This is a beautiful example of Valentino's main label ready-to-wear work that he was doing during the 1980s. It has those classic clean lines he was loved for and the colour is just phenomenal. This set is not perfect but its flaws are forgivable. The sheer impact it has outweighs any small imperfections. 

Both the skirt and its matching long cut jacket have been made out of a fine light wool that is done in the most remarkable clear and bright coral colour. The wool has a slight texture to it that just makes that gorgeous colour pop even more. The skirt is beautifully cut with simple sleek lines. It is set flat around the waist and then angles out just slightly as it nears the hem. Piping in a matching light wool done in an ivory circled the top of the waist and then is set just above the hem. That same piping is used to define and highlight the cut of the matching jacket. It outlines the notched caller and runs down the front. A similar line to the one on the skirt is set just above the hem. When it is on these line up wonderfully. The jacket is cut with beautiful lines. It has light padding in each shoulder and simple sleeves. It falls to meet the hem of the skirt in length. Shaping is done to give just a bit of definition to the waist area. The back is left to fall in a simple sleek line. Big carved mother of pearl buttons run down the front. Piping is set along the tops of each pocket for the perfect finish. The skirt is in excellent condition and there is a note on the jacket below

Both the dress and jacket are unlined with beautifully finished interior seams. The jacket closes with buttons down the front and the skirt closes with a zipper. There are some small grazes to the top layer of the wool on the jacket primarily on the back of the shoulder, one on the sleeve and a tiny spot near the piping of the pocket. They do not go all the way through and most likely could be re-woven perfectly. Priced at half of what it would be otherwise. Please see the photos after the label shot

Jacket
Sleeves: 23.5"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 40" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3752

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 stunning Valentino that is from the time period of Valentino when it was being co-designed by both Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. They had stepped into Mr Valentino's shoes and were breathing new life into the brand. I love that they still adhered to the label's heritage in keeping with using the classic Valentino red colour.

The dress is made from a light stretch silk crepe chiffon in the signature shade of red that Valentino is so well known for. The fabric choice lets the dress light in weight while still holding that beautiful shape that you see. The bodice is strapless and is kept very simple and elegant. It is cut straight across the edge at the top and then the silk has been gathered across and over the bodice. The outer layer of silk is set so that it wraps over one side of those gathers and and then is caught up in a curve below the bodice. It follows along the waist line in a soft curve and is caught up on the opposite hip. There it drapes down the skirt in a pretty soft panel that creates a slight ruffled effect down the full side of the dress. The back is cut to fall in a smooth sheath so you get the feeling of length. It is the perfect mix of simplicity and elegance. The skirt falls to the floor in a graceful column and gradually widens out just a touch as it nears the hem. The lightness of the silk combined with the open panel on the one side allows the fabric of the skirt to move with the slightest bit of movement on your part and it is so pretty when you walk. Inside it is beautifully constructed. There is a built in full interior corset to hold you in place. It is lightly wired and boned and that is combined with a stretch lingerie netting for comfort. It is a beautiful and romantic dress. It is a very wearable size and looks to have been worn very little it at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a red stretch silk and closes with a back zipper that is covered with a red silk satin ribbon. The interior cupped and boned corset closes with its own separate zipper. The interior bodice has some stretch so I have measured the comfortable range laying flat - you could probably get a little more out of it if needed. No size tag bit I would guess that this is a modern Valentino 44 or 46

Interior bust: 20-22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Interior waist: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22-23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 55" from top of the bodice to the front hem, 56" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: LRG-XL

Item# DD3696

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 comes directly from the original couture client and is an exceptional example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. Finding pieces from this time period is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop. I am also pleased to have found several documentations of the dress from that season. The dress is featured in the book "A Grand Italian Epic: Valentino Garavani" by Taschen, which is considered to be one of the definitive volumes on Valentino's work. It was also featured in the March issue of Italian Vogue. That layout was photoed by Steven Klein and the dress was modeled by Monica Gripman. It was also shot on model Brynja Sverris for one of the Valentino campaigns that year. This is one of his most recognizable dresses that he has ever created and you instantly recognize it as being by him the second that you see it. It is an extraordinary and historically important piece of Valentino's couture work. This would also make an exception bridal dress for the non traditional bride or as a secondary dress to change into.

