This twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 2013 collection and it is not only the twin of the runway piece but it is also the twin of the same dress that I have had in the shop before. I think I love it even more this second time around. In 2013 Valentino was headed by both Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. They had stepped into Mr Valentino's shoes and were breathing new life into the brand. Vogue's Nicole Phelps said of this show in her review: 'Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring stared out from Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli's mood board this season. At a preview, the Valentino designers were making connections between what they called the severe yet sensual portraits of the Dutch masters and their exquisite new collection for Fall. "We wanted to capture women in a private moment," Chiuri said. "In this show, the face is very important." This is Valentino we're talking about, of course, so in the end there was no lack of intricacy in the details. There were gowns galore, many of unsurpassed beauty, and some too beautiful not to bring up. But to prattle on describing them would be to defeat the point. They weren't the news; the austere grace was" This dress is one of the best examples of that 'austere grace' that Phelps describes above. It was also the closing look of the show with an added white collar and cuffs for styling. Last looks are always a shoe-in as a collectors piece as they are the look the designers wished to leave with us that final impression of the show. And what a piece to have an impression of.

The dress has this fabulous almost stark and severe feel with is simple cut and black fabric. You are fully covered and this makes it feel so refined and elegant. The dress is made from a black cotton and silk mix that has a slight coated sheen feel to it. This fabric choice keeps it light in weight but still has enough structure to hold its shape. The cut is minimalist with a high neck with a small and neat collar. The bodice is cut to skim over you and the shoulders extend out to the sleeves with no seam there. This takes a lot more fabric to execute and is a detail that you rarely see in modern clothing. The sleeves are long and just slightly taper down to the wrist. There is a hidden set button at the end of each sleeve and I love how this button is set towards the inner lining so the line of the sleeve is unbroken. The waist is brought in slightly with vertical seaming and then skirt falls under that to its original uncut supermodel length. All of the seaming on the dress is vertical and the width of the skirt that you see is achieved by adding an inverted pleat down the center of the skirt. The panels within this pleat are the same width as the ones that circle the skirt and it is all cut exactly and precisely so that the skirt balances and falls perfectly. At the back the hem curves down and is cut a few inches longer then it is at the front. This gives it this pretty and graceful curve from the side and also adds the sense of sweeping skirts as you walk away. The dress is fabulous on the body and and it is beautifully finished. I have included runway photos and also shots of myself wearing the one I had in the shop previously so that you can see how amazing it is on the body. We also found runway footage that gives you a better idea of how that stunning skirt moves once on. The dress appears to  have never been worn or worn very little if at all. It's perfect. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a fine black silk throughout and has a hidden set zipper at the back. Each cuff buttons to close with hidden buttons. Tagged a Valentino 42. It appears to have never been worn. There are hidden buttonholes inside the collar and cuffs to be able to button in the collar and cuffs that you see on the runway photos that were sold separately. With those button holes there you could get ones made in any color or style you wished to really change the look of the dress.

Sleeves: approx 22"
Shoulders: no true defined seams
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 61" from neck to front hem, 65" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4071

Reference Photos: (1) F/W 2013 Valentino Runway Finale Look. Model: Maud Welzen.  /  (2-6) Cherie, Owner of Shrimpton Couture.

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

Valentino launched his ready to wear label in 1962, just two years after opening his first salon in Rome. He eventually expanded and added other boutiques. His first New York boutique launched in the fall of 1970 and it caused a sensation. Traffic was backed up 3 blocks with everyone who was anyone trying to get in on opening night. More boutiques followed including one at Bergdorfs. He encouraged his couture clients to also shop in his boutiques. He wanted everyone to have the Valentino experience and noted that he often carried the lines he created for his Couture label into the boutique work. The primary difference he noted was in the fabric and construction details but they were still remarkably close in quality otherwise. This especially held true in the early days. The line between the two was often blurred and on this set you can see that in the hand finishing that is has. This is one of the most beautiful Valentino pieces I have had in the shop and I think if it were my size I would never part with it.

The dress is made out of a black silk taffeta that holds the intended shape and volume beautifully. It is a set made up of a dress and jacket that slips on over that. They are fantastically beautiful worn together or separately. I love that having the two pieces gives you more styling opportunities and extends the life of this in your wardrobe. The dress is suspended by two tiny straps that curve up and over each shoulder. The bodice dips into a wide set V at the front and dips lower across at the back to leave a bare expanse of open skin. It is cut to be more fitted to the waist and then under that it is all volume and drama. The skirt has an incredible amount of volume to it that shows best when you move. The lightness of the silk causes the skirt to billow out and move around you as you move yet it still has enough weight that it holds that full feeling when you stand still. When this is on and you are walking the effect that this creates is absolutely gorgeous. The 13" ruffle that circles the entire lower hem is actually added on top of the skirt and not simple seamed onto the edge. That means the ruffle has the inner part of the skirt behind it and this extra weight and fabric helps to hold its volume perfectly. This extra little detail is fabulous and adds an extra element of romance and femininity. And it has pockets. Over this pops the jacket and it is a thing of beauty in its own right. The body of the jacket widens out from the soft shoulder and curves around and up from the hem to the neckline. I love the ruffle finish that follows all the way around the edge. The sleeves are incredible and each is cut to be very wide by the time they reach their ends. The seam above the ruffle finish on them is a full 20" around and the ruffle makes it go beyond that even. It is absolutely beautiful. This is Valentino at his best and a tremendously beautiful dress and jacket. Excellent condition. 

