The 2008 Oscar de la Renta Bridal collection was amazing and this was one of the stars of the show. One of my clients recognized the fabric on the skirt when I posted a preview photo of this dress in my instagram stories and she actually got married in the twin of this gown. She shared with me that the dress was just under $20,000 USD when she purchased it. Oscar launched his first bridal collection in October of 2002 and his wedding pieces have been worn by some of the most famous women in the world. He once said 'In the same manner that she fell in love with that man, I hope she's going to fall in love with that dress.' Countless brides have done just that and I think this may be one of the most beautiful wedding dresses I have ever seen from him. It literally takes you breathe away when you see and hold it in person.

The dress is strapless and cut to hug your curves from the bust to below the hips. From there is flows into a stunning skirt that sweeps around you and trains outwards at the back. Inside is an intricately constructed corset with boning andand built in cups to shape and hold you and the dress in place. The fabric on this one is just extraordinary. The base is an ivory silk organza that has just a touch of transparency to it so it feels light and feminine. Onto this is a complex design that is made up of stiffen silk ribbon folded into flower like designs that run over the entirety of the dress. These are all placed so that they sit up and off the fabric so that it has this wonderful 3D feel to it. Interspersed around these are white thread embroidery and then more embroidery is done in the same ivory tone as the silk base. The ivory embroidered parts are a combination of knotting, to add to the dimension of the design, and flat embroidery work. The tiniest seed beads are then worked into this pattern to add yet another element to the design. The end result is that every inch is covered with this amazing hand work. The dress has a true old world haute couture feel to it and I have never seen a wedding gown done so elaborately over every bit of the fabric. No matter how good it looks in the photos it is better in person and on the body. It is wonderfully traditional in some ways but still feels fresh and modern. It is definitely a dress that will cause gasps when you walk down the aisle. It was never worn. Excellent condition with one note below 

Fully lined in an ivory silk. The bottom hem of the skirt is finished with a wide band of stiffened netting along the inner hem and the dress closes with a hidden set back zipper. It has a built in interior corset bodice that is boned and shaped all the way around. The interior corset closes with its own zipper. Finished to couture standards and tons of work by hand. There is a darkened mark on the back of the skirt and I have included a closer shot of the areas and also one where you can see the placement. You could wear it was is, replace the ribbon that is discoloured or it may come out with specialty cleaning. It was never worn. No size tag but best suited for a 0-2 or small busted/ narrow ribbed 4

Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 55" from top of bodice to hem at the front and the back extends to 70" 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3615

Reference Photos: 2008 Oscar De La Renta Bridal Collection.

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

The twin of this dress was shown on the Fall runway for 2006. In Vogue's review of the collection journalist Nicole Phelps said in part; 'While other designers flit from one influence to another, Oscar de la Renta has made a four-decade-long career of staying true to his brand of ladylike elegance'. On the runway the dress was styled with long gloves and a wide expanse of black silk tulle wrapped around the neck. Once those styling elements are stripped away you really see how beautiful the lines of the dress are. 2006 was an important year in Oscar's history. This is the same year that Parsons awarded him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at their 58th Annual Benefit and Fashion Show.

This Oscar de la Renta dress is absolutely gorgeous. It is red carpet worthy and would even make an amazing wedding piece for the bride looking for a non-traditional choice or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. It is in fabulous condition. The dress is covered with a dense application of muted gold sequins and silver paillettes in various shapes and sizes. These are densely set onto the entire dress and even overlap each other for the majority of the application of them. I love how the are so tightly spaced to cover the top of the dress and then as they run past the hips and down the skirt they start to be spaced further apart so that you get more of a sense of the black netting underneath. It gives it this amazing fairy tale quality and makes you think of stars and the night sky. Running around the the neckline is a dense band of large gold toned beadwork and crystals. A smaller band of the same bead and crystal work runs around the opening for each arm. The dress is made up of four layers. Under the top appliquéd layer are three other layers of black silk tulle netting. All of the sequins and beads have been applied to the very top outer layer. The use of various sizes and shapes for the sequins that cover the dress cause the light to catch the dress in a slightly different ways as you move and it creates the most amazing effect and they also highlight the shape of the dress. The dress is sleeveless and cut to be fitted tot he body to below the hip. At this point the lower skirt flares out dramatically. It is cut longer at the back for a beautiful sweeping line and suggestion of a train. It is very well made and absolutely stunning in person. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

The black netting serves as the inner lining through the bodice and fitted parts. Below that the skirt is constructed from four layers of silk tulle as described above. It closes at the back with a metal and nylon zipper and there is an inner grosgrain waist stay that hooks to close. There are couple areas where the netting shows through a little more then others. Please see the photos after the label shot. Tagged a size 2. It does close completely at the back on the proper sized person.