This dress is extraordinary. The lines of it are pure poetry. The front of the dress has been done with a minimalist feel and its entire design is deliberate to give you just a glimpse of what will happen when you turn around. The top overlay is made of a black silk faille and the neckline is high and slightly scooped. It curves and skims over the bust and nips in gently at the waist. The shape that you see is all done with beautiful curving vertical seams so that there is no line to break the sweep of the eye. This then extends into a long panel that lays over the inner skirting. It is cut on one side with more of a curved line, while the other side is set on a slight straigher line that runs up to the the detailing at the back. This slight asymmetrical cut is fascinating and it is done so subtly that at first your eye does not see it. Instead you only see how this allows the underskirt to sweep out slightly more on one side then the other. From under that the skirt flares out and back in a tremendous sweep of fabric. The underskirt is also made out of a heavy silk faille in a creamy ivory with black dots. Many yards of silk have been used its construction and it designed to have massive volume at the back. From every angle of the dress you get these wondrous sweeping views. At the back the black silk is cut into a V and set slightly to one side. Where each side of the front overlay meet, there is a huge ivory silk flower. The lines that lead up and towards the flower are all curving perfection and the way that the black sweeps up to meet the flower is a moment in itself. The flower is huge and sits nestled in the crook of your low back. The interior of the dress is made to couture standards and is as stunning as the exterior. There are attached inner tulles that give the skirt its shape and volume. It is one of the most beautiful dresses I have seen. It is an amazing example of his earlier Haute Couture work. Excellent condition with a couple of minor notes below. 

The dress is lined in a black silk and there are attached underskirts in silk tulle. It closes with an inner zipper that is attached to the underskirt with a second exterior zipper over that. Inner waist stay hooks to close. The panel where the flower is set snaps into place with hand covered silk covered snaps. I see some grubbiness at the hem and on the flower and a repair to one of the tulle underskirts at the back. Near the base of the inner zipper the fabric has come away from the seam. All of these are minor. Please review the photos provided after the label shot. Finished with Haute Couture construction techniques throughout. 

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 58" from top of shoulder to front hem, 68" to the longest point of the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3604

Reference Photos: (1) Brynja Sverris in S/S 1988 Valentino Haute Couture by Gianpaolo Barbieri.  /  (2-3) Monica Gripman in Valentino Haute Couture for Vogue Italia, March 1988. Photos by Steven Klein.  /  (4-5) S/S 1988 Valentino Haute Couture Dress as shown in the book "A Grand Italian Epic: Valentino Garavani" by Taschen.  /  (6-7) Queen Sofia of Spain in Valentino, meeting Queen Elizabeth, at the Palacio Real de Madrid, in Madrid, for a state banquet in Spain, 18 October 1988.

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 comes directly from the original couture client and is in immaculate condition. This is an exceptional example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. It is one of a group of dotted red chiffon dresses that Valentino showed on the runway that season. Finding pieces from this time period in such immaculate condition is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop. I am also pleased to have found runway footage of the group of dresses that he did. The twin of this one was a runway piece and you just get the tiniest glimpse of it on the video I have added here. I have also included a gorgeous shot of Daniela Ghione wearing the dress that year. Style icon Nan Kempner was photoed wearing a different version of the dress which gives you another idea of how fantastic the dress will be on. It is an extraordinary and historically important piece of Valentino's couture work