Fully lined in a black silk. The dress closes with a back zipper and there are two hidden hook and eye at the base of the jacket at the front. Tagged a size 6. It looks to have been worn very little if at all.

Dress
Bust: to 16.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 14.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 43" from waist to hem

Jacket
Slightly inset shoulders: 13"
Sleeves: 22.5" long and 14" around the top part of the arm
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 17.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4054

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

This is a beautiful example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. The bow in particular was an important element of the collections that year and it is the highlight on this set as well. 

Both the dress and the jacket have been made out of a fine light silk crepe that is done in that signature Valentino red.  The dress is beautifully cut and unexpectedly sexy with its bare expanse of skin at the back. From the front it is a simple shift with a high neckline. Straps are set to curve up and over each shoulder, crossing over themselves and then are set into the small of the back. The back is left bare from the shoulder to the waist. The front bodice follows the shape of the body underneath and the skirt falls with a slight flare as it nears the hem. Piping at the waist to add some shape and definition. The jacket is fantastic and you will want to wear it as a stand alone piece as well as part of the set. It is cut to perfection with softly padded shoulders that are set wide and a nipped in waist. The fabric is all gathered in towards the centre of the waist and is highlighted with his signature black bow set at the centre. The jacket is in excellent condition and there is a note to review about the dress below

Both the dress and jacket are fully lined in a hand set red silk of very high quality. Proper finished buttonholes and jet beads on both cuffs. The jacket closes with hook & eye under the bow. The dress closes with a hand set zipper at the low back and the stars button and snap into place. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand. There is a very faint mark on the bodice of the dress. Please see the photos after the label shot.

Dress
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from neck to waist
Skirt: 21" from waist to hem

Jacket
Sleeves: 22.5"
Shoulders: 17.5"
Bust: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2839

Reference Photo: Models in Valentino. Photo by Guy Bourdin for Vogue Paris, 1985.

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 twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 2013 collection and it is not only the twin of the runway piece but it is also the twin of the same dress that I have had in the shop before. I think I love it even more this second time around. In 2013 Valentino was headed by both Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. They had stepped into Mr Valentino's shoes and were breathing new life into the brand. Vogue's Nicole Phelps said of this show in her review: 'Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring stared out from Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli's mood board this season. At a preview, the Valentino designers were making connections between what they called the severe yet sensual portraits of the Dutch masters and their exquisite new collection for Fall. "We wanted to capture women in a private moment," Chiuri said. "In this show, the face is very important." This is Valentino we're talking about, of course, so in the end there was no lack of intricacy in the details. There were gowns galore, many of unsurpassed beauty, and some too beautiful not to bring up. But to prattle on describing them would be to defeat the point. They weren't the news; the austere grace was" This dress is one of the best examples of that 'austere grace' that Phelps describes above. It was also the closing look of the show with an added white collar and cuffs for styling. Last looks are always a shoe-in as a collectors piece as they are the look the designers wished to leave with us that final impression of the show. And what a piece to have an impression of.

The dress has this fabulous almost stark and severe feel with is simple cut and black fabric. You are fully covered and this makes it feel so refined and elegant. The dress is made from a black cotton and silk mix that has a slight coated sheen feel to it. This fabric choice keeps it light in weight but still has enough structure to hold its shape. The cut is minimalist with a high neck with a small and neat collar. The bodice is cut to skim over you and the shoulders extend out to the sleeves with no seam there. This takes a lot more fabric to execute and is a detail that you rarely see in modern clothing. The sleeves are long and just slightly taper down to the wrist. There is a hidden set button at the end of each sleeve and I love how this button is set towards the inner lining so the line of the sleeve is unbroken. The waist is brought in slightly with vertical seaming and then skirt falls under that to its original uncut supermodel length. All of the seaming on the dress is vertical and the width of the skirt that you see is achieved by adding an inverted pleat down the center of the skirt. The panels within this pleat are the same width as the ones that circle the skirt and it is all cut exactly and precisely so that the skirt balances and falls perfectly. At the back the hem curves down and is cut a few inches longer then it is at the front. This gives it this pretty and graceful curve from the side and also adds the sense of sweeping skirts as you walk away. The dress is fabulous on the body and and it is beautifully finished. I have included runway photos and also shots of myself wearing the one I had in the shop previously so that you can see how amazing it is on the body. We also found runway footage that gives you a better idea of how that stunning skirt moves once on. The dress appears to  have never been worn or worn very little if at all. It's perfect. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a fine black silk throughout and has a hidden set zipper at the back. Each cuff buttons to close with hidden buttons. Tagged a Valentino 42. It appears to have never been worn. There are hidden buttonholes inside the collar and cuffs to be able to button in the collar and cuffs that you see on the runway photos that were sold separately. With those button holes there you could get ones made in any color or style you wished to really change the look of the dress.