Bust: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 62" from shoulder to front hem, 72" to back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-SML

Item# DD3613

Reference Photos: Fall 2006 Oscar De La Renta Runway Collection, Look 62. Model: Emina Cunmulaj.

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

The Oscar de La Renta boutique label first appeared in 1967 which makes this one from one of the very earliest collection for this line. His boutique label is important as is marked the first ready-to-wear line for a Seventh Avenue designer to be launched. These early pieces have lots of hand finishes and are just stunning example of his work during these early days of his career.

I love this dress. It is made out of a very unusual fabric. It is a silk organza that has been covered on little tufts of gold that are made from a combination of a small bit of velvet with gold metallic thread that has been pulled through the velvet base to create each individual tuft. To contrast this and give the dress a touch more of a metallic feel Oscar then added a wide, flat, silver and gold metal thread ribbon. This panel of fabric runs down each side of the entire front and back of the dress, circles around the waist and also finishes each cuff. A band of that same ribbon is then wrapped all the way around the lower hem. The fabric is very light in weight so that the dress is very easy to wear. It has short capped sleeves and it buttons down the front to close. I love the exaggerated pointed collar and how the silver detailing is set onto the front bodice so that it curves in a bit to perfectly accent the bust. The waist nips in just a touch and then the skirt cascades to the floor gently widening out as it nears the hem. It is really a gorgeous dress and very well made. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk except for the sleeves. Closes at the front with domed buttons and snaps & hooks. The fabric of the buttons show slight fading. In person the silver and gold feel more true silver and gold then how it photoed. 

Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of bodice to centre of band at waist
Skirt: 44" from centre of band at waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3603

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

I have had a version of this dress in the past in a paler icier blue so when I saw this one with it's deep sapphire blue colour I had to have it for the shop. It is a beautiful and romantic bias cut silk chiffon dress by the great American couturier Oscar de la Renta. It is constructed from multiple layers of a lightweight, slightly textured, silk chiffon in the most stunning deep sapphire colour. The bodice of the dress is gathered in an elaborate ruching of silk that meets in the center in a thick braided detailing. This runs down the centre of the front of the bodice. The strapless neckline above that is cut into a rounded sweetheart shape that is very flattering. The bodice is fitted and cinches in at the waist with interior boning to help hold the shape. The skirt cascades to the floor at the back and at the front it curves up higher so you get a flash of leg when you move. It is made up of three full layers of weightless silk chiffon that float over and around the body to give it the feel of airiness and lightness. The lightness of the silk gives it a billowing effect when you move and walk that is stupendous. A really lovely and romantic dress in one of the best blue colours I have seen. Excellent condition

The dress is fully lined through the bodice in a hand set blue silk and the three layers of silk chiffon the skirt is made of serve as its lining. The dress closes with a side painted metal zipper. Hand finishes. I see one tiny area on the side off the skirt that has darkened. 

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 48" from top of strapless dress to back hem, 37" to the front hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3583

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

In 1993 Oscar de la Renta took over as Creative Director at Balmain where he designed the Haute Couture collections until 2002. The house had been floundering at that point and he had a huge impact on the reviving the sales of the couture pieces, mainly by catering to private clients, much like Balmain had originally. The runway photo that we found shows the dress layered over a printed pant but all of the subsequent references of it match the set to the one we have here with the pants in the same striped silk as the top piece. The twin of this set was a part of the 2016 ‘Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective’ exhibition at de Young Museum, San Francisco, curated by André Leon Talley where it is referred to as being 'evening pyjamas'. The exhibit was broken into different themed galleries and this dress was a part of the garden themed section. Oscar was an avid gardener and the works in this section took inspiration from that life long passion. And it holds an extra special significance because the one shown in the exhibit was loaned to the museum by Annette de la Renta, Oscar's wife and muse, giving it an extra layer of personal connection to its provenance. The dress also appears in the book 'Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style' by Talley. The Met Museum also holds one in their permanent collections and then this one is the third.