This dress is divine. The lines of it are beautiful and as good as it looks on the dress form it is perfection 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 and is strapless. The bodice is done in an extremely intricate manner. Panels of the silk chiffon have been cut on the biased and then shirred and diagonally crossed over each other to form that complicated pattern that wraps around the entire bodice. The little striped illusion effect that you see in each curving panel is actually the white dot in the silk hat has been meticulously lined up to precision with the one above and below. This painstaking pleating and gathering technique would have taken hours and hours to accomplish. This then forms a shaped bodice that runs down past the waist and molds over the top of the hips. From under that the skirt flares out to the floor and is made up of many yards of the same bias cut red and white dotted silk chiffon. The fabric is feather light so that your slightest movement cause the silk to flow around you. On one hip there are panels of silk that are set to run down that full side to give it an extra burst of volume and movement. The interior of the dress is made to couture standards with a full built in cupped corset that is boned and shaped to just past the waist. From under the bodice the skirt is made up of three full layers of silk; two of the dotted silk and a red silk inner layer. 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 his earlier Haute Couture work. Excellent condition. 

The bodice has a full built in boned corset made that hooks into place. The dress zippers to close over that. The skirt is made up of three layers as descried above. Done with Haute Couture construction techniques. Inner waist stay hooks to close.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 52" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3588

Reference Photos: (1) Daniela Ghione in Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1986. Photo by Oliviero Toscani.  /  (2) Valentino Haute Couture SS 1986. Photo by Lord Snowdon.  /  (3) Model in Valentino Haute Couture, Vogue Italia, March 1986. Photo by Albert Watson.  /  (4-5) Nan Kempner at Barbara Walters's Four Month Wedding Anniversary Celebration at The Pierre Hotel in New York, September 1986.

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

After much research I have narrowed this down to being a version of the dress that walked the 1998 Haute Couture Runway. It is very similar and you could easily see how a client could have modified that dress to become the one that we see here. It is not unusual for a client to have a dress completely customized to her in that world afterall. The cut and feel are so alike and everything else about the dress feels like Mr. Valentino's work during this time period. It is absolutely exquisite and the cut and fit are the sheer perfection that you would expect from a gown made to this degree.

This may be the perfect black dress. It mixes Valentino's unwavering sense of elegance with the high standards of Haute Couture. The dress is strapless with a fitted and sculpted bodice that wraps the wearer in wide flat pleats that are curved, placed and set by hand. The bodice is a masterpiece in shaping and couture techniques. The fabric has been shaped and molded by hand and immaculately stitched into place to create the soft pleats that curve over the bust and highlight your shape. Inside it is boned and shaped with an inner corset. The corset holds the dress perfectly in place but not to the point where it feels constrictive, just enough so that it shapes you perfectly. The pleats cross over the bust and wrap around the back. There they are sculpted into place and they fall to become a part of the skirt, overlapping the panel that comes from the front. This same technique is used at the front, but there the panel that extends into the skirt does not wrap over the other panel but is set more open to show the inner skirt off to its full advantage. The inner skirt is slim cut and falls to the floor. It is made of a silk netting, backed by silk chiffon, and the netting is completely covered with the finest bead and sequin work that I have seen. This is certainly the workmanship of Lesage and would have been made completely by hand  - worked that would have taken hours and hours and hours. What is truly incredible is that the entire inner skirt is finished with this hand done bead and sequin work even though you only see a touch of it from the front. In the second last photo before the inner bodice photos I lifted the back outer panels to show you how the inner skirt is finished all the way around. That is the level of work that you see only in couture.  This is the type of gown that Valentino excelled at. A refined elegance mixed with a luxurious fabric and finished with a master's touch of provocativeness and romance. The dress appears to have never been worn, or worn very little. Excellent condition

The inner skirt is fully backed in a silk chiffon. The outer panels of the skirt are unlined. The inner bodice has a full couture level netted corset and this is boned and cupped. The bead work extend all the way up to just under the bodice on the inside. There is a zipper to close the corset and it also has a hooked waist stay. Another zipper lies over this to close the outer layer. Completely finished by hand work throughout.

Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 14.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to inner waist seam
Skirt: 40" from inner waist seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3156

Reference Photo: Valentino Spring 1998 Haute Couture 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.