Sleeves: approx 22"
Shoulders: no true defined seams
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 61" from neck to front hem, 65" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4071

Reference Photos: (1) F/W 2013 Valentino Runway Finale Look. Model: Maud Welzen.  /  (2-6) Cherie, Owner of Shrimpton Couture.

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

Valentino launched his ready to wear label in 1962, just two years after opening his first salon in Rome. He eventually expanded and added other boutiques. His first New York boutique launched in the fall of 1970 and it caused a sensation. Traffic was backed up 3 blocks with everyone who was anyone trying to get in on opening night. More boutiques followed including one at Bergdorfs. He encouraged his couture clients to also shop in his boutiques. He wanted everyone to have the Valentino experience and noted that he often carried the lines he created for his Couture label into the boutique work. The primary difference he noted was in the fabric and construction details but they were still remarkably close in quality otherwise. This especially held true in the early days. The line between the two was often blurred and on this set you can see that in the hand finishing that is has. This is one of the most beautiful Valentino pieces I have had in the shop and I think if it were my size I would never part with it.

The dress is made out of a black silk taffeta that holds the intended shape and volume beautifully. It is a set made up of a dress and jacket that slips on over that. They are fantastically beautiful worn together or separately. I love that having the two pieces gives you more styling opportunities and extends the life of this in your wardrobe. The dress is suspended by two tiny straps that curve up and over each shoulder. The bodice dips into a wide set V at the front and dips lower across at the back to leave a bare expanse of open skin. It is cut to be more fitted to the waist and then under that it is all volume and drama. The skirt has an incredible amount of volume to it that shows best when you move. The lightness of the silk causes the skirt to billow out and move around you as you move yet it still has enough weight that it holds that full feeling when you stand still. When this is on and you are walking the effect that this creates is absolutely gorgeous. The 13" ruffle that circles the entire lower hem is actually added on top of the skirt and not simple seamed onto the edge. That means the ruffle has the inner part of the skirt behind it and this extra weight and fabric helps to hold its volume perfectly. This extra little detail is fabulous and adds an extra element of romance and femininity. And it has pockets. Over this pops the jacket and it is a thing of beauty in its own right. The body of the jacket widens out from the soft shoulder and curves around and up from the hem to the neckline. I love the ruffle finish that follows all the way around the edge. The sleeves are incredible and each is cut to be very wide by the time they reach their ends. The seam above the ruffle finish on them is a full 20" around and the ruffle makes it go beyond that even. It is absolutely beautiful. This is Valentino at his best and a tremendously beautiful dress and jacket. Excellent condition. 

Fully lined in a black silk. The dress closes with a back zipper and there are two hidden hook and eye at the base of the jacket at the front. Tagged a size 6. It looks to have been worn very little if at all.

Dress
Bust: to 16.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 14.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 43" from waist to hem

Jacket
Slightly inset shoulders: 13"
Sleeves: 22.5" long and 14" around the top part of the arm
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 17.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4054

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

This is a beautiful example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. The bow in particular was an important element of the collections that year and it is the highlight on this set as well. 

Both the dress and the jacket have been made out of a fine light silk crepe that is done in that signature Valentino red.  The dress is beautifully cut and unexpectedly sexy with its bare expanse of skin at the back. From the front it is a simple shift with a high neckline. Straps are set to curve up and over each shoulder, crossing over themselves and then are set into the small of the back. The back is left bare from the shoulder to the waist. The front bodice follows the shape of the body underneath and the skirt falls with a slight flare as it nears the hem. Piping at the waist to add some shape and definition. The jacket is fantastic and you will want to wear it as a stand alone piece as well as part of the set. It is cut to perfection with softly padded shoulders that are set wide and a nipped in waist. The fabric is all gathered in towards the centre of the waist and is highlighted with his signature black bow set at the centre. The jacket is in excellent condition and there is a note to review about the dress below

Both the dress and jacket are fully lined in a hand set red silk of very high quality. Proper finished buttonholes and jet beads on both cuffs. The jacket closes with hook & eye under the bow. The dress closes with a hand set zipper at the low back and the stars button and snap into place. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand. There is a very faint mark on the bodice of the dress. Please see the photos after the label shot.

Dress
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from neck to waist
Skirt: 21" from waist to hem

Jacket
Sleeves: 22.5"
Shoulders: 17.5"
Bust: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24.5" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD2839

Reference Photo: Models in Valentino. Photo by Guy Bourdin for Vogue Paris, 1985.

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