In an interesting twist, one of the other dresses that was a part of the garden section of the exhibit was a striped OLDR dress from 1999 and my client had a that dress as well. It is listing along with this one today. It is incredible coincidence to have both dresses in at the same time with that shared bit of exhibit history behind them and both are exceptionally beautiful.

It is extraordinary to think that Oscar never produced a Haute Couture line under his own label and these few short years at Balmain gives us a chance to see just how talented he really was at all levels. Like most Haute Couture, this is a set that only truly comes to life when it is on an actual body. No matter how good it looks in the photos, the impact it has in real life and how it moves once on is undeniably beautiful. The fabric that both piece are made from is a fine chine silk taffeta that hearkens back to the 18th century with its washed pale blue striping. All of the edges are finished in that same fabric but for the edges it has been tightly knife pleated. These form a wide pleated ruffle all around the collar, down the front and around each cuff. One pale baby pink stripe runs along the edge of the ruffle for a magical bit of colour against the blue. That pink is then picked up on each hand made button that runs down the front and is set on each cuff. The buttons are amazing. They are hand made and they each have a tiny, perfect sprig of hand embroidered pink flower splayed across their tops. Under the evening coat, are a pair of silk taffeta pants in the same fabric. The pants are cut very simply with a flat front and no banding at the waist. They run in a slightly tapered cigarette shape and land just about the ankle depending on your height. Over this is that amazing evening coat that has the lines of a formal court dress worked into its cut. It is created with a nod to the decadence of the eighteenth century with a high pleated collar and softly defined shoulders. The sleeves are long and slim, ending in an elaborate ruffled cuff. It skims over the bodice and tapers in at the waist. The buttons to close it run from the collar to the waist at the front. From that point under the bottom button the front is completely open so that when you walk you see the pants underneath. The back of the coat is a work of art. The skirt trails out behind you, falling from that curved horizontal seam at the waist where the fabric is gathered in soft folds. It is tremendously full and when you walk it causes the skirt to billow out behind you. Haute Couture is always about the details and I love that for the seam that runs across the low back, Oscar used a fine pink silk piping to define the seam and where the gathers of the lower skirting are set. It is the perfect detail to tie in with the pink at the front. This is everything you want to see in a Haute Couture piece; elegance, refinement and a dash of coquetry. It is ornate but sophisticated and feels wonderfully light and perfectly suited to his love of nature and botanical themes. “A garden is probably the most spiritual and pure of joys. It’s a communion with nature and beauty in the most simple and fundamental form.”– Oscar de la Renta. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition. 

Both pieces are unlined and all the interior work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards. The pants close with a hidden set side zipper. There is a built in gusset that is pristine. The evening coat/dress closes with a hand set zipper and then a panel that snaps into place over that with silk, hand covered snaps. Hand made, light shoulder pads. A series of hand embroidered buttons down the front. The inner waist stay hooks to close and you could adjust the hooks if needed or wear it unhooked if you needed the extra room. Each cuff zips to close with a hidden set zipper and has three of the same buttons as decoration. I see one pinhead mar near a front button and a nick out of the fabric near the seam under the arm. One inner seam on either side looks like it was slightly adjusted. There is an extra button sewn to an inner seam. Proper Couture tags on both pieces and the coat one has its couture tape underneath numbered 173 470. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Sourced from the original couture client 

Evening Coat Dress
Sleeves: 23.5"
Shoulders: 15.25"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam, inner waist stay hooks at 14"
Hips: open
Length: 56" from neck to shortest point of the front hem, 62" to longest point of the back hem

Pant
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 39.5" from top of bodice to waist
Inseam: 28" from inner seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3568

Reference Photos: (1) 1998 Balmain Silk taffeta coat and pants from the book "Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style" by Andre Leon Talley.  /  (2) 1998 Balmain Ensemble from The MET Collection Online.  /  (3-4) Spring 1998 Balmain Haute Couture Runway. / (5-6) Photos from the ‘Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective’ exhibition at de Young Museum, San Francisco. Curated by André Leon Talley.  /  (7) Photo from the book "Oscar De La Renta: The Retrospective" by Jennifer Park and Molly Sorkin.