This is a beautiful example of Valentino's main label ready-to-wear work that he was doing during the 1980s. It has those classic clean lines he was loved for and the colour is just phenomenal. This set is not perfect but its flaws are forgivable. The sheer impact it has outweighs any small imperfections. 

Both the skirt and its matching long cut jacket have been made out of a fine light wool that is done in the most remarkable clear and bright coral colour. The wool has a slight texture to it that just makes that gorgeous colour pop even more. The skirt is beautifully cut with simple sleek lines. It is set flat around the waist and then angles out just slightly as it nears the hem. Piping in a matching light wool done in an ivory circled the top of the waist and then is set just above the hem. That same piping is used to define and highlight the cut of the matching jacket. It outlines the notched caller and runs down the front. A similar line to the one on the skirt is set just above the hem. When it is on these line up wonderfully. The jacket is cut with beautiful lines. It has light padding in each shoulder and simple sleeves. It falls to meet the hem of the skirt in length. Shaping is done to give just a bit of definition to the waist area. The back is left to fall in a simple sleek line. Big carved mother of pearl buttons run down the front. Piping is set along the tops of each pocket for the perfect finish. The skirt is in excellent condition and there is a note on the jacket below

Both the dress and jacket are unlined with beautifully finished interior seams. The jacket closes with buttons down the front and the skirt closes with a zipper. There are some small grazes to the top layer of the wool on the jacket primarily on the back of the shoulder, one on the sleeve and a tiny spot near the piping of the pocket. They do not go all the way through and most likely could be re-woven perfectly. Priced at half of what it would be otherwise. Please see the photos after the label shot

Jacket
Sleeves: 23.5"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 40" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 24" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3752

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 stunning Valentino that is from the time period of Valentino when it was being co-designed by both Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. They had stepped into Mr Valentino's shoes and were breathing new life into the brand. I love that they still adhered to the label's heritage in keeping with using the classic Valentino red colour.

The dress is made from a light stretch silk crepe chiffon in the signature shade of red that Valentino is so well known for. The fabric choice lets the dress light in weight while still holding that beautiful shape that you see. The bodice is strapless and is kept very simple and elegant. It is cut straight across the edge at the top and then the silk has been gathered across and over the bodice. The outer layer of silk is set so that it wraps over one side of those gathers and and then is caught up in a curve below the bodice. It follows along the waist line in a soft curve and is caught up on the opposite hip. There it drapes down the skirt in a pretty soft panel that creates a slight ruffled effect down the full side of the dress. The back is cut to fall in a smooth sheath so you get the feeling of length. It is the perfect mix of simplicity and elegance. The skirt falls to the floor in a graceful column and gradually widens out just a touch as it nears the hem. The lightness of the silk combined with the open panel on the one side allows the fabric of the skirt to move with the slightest bit of movement on your part and it is so pretty when you walk. Inside it is beautifully constructed. There is a built in full interior corset to hold you in place. It is lightly wired and boned and that is combined with a stretch lingerie netting for comfort. It is a beautiful and romantic dress. It is a very wearable size and looks to have been worn very little it at all. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a red stretch silk and closes with a back zipper that is covered with a red silk satin ribbon. The interior cupped and boned corset closes with its own separate zipper. The interior bodice has some stretch so I have measured the comfortable range laying flat - you could probably get a little more out of it if needed. No size tag bit I would guess that this is a modern Valentino 44 or 46

Interior bust: 20-22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Interior waist: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22-23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 55" from top of the bodice to the front hem, 56" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: LRG-XL

Item# DD3696

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 comes directly from the original couture client and is an exceptional example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. Finding pieces from this time period is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop. I am also pleased to have found several documentations of the dress from that season. The dress is featured in the book "A Grand Italian Epic: Valentino Garavani" by Taschen, which is considered to be one of the definitive volumes on Valentino's work. It was also featured in the March issue of Italian Vogue. That layout was photoed by Steven Klein and the dress was modeled by Monica Gripman. It was also shot on model Brynja Sverris for one of the Valentino campaigns that year. This is one of his most recognizable dresses that he has ever created and you instantly recognize it as being by him the second that you see it. It is an extraordinary and historically important piece of Valentino's couture work. This would also make an exception bridal dress for the non traditional bride or as a secondary dress to change into.

