• This is a phenomenal dress by Pierre Balmain from the late 1980s - early 1990s.
• At this point in history the Couture line was called simply Pierre Balmain and the main ready-to-wear line was called Ivoire de Balmain. Depending if it was late 1980s or early 90s, the creative Director would have been either Erik Mortensen (up 1989) or Alistair Blair (who joined in 1990 to over see the RTW line while Erik continued Couture).
• The dress is made from a beautiful silk that is extremely light in weight. When this is on it is almost like wearing nothing.
• Onto the silk is an over-sized check pattern that mixes pastel yellow with shades of soft blues. Some parts have an almost iridescent pale green finish to them and there are also muted deep golds and taupe.
• It is strapless and fitted at the waist. The lower skirt widens out considerably from there to the hem. There are yards and yards of silk making up the skirt. 
• The back is cut longer than the front so you get this beautiful sweeping feel behind you. The silk that was used is so very light in weight and it is all cut on the bias which allows it to float and moves around you with your slightest movement.
• I love the way there is extra fabric built-in at the back. The fabric wraps over itself for a few inches to hook into the inside the waist and also on the outer part of the waist. This adds extra fabric to the gorgeous sweep of volume of the back skirt.
• Inside the bodice is a lightly boned and cupped inner corset that holds the dress in place. It is made out of the same fabric. The rest of the skirt is unlined. The dress closes at the back with a hidden set zipper and an inner waist stay hooks to close. The silk at the very back of the skirt hooks over itself as described above.
• It is tagged a vintage Balmain 36
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open 
Bodice: 9.5" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 55.5" from top of bodice to front hem and the back extends another 14" beyond that.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5385

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 is a phenomenal dress by Pierre Balmain from the late 1980s - early 1990s.
• At this point in history the Couture line was called simply Pierre Balmain and the main ready-to-wear line was called Ivoire de Balmain. Depending if it was late 1980s or early 90s, the creative Director would have been either Erik Mortensen (up 1989) or Alistair Blair (who joined in 1990 to over see the RTW line while Erik continued Couture).
• The dress is made from a beautiful silk that is extremely light in weight. When this is on it is almost like wearing nothing.
• Onto the silk is an over-sized check pattern that mixes pastel yellow with shades of soft blues. Some parts have an almost iridescent pale green finish to them and there are also muted deep golds and taupe.
• It is strapless and fitted at the waist. The lower skirt widens out considerably from there to the hem. There are yards and yards of silk making up the skirt. 
• The back is cut longer than the front so you get this beautiful sweeping feel behind you. The silk that was used is so very light in weight and it is all cut on the bias which allows it to float and moves around you with your slightest movement.
• I love the way there is extra fabric built-in at the back. The fabric wraps over itself for a few inches to hook into the inside the waist and also on the outer part of the waist. This adds extra fabric to the gorgeous sweep of volume of the back skirt.
• Inside the bodice is a lightly boned and cupped inner corset that holds the dress in place. It is made out of the same fabric. The rest of the skirt is unlined. The dress closes at the back with a hidden set zipper and an inner waist stay hooks to close. The silk at the very back of the skirt hooks over itself as described above.
• It is tagged a vintage Balmain 36
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open 
Bodice: 9.5" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 55.5" from top of bodice to front hem and the back extends another 14" beyond that.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5385

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.

• In 1951 a 27 year old James Galanos launched his first label called Galanos Originals. By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award.
• His custom pieces were made close to couture standards and with a level of craftsmanship that was on par with the French couturiers. He was truly one of the great American designers and his work is held in all of the major museums around the world.
• This is a dress that is extremely well made with a very high level of construction techniques.
• The style of label in the dress gives us a date range of 1963 to 1977.
• The body of the dress is made from a yellow bias cut silk crepe that has a slight texture. This is topped with a hand beaded bodice that is completely covered in a combination of yellow and brilliant blue glass tube beads.
• The dress is suspended from the shoulders and the straps are finished with handset rows of yellow beads that are set vertically. On the bust the beads are set horizontally to run all the way around you ending at the top of the waist. More beads are set just below the waist seam.
• The bodice is fitted and then at the back it has a cut out opening between the more bandeau back and the waist. This leaves a strip of bare skin exposed.
• The skirt skims over the hips and then flares out quite a bit as it reaches the floor to get that beautiful silhouette that you see here.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a handset yellow silk chiffon. There is elastic around the inner waist that just helps to hold it in place so it doesn't dip too much at the back. It closes with a side zipper on the bodice and then a second side zipper from the waist down. All of the bead work is done by hand and there are hand finishes throughout the dress.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 60" from top of shoulder to hem with 1.5" turned under the hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5384

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 piece dates to the late 1960s maybe early 1970s.
• It was made under the creative direction of Donald Brooks
• I love finding Donald Brooks pieces. They are very well made and his main line pieces like this one are especially fabulous. Brooks launched his main line label in 1964. He only designed for a very short time, closing his business in 1973. He had a secondary, boutique line that he started in 1971 that also closed in 1973. This dress is from the original main line which gives us that small time period from 1964-1973 for its date.
• This was almost certainly a custom piece and is most likely a one-of-a-kind.
• At first glance you appear to be wearing a dress but it does actually have a jumpsuit underneath all of those layers of lace ruffles.
• Everything falls from one shoulder which leaves the other shoulder bare. 
• The bust is cut to skim over you to the waist that is defined by a brown silk bow belt that wraps around and hooks into place hidden underneath the bow.
• Wrapping around the bodice is the first lace ruffle that is cut so it is slightly longer on the side of the shoulder.
• Under the waist there are three layers of lace that run down the length of the jumpsuit. A 17" panel wraps all the way around the hip area and then there are two more layers of lace on each leg. They are also very wide. When they are laid out flat they are more than a full circle around.
  