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

The 2008 Oscar de la Renta Bridal collection was amazing and this was one of the stars of the show. One of my clients recognized the fabric on the skirt when I posted a preview photo of this dress in my instagram stories and she actually got married in the twin of this gown. She shared with me that the dress was just under $20,000 USD when she purchased it. Oscar launched his first bridal collection in October of 2002 and his wedding pieces have been worn by some of the most famous women in the world. He once said 'In the same manner that she fell in love with that man, I hope she's going to fall in love with that dress.' Countless brides have done just that and I think this may be one of the most beautiful wedding dresses I have ever seen from him. It literally takes you breathe away when you see and hold it in person.

The dress is strapless and cut to hug your curves from the bust to below the hips. From there is flows into a stunning skirt that sweeps around you and trains outwards at the back. Inside is an intricately constructed corset with boning andand built in cups to shape and hold you and the dress in place. The fabric on this one is just extraordinary. The base is an ivory silk organza that has just a touch of transparency to it so it feels light and feminine. Onto this is a complex design that is made up of stiffen silk ribbon folded into flower like designs that run over the entirety of the dress. These are all placed so that they sit up and off the fabric so that it has this wonderful 3D feel to it. Interspersed around these are white thread embroidery and then more embroidery is done in the same ivory tone as the silk base. The ivory embroidered parts are a combination of knotting, to add to the dimension of the design, and flat embroidery work. The tiniest seed beads are then worked into this pattern to add yet another element to the design. The end result is that every inch is covered with this amazing hand work. The dress has a true old world haute couture feel to it and I have never seen a wedding gown done so elaborately over every bit of the fabric. No matter how good it looks in the photos it is better in person and on the body. It is wonderfully traditional in some ways but still feels fresh and modern. It is definitely a dress that will cause gasps when you walk down the aisle. It was never worn. Excellent condition with one note below 

Fully lined in an ivory silk. The bottom hem of the skirt is finished with a wide band of stiffened netting along the inner hem and the dress closes with a hidden set back zipper. It has a built in interior corset bodice that is boned and shaped all the way around. The interior corset closes with its own zipper. Finished to couture standards and tons of work by hand. There is a darkened mark on the back of the skirt and I have included a closer shot of the areas and also one where you can see the placement. You could wear it was is, replace the ribbon that is discoloured or it may come out with specialty cleaning. It was never worn. No size tag but best suited for a 0-2 or small busted/ narrow ribbed 4

Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 55" from top of bodice to hem at the front and the back extends to 70" 

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3615

Reference Photos: 2008 Oscar De La Renta Bridal Collection.

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

The twin of this dress was shown on the Fall runway for 2006. In Vogue's review of the collection journalist Nicole Phelps said in part; 'While other designers flit from one influence to another, Oscar de la Renta has made a four-decade-long career of staying true to his brand of ladylike elegance'. On the runway the dress was styled with long gloves and a wide expanse of black silk tulle wrapped around the neck. Once those styling elements are stripped away you really see how beautiful the lines of the dress are. 2006 was an important year in Oscar's history. This is the same year that Parsons awarded him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at their 58th Annual Benefit and Fashion Show.

This Oscar de la Renta dress is absolutely gorgeous. It is red carpet worthy and would even make an amazing wedding piece for the bride looking for a non-traditional choice or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. It is in fabulous condition. The dress is covered with a dense application of muted gold sequins and silver paillettes in various shapes and sizes. These are densely set onto the entire dress and even overlap each other for the majority of the application of them. I love how the are so tightly spaced to cover the top of the dress and then as they run past the hips and down the skirt they start to be spaced further apart so that you get more of a sense of the black netting underneath. It gives it this amazing fairy tale quality and makes you think of stars and the night sky. Running around the the neckline is a dense band of large gold toned beadwork and crystals. A smaller band of the same bead and crystal work runs around the opening for each arm. The dress is made up of four layers. Under the top appliquéd layer are three other layers of black silk tulle netting. All of the sequins and beads have been applied to the very top outer layer. The use of various sizes and shapes for the sequins that cover the dress cause the light to catch the dress in a slightly different ways as you move and it creates the most amazing effect and they also highlight the shape of the dress. The dress is sleeveless and cut to be fitted tot he body to below the hip. At this point the lower skirt flares out dramatically. It is cut longer at the back for a beautiful sweeping line and suggestion of a train. It is very well made and absolutely stunning in person. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition.