This dress is extraordinary. The lines of it are pure poetry. The front of the dress has been done with a minimalist feel and its entire design is deliberate to give you just a glimpse of what will happen when you turn around. The top overlay is made of a black silk faille and the neckline is high and slightly scooped. It curves and skims over the bust and nips in gently at the waist. The shape that you see is all done with beautiful curving vertical seams so that there is no line to break the sweep of the eye. This then extends into a long panel that lays over the inner skirting. It is cut on one side with more of a curved line, while the other side is set on a slight straigher line that runs up to the the detailing at the back. This slight asymmetrical cut is fascinating and it is done so subtly that at first your eye does not see it. Instead you only see how this allows the underskirt to sweep out slightly more on one side then the other. From under that the skirt flares out and back in a tremendous sweep of fabric. The underskirt is also made out of a heavy silk faille in a creamy ivory with black dots. Many yards of silk have been used its construction and it designed to have massive volume at the back. From every angle of the dress you get these wondrous sweeping views. At the back the black silk is cut into a V and set slightly to one side. Where each side of the front overlay meet, there is a huge ivory silk flower. The lines that lead up and towards the flower are all curving perfection and the way that the black sweeps up to meet the flower is a moment in itself. The flower is huge and sits nestled in the crook of your low back. The interior of the dress is made to couture standards and is as stunning as the exterior. There are attached inner tulles that give the skirt its shape and volume. It is one of the most beautiful dresses I have seen. It is an amazing example of his earlier Haute Couture work. Excellent condition with a couple of minor notes below. 

The dress is lined in a black silk and there are attached underskirts in silk tulle. It closes with an inner zipper that is attached to the underskirt with a second exterior zipper over that. Inner waist stay hooks to close. The panel where the flower is set snaps into place with hand covered silk covered snaps. I see some grubbiness at the hem and on the flower and a repair to one of the tulle underskirts at the back. Near the base of the inner zipper the fabric has come away from the seam. All of these are minor. Please review the photos provided after the label shot. Finished with Haute Couture construction techniques throughout. 

Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 58" from top of shoulder to front hem, 68" to the longest point of the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3604

Reference Photos: (1) Brynja Sverris in S/S 1988 Valentino Haute Couture by Gianpaolo Barbieri.  /  (2-3) Monica Gripman in Valentino Haute Couture for Vogue Italia, March 1988. Photos by Steven Klein.  /  (4-5) S/S 1988 Valentino Haute Couture Dress as shown in the book "A Grand Italian Epic: Valentino Garavani" by Taschen.  /  (6-7) Queen Sofia of Spain in Valentino, meeting Queen Elizabeth, at the Palacio Real de Madrid, in Madrid, for a state banquet in Spain, 18 October 1988.

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 comes directly from the original couture client and is in immaculate condition. This is an exceptional example of Valentino's Haute Couture work that he was doing during the 1980s. It is one of a group of dotted red chiffon dresses that Valentino showed on the runway that season. Finding pieces from this time period in such immaculate condition is a rarity and I am very pleased to have this beautiful dress in the shop. I am also pleased to have found runway footage of the group of dresses that he did. The twin of this one was a runway piece and you just get the tiniest glimpse of it on the video I have added here. I have also included a gorgeous shot of Daniela Ghione wearing the dress that year. Style icon Nan Kempner was photoed wearing a different version of the dress which gives you another idea of how fantastic the dress will be on. It is an extraordinary and historically important piece of Valentino's couture work