• The jumpsuit underneath has a simple cut that skims over you, comes in at the waist, and then curves out and over the hips. The pant legs are straight and wide with just the slightest of narrowing by the end of each leg.
  
• The full inner body of the jumpsuit underneath the lace panels are is covered in a black lace. 
• The lace added to the jumpsuit gives it amazing movement when you move.
• The jumpsuit is full lined in a black silk and closes with a side zipper. The panel of lace on the bodice and the top panel below the waist both snap over the zipper to close. The belt wraps and closes with both hook and snaps. Hand finished throughout.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition
  

Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15.5" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 58" from top of shoulder to hem
Inseam: 27"
Torso: 32" from top of shoulder to inner seam

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5378

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 came as part of a buy I did many years ago and is from the same source as the gold velvet labelled set sold previously on the site.
• It was made under the creative direction of Antonio del Castillo.
• When Jeanne Lanvin died in 1946 her daughter took over the business and ran it herself for a couple of years before hiring Antonio del Castillo in 1950. During his time as head designer for the house, the labels bear the name Lanvin-Castillo. He departed in 1962 which gives us a neat little window of time that he worked within. 
• This is a two piece set consisting of a sleeveless top and its matching skirt.
• Both pieces are made out of a waffle weave fabric that feels like a cotton or cotton silk mix done in a coral pink. The pink is a touch more pastel than how it photoed here.
• The top is sleeveless with wide straps that curve up and over each shoulder. They are set so that it sits towards the edges of the shoulders creating a wide scoop across the front neck line. A deeper scoop sits above the zipper at the back.
• The shape of the top is created through vertical darts that run from the base of the top up. I love that you can clearly see the workmanship on the inside. The bottom edge of the top is left raw with hand stitching all the way around to keep it from fraying and the back zipper extends past the bottom hem. This is all done in the traditional manner of a Couture piece from this time period.
• The top is meant to be tucked into the skirt to give the feel of a dress while still having the versatility of it being two pieces that you can mix and match with other things that you already own
• The skirt is fantastic. The band around the waist is elaborately finished with gold beads and metal thread embroidery. This crosses over itself at the front and extends down to give the illusion of a bow that is attached and stays perfectly in place. All of the work is completely  done by hand.
• The skirt under that has a large flat pleat at the front to give it extra volume and it swings out to be extremely wide around you. It is wide enough that if you wanted to get a full 1950s feel you could add a light crinoline underneath for extra added volume.
• This is an incredible example of 1950s Couture and pieces like this are extremely hard to find anymore. Especially in a colour like this.
• The top and skirt are both handmade throughout. An inner waist stay hooks to close. The top closes with a back zipper that extends past the hem. The skirt closes with a side painted metal zipper and hook and eye at the waist. It is  partially lined in a white muslin. I see some minor marks on the inside lining of the skirt, stress on one seam and two minor marks on the top. Both pieces have a slight patina to them just because of the nature of the fabric and natural aging. The hem of the skirt is extremely deep. The hand work throughout is extraordinary. Perhaps an occasional missing bead around the skirt band.
• There is no size tag present because it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent overall condition with minor notes above

Top
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 18.5" from top of shoulder to hem

Skirt:
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 26" from waist to hem with 4.5" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5340

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 skirt dates to the 1960s and is from Scassi's main label
• It was made under the creative direction of Arnold Scaasi
• Scaasi was born Arnold Isaacs in Montreal and the name Scassi is simply his own surname in reverse. He apprenticed at the house of Paquin and then worked with the legendary Charles James. In 1964 he opened own couture salon. He dressed Hollywood stars like Lauren Bacall, Diahann Carroll and Elizabeth Taylor along with  several first ladies. He even once bragged that he refused to give Jackie Kennedy clothes for free. He was the man behind the scandalous 1969 Barbra Streisand sheer trouser outfit that she collected her Oscar in, and he was presented with the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. In 2010, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, who hold the bulk of his archives, launched an exhibit of his work titled "Arnold Scaasi: American Couturier"
• Pieces from his main label were made to order and done to demi and couture standards. 
• There are certain pieces that you come across that seem to go beyond just a piece of clothing and start to belong to the category of being a piece of art. This skirt qualifies. It is one of the most unusual and exceptional pieces I have seen.
• It is almost camp in feel and yet it has an incredible craftsmanship at the same time.
• It is made from looped tufts of wool in a pink, coral, deep burgundy and pale purple, that are independently attach by embroidery to a silk ribbon background. That silk ribbon is then sewed together and stacked row by row with a tiny gap left between each row. This creates this amazing sub-texture underneath the yarn.
• The yarn detailing is set horizontally and they puff out from the skirt so that it has a 3D feel.
• At the waist is a wide red grosgrain ribbon that sits in a bow at one side.
• Under the nipped in waist the skirt falls on an angle to widen out quite a bit by the time it reaches the hem. It somehow manages to stay both soft and feel structured at the same time.
• It is not unwieldy to wear but it does have the feel of substance. 
• Inside it is hand lined in a fine red silk.
• Fully lined by hand in a fine red silk and closes at the back with a zipper and then hook and eye at the banded waist. All the work is done by hand and all of the yarn has been done by hand and applied to the silk ribbon behind it.
• There was no size tag present so please go by the measurements listed below
• Excellent condition 
  

Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 36" from waist to front hem, 38" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5267

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.