, the Blue Period, the Pink. It's best when in inspiration comes! You no longer have any doubt, you get on with it, you feel an immense joy!"
• You can see that inspiration of the harlequin especially on the pattern of this dress. We found several runway examples where he used the same pattern and added those here. It was a significant part of the collection.
• In the YSL folio that contains all the drawings from the collection, I saw that he had to use this particular print in several colours; a golden brown, a red, a white and black, and this magnificent blue. I have also included a sketch of the dress that is closest to this particular piece. Based on the drawings in my folio, it seems that this is most likely a one off done in collaboration with the client's request.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• It is made out of a beautiful fine silk that has a secondary pattern within the weave in the same blue and then it is printed with that black design leaving the blue to show between. The silk is of the highest possible grade.
• You can see the very beginnings of the classic Yves Saint Laurent sack dress to come in the cut and silhouette in this dress. These sack dresses played on volume and cut. As the years went by they got bigger and looser through the middle. This one is still on the edge of being a more loose-waist A-line. 
• The collar is banded in the same silk and the silk is gathered in around it for a little added detail. The shoulders are soft and the upper portion of the sleeve is wider and set in a slight cap on the top of the shoulder. This narrows down to a cuffed wrist that ends in a ruffle made of the same silk.
• The cut through the body is loose and easy and it is almost tubular in feel with just the slightest bit of narrowing as it nears the hem. 
• I love how this makes it easy to wear and that it gives you the option of wearing it loose or adding a belt to cinch it in and add shape around the waist.
• I have shot it both of those ways with an added black rope belt. The belt is not original to the dress but will be included.
• The perfect finishing touch is the little slits on either side of the skirt. These allow for movement when you move and gives you ease of walking plus a little bit of extra leg to show.
• This is a superb piece of Couture and is an early example of his work.
• The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear with a single button at the back of the neck above a keyhole. Each cuff buttons to close. It is entirely made by hand. The appropriate Haute Couture label is present.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23.5" they are 15" around the upper arm. The neck is 13" around. The cuffs are 6" around where the button is presently but could be opened and the button moved to get 7".
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36.5" from neck to hem. Each side slit is 9" from the hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5644

Reference Photos: Fall 1979 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.