The black netting serves as the inner lining through the bodice and fitted parts. Below that the skirt is constructed from four layers of silk tulle as described above. It closes at the back with a metal and nylon zipper and there is an inner grosgrain waist stay that hooks to close. There are couple areas where the netting shows through a little more then others. Please see the photos after the label shot. Tagged a size 2. It does close completely at the back on the proper sized person.

Bust: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 62" from shoulder to front hem, 72" to back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-SML

Item# DD3613

Reference Photos: Fall 2006 Oscar De La Renta Runway Collection, Look 62. Model: Emina Cunmulaj.

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

The Oscar de La Renta boutique label first appeared in 1967 which makes this one from one of the very earliest collection for this line. His boutique label is important as is marked the first ready-to-wear line for a Seventh Avenue designer to be launched. These early pieces have lots of hand finishes and are just stunning example of his work during these early days of his career.

I love this dress. It is made out of a very unusual fabric. It is a silk organza that has been covered on little tufts of gold that are made from a combination of a small bit of velvet with gold metallic thread that has been pulled through the velvet base to create each individual tuft. To contrast this and give the dress a touch more of a metallic feel Oscar then added a wide, flat, silver and gold metal thread ribbon. This panel of fabric runs down each side of the entire front and back of the dress, circles around the waist and also finishes each cuff. A band of that same ribbon is then wrapped all the way around the lower hem. The fabric is very light in weight so that the dress is very easy to wear. It has short capped sleeves and it buttons down the front to close. I love the exaggerated pointed collar and how the silver detailing is set onto the front bodice so that it curves in a bit to perfectly accent the bust. The waist nips in just a touch and then the skirt cascades to the floor gently widening out as it nears the hem. It is really a gorgeous dress and very well made. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk except for the sleeves. Closes at the front with domed buttons and snaps & hooks. The fabric of the buttons show slight fading. In person the silver and gold feel more true silver and gold then how it photoed. 

Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from top of bodice to centre of band at waist
Skirt: 44" from centre of band at waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3603

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

I have had a version of this dress in the past in a paler icier blue so when I saw this one with it's deep sapphire blue colour I had to have it for the shop. It is a beautiful and romantic bias cut silk chiffon dress by the great American couturier Oscar de la Renta. It is constructed from multiple layers of a lightweight, slightly textured, silk chiffon in the most stunning deep sapphire colour. The bodice of the dress is gathered in an elaborate ruching of silk that meets in the center in a thick braided detailing. This runs down the centre of the front of the bodice. The strapless neckline above that is cut into a rounded sweetheart shape that is very flattering. The bodice is fitted and cinches in at the waist with interior boning to help hold the shape. The skirt cascades to the floor at the back and at the front it curves up higher so you get a flash of leg when you move. It is made up of three full layers of weightless silk chiffon that float over and around the body to give it the feel of airiness and lightness. The lightness of the silk gives it a billowing effect when you move and walk that is stupendous. A really lovely and romantic dress in one of the best blue colours I have seen. Excellent condition

The dress is fully lined through the bodice in a hand set blue silk and the three layers of silk chiffon the skirt is made of serve as its lining. The dress closes with a side painted metal zipper. Hand finishes. I see one tiny area on the side off the skirt that has darkened. 

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 48" from top of strapless dress to back hem, 37" to the front hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3583

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

In 1993 Oscar de la Renta took over as Creative Director at Balmain where he designed the Haute Couture collections until 2002. The house had been floundering at that point and he had a huge impact on the reviving the sales of the couture pieces, mainly by catering to private clients, much like Balmain had originally. The runway photo that we found shows the dress layered over a printed pant but all of the subsequent references of it match the set to the one we have here with the pants in the same striped silk as the top piece. The twin of this set was a part of the 2016 ‘Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective’ exhibition at de Young Museum, San Francisco, curated by André Leon Talley where it is referred to as being 'evening pyjamas'. The exhibit was broken into different themed galleries and this dress was a part of the garden themed section. Oscar was an avid gardener and the works in this section took inspiration from that life long passion. And it holds an extra special significance because the one shown in the exhibit was loaned to the museum by Annette de la Renta, Oscar's wife and muse, giving it an extra layer of personal connection to its provenance. The dress also appears in the book 'Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style' by Talley. The Met Museum also holds one in their permanent collections and then this one is the third.