This dress is divine. The lines of it are beautiful and as good as it looks on the dress form it is perfection 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 and is strapless. The bodice is done in an extremely intricate manner. Panels of the silk chiffon have been cut on the biased and then shirred and diagonally crossed over each other to form that complicated pattern that wraps around the entire bodice. The little striped illusion effect that you see in each curving panel is actually the white dot in the silk hat has been meticulously lined up to precision with the one above and below. This painstaking pleating and gathering technique would have taken hours and hours to accomplish. This then forms a shaped bodice that runs down past the waist and molds over the top of the hips. From under that the skirt flares out to the floor and is made up of many yards of the same bias cut red and white dotted silk chiffon. The fabric is feather light so that your slightest movement cause the silk to flow around you. On one hip there are panels of silk that are set to run down that full side to give it an extra burst of volume and movement. The interior of the dress is made to couture standards with a full built in cupped corset that is boned and shaped to just past the waist. From under the bodice the skirt is made up of three full layers of silk; two of the dotted silk and a red silk inner layer. 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 his earlier Haute Couture work. Excellent condition. 

The bodice has a full built in boned corset made that hooks into place. The dress zippers to close over that. The skirt is made up of three layers as descried above. Done with Haute Couture construction techniques. Inner waist stay hooks to close.

Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 52" from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3588

Reference Photos: (1) Daniela Ghione in Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1986. Photo by Oliviero Toscani.  /  (2) Valentino Haute Couture SS 1986. Photo by Lord Snowdon.  /  (3) Model in Valentino Haute Couture, Vogue Italia, March 1986. Photo by Albert Watson.  /  (4-5) Nan Kempner at Barbara Walters's Four Month Wedding Anniversary Celebration at The Pierre Hotel in New York, September 1986.

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

After much research I have narrowed this down to being a version of the dress that walked the 1998 Haute Couture Runway. It is very similar and you could easily see how a client could have modified that dress to become the one that we see here. It is not unusual for a client to have a dress completely customized to her in that world afterall. The cut and feel are so alike and everything else about the dress feels like Mr. Valentino's work during this time period. It is absolutely exquisite and the cut and fit are the sheer perfection that you would expect from a gown made to this degree.

This may be the perfect black dress. It mixes Valentino's unwavering sense of elegance with the high standards of Haute Couture. The dress is strapless with a fitted and sculpted bodice that wraps the wearer in wide flat pleats that are curved, placed and set by hand. The bodice is a masterpiece in shaping and couture techniques. The fabric has been shaped and molded by hand and immaculately stitched into place to create the soft pleats that curve over the bust and highlight your shape. Inside it is boned and shaped with an inner corset. The corset holds the dress perfectly in place but not to the point where it feels constrictive, just enough so that it shapes you perfectly. The pleats cross over the bust and wrap around the back. There they are sculpted into place and they fall to become a part of the skirt, overlapping the panel that comes from the front. This same technique is used at the front, but there the panel that extends into the skirt does not wrap over the other panel but is set more open to show the inner skirt off to its full advantage. The inner skirt is slim cut and falls to the floor. It is made of a silk netting, backed by silk chiffon, and the netting is completely covered with the finest bead and sequin work that I have seen. This is certainly the workmanship of Lesage and would have been made completely by hand  - worked that would have taken hours and hours and hours. What is truly incredible is that the entire inner skirt is finished with this hand done bead and sequin work even though you only see a touch of it from the front. In the second last photo before the inner bodice photos I lifted the back outer panels to show you how the inner skirt is finished all the way around. That is the level of work that you see only in couture.  This is the type of gown that Valentino excelled at. A refined elegance mixed with a luxurious fabric and finished with a master's touch of provocativeness and romance. The dress appears to have never been worn, or worn very little. Excellent condition

The inner skirt is fully backed in a silk chiffon. The outer panels of the skirt are unlined. The inner bodice has a full couture level netted corset and this is boned and cupped. The bead work extend all the way up to just under the bodice on the inside. There is a zipper to close the corset and it also has a hooked waist stay. Another zipper lies over this to close the outer layer. Completely finished by hand work throughout.

Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 14.25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 10" from top of bodice to inner waist seam
Skirt: 40" from inner waist seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3156

Reference Photo: Valentino Spring 1998 Haute Couture 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.