In an interesting twist, one of the other dresses that was a part of the garden section of the exhibit was a striped OLDR dress from 1999 and my client had a that dress as well. It is listing along with this one today. It is incredible coincidence to have both dresses in at the same time with that shared bit of exhibit history behind them and both are exceptionally beautiful.

It is extraordinary to think that Oscar never produced a Haute Couture line under his own label and these few short years at Balmain gives us a chance to see just how talented he really was at all levels. Like most Haute Couture, this is a set that only truly comes to life when it is on an actual body. No matter how good it looks in the photos, the impact it has in real life and how it moves once on is undeniably beautiful. The fabric that both piece are made from is a fine chine silk taffeta that hearkens back to the 18th century with its washed pale blue striping. All of the edges are finished in that same fabric but for the edges it has been tightly knife pleated. These form a wide pleated ruffle all around the collar, down the front and around each cuff. One pale baby pink stripe runs along the edge of the ruffle for a magical bit of colour against the blue. That pink is then picked up on each hand made button that runs down the front and is set on each cuff. The buttons are amazing. They are hand made and they each have a tiny, perfect sprig of hand embroidered pink flower splayed across their tops. Under the evening coat, are a pair of silk taffeta pants in the same fabric. The pants are cut very simply with a flat front and no banding at the waist. They run in a slightly tapered cigarette shape and land just about the ankle depending on your height. Over this is that amazing evening coat that has the lines of a formal court dress worked into its cut. It is created with a nod to the decadence of the eighteenth century with a high pleated collar and softly defined shoulders. The sleeves are long and slim, ending in an elaborate ruffled cuff. It skims over the bodice and tapers in at the waist. The buttons to close it run from the collar to the waist at the front. From that point under the bottom button the front is completely open so that when you walk you see the pants underneath. The back of the coat is a work of art. The skirt trails out behind you, falling from that curved horizontal seam at the waist where the fabric is gathered in soft folds. It is tremendously full and when you walk it causes the skirt to billow out behind you. Haute Couture is always about the details and I love that for the seam that runs across the low back, Oscar used a fine pink silk piping to define the seam and where the gathers of the lower skirting are set. It is the perfect detail to tie in with the pink at the front. This is everything you want to see in a Haute Couture piece; elegance, refinement and a dash of coquetry. It is ornate but sophisticated and feels wonderfully light and perfectly suited to his love of nature and botanical themes. “A garden is probably the most spiritual and pure of joys. It’s a communion with nature and beauty in the most simple and fundamental form.”– Oscar de la Renta. It appears to have never been worn or worn very little. Excellent condition. 

Both pieces are unlined and all the interior work is done by hand to Haute Couture standards. The pants close with a hidden set side zipper. There is a built in gusset that is pristine. The evening coat/dress closes with a hand set zipper and then a panel that snaps into place over that with silk, hand covered snaps. Hand made, light shoulder pads. A series of hand embroidered buttons down the front. The inner waist stay hooks to close and you could adjust the hooks if needed or wear it unhooked if you needed the extra room. Each cuff zips to close with a hidden set zipper and has three of the same buttons as decoration. I see one pinhead mar near a front button and a nick out of the fabric near the seam under the arm. One inner seam on either side looks like it was slightly adjusted. There is an extra button sewn to an inner seam. Proper Couture tags on both pieces and the coat one has its couture tape underneath numbered 173 470. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Sourced from the original couture client 

Evening Coat Dress
Sleeves: 23.5"
Shoulders: 15.25"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam, inner waist stay hooks at 14"
Hips: open
Length: 56" from neck to shortest point of the front hem, 62" to longest point of the back hem

Pant
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 39.5" from top of bodice to waist
Inseam: 28" from inner seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3568

Reference Photos: (1) 1998 Balmain Silk taffeta coat and pants from the book "Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style" by Andre Leon Talley.  /  (2) 1998 Balmain Ensemble from The MET Collection Online.  /  (3-4) Spring 1998 Balmain Haute Couture Runway. / (5-6) Photos from the ‘Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective’ exhibition at de Young Museum, San Francisco. Curated by André Leon Talley.  /  (7) Photo from the book "Oscar De La Renta: The Retrospective" by Jennifer Park and Molly Sorkin.

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