In 1951, 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. By 1958 he was producing clothing that could range in price from $200 to $3000, an astronomical price for ready-to-wear for that time period. His ready-to-wear line was made close to couture standards and with a level of craftsmanship that was on par with the French couturiers. Galanos was a master cutter and draper and he used many couture techniques in his work. Grace Kelly was an early fan. He was truly one of the great American designers and his work is held in all of the major museums around the world. He is one of my personal favourites. This dress is exceptional and I was very excited to have it come into the shop. It would be red carpet worthy and it would also be an amazing wedding dress for the bride looking for a non-traditional choice or as an alternative dress in a more extended wedding celebration. It already has the something blue built in. And of course it could also be worn to any non wedding event too. 

I love this dress. The color combination is fabulous together and the two different silks that he used are the highest quality. Galanos excelled at silks and silk chiffon and this dress is a testament to that. It is very difficult to work with these fabrics and have them sit properly. The skirt is really where you see his genius. It is made out of four layers of an ivory silk chiffon with each layer stacked perfectly over the one beneath it. Then on top of those is a fifth printed floral layer. This final outer layer has a touch of texture to it that makes it incredibly beautiful. The layers are attached at the side seams and around the waist so that the hem and shallow slits at the sides can benefit from the full movement created by all the layers. This is what gives the dress movement when you move while still keeping it light as air. Along each side of the skirt is a panel of a liquid finish silk satin. This is a clever way to help the skirt hold its shape and give it weight so that when you move it always sits right. The side panels are actually extensions that run down from the bodice. The top is a simple affair that covers you at the front and leaves the back completely bare. It is gathered in soft horizontal folds across the bust and then those gathers tighten and curve down low at each side. Instead of wrapping around you to the back they drop and extend into those side skirt panels that you see. It is incredible. Tiny straps curve up and over your shoulders and then drop all the way down your back to the waist to hold the dress in place. The inside of the bodice is lightly boned and then lined with what feels like several layers of silk and structure so that you can wear it with nothing underneath. To finish the look he then added this spectacular and huge flower print on both the front and back of the skirt. This bold blue flower covers almost the entire skirt and makes sch a beautiful statement. It is like wearing a piece of art. It would also have had to have been all planned out prior to construction and the silk used for it done separately so that the flowers fell in the exact right position. As with most silk chiffon pieces it really will only truly come to life when on an actually body. It is beautifully made and feather light. Gorgeous. Excellent condition with a small note below.

The multiple layers of silk in the skirt serve as the lining. It closes with a low back hand set zipper. Hand rolled edges and hand finishes throughout. Light boning through the bodice. There is the very faint mark on the side panel of the skirt and some small ones near the hem of the inner lining. Please see the last two photos after the label shot. Slightly more ivory in person then how it photoed.

Bust: the total width of the bust across is about 16" and there is no back
Waist: 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 14" from the top of the strap to the waist
Skirt: 42.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD4064

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

Galanos was known as the designer that could rival the French in terms of construction and design. He launched his atelier in 1951 and although his atelier was never formally designated as Haute Couture by the French, he certainly produced clothing that met the parameters of couture and he is often referred to  as one of the great American couturiers. This set was custom made, and my client acquired it from the estate of 1950s model Betsy Pickering Kaiser. Betsy appeared on several Vogue covers in the 1950s and it was during that time period time period that she met Galanos. They were friends for over 60 years. She collected and wore Galanos pieces her entire life and was his friend and muse. He once told her husband ‘I would rather have Betsy wear my clothes than any other woman’. She was a constant presence on the International Best Dressed List and and was added to the Best Dressed Hall of Fame in the early 1970s. It is a wonderful thing to have such a beautiful piece of her history in the shop 

Betsy was a model and was tall and this set reflects that. It is cut to supermodel lengths and is beautiful. It is made of a beautifully printed, light weight silk chiffon that is combined with a metallic red lace. The entire thing weighs ounces and you will be delightfully shocked at how light it is in person. The silk has a washed water colour print with huge abstract flowers covering the entire surface of the silk. The pants are made of two layers of silk and weigh mere ounces. They are cut long and wide with an elastic waist that makes them easy to wear. Over that is a top piece that layers over the pants. The skirt part of this top piece is also made of two layers of silk chiffon. The silk falls from under the lace bodice to layer over the pants. Each side is slit open right up to the lace top. This gives it lots of movement and creates a light floating effect when you walk as the silk moves over the pants underneath. The bodice is made of two joined panels of red lace connected along each side. He placed them together in a way that leaves the sides in a low plunge to leave bare skin showing. This gives you barely there coverage and is very sexy. The lace has a metallic finish and is very fine and very light. I love how it is layered over a nude inner silk lining so that from a distance you look like you are wearing nothing underneath it. This entire top layer is suspended by four tiny silk straps that curve over the shoulders. The contrast between the silk and the metallic lace and the boldness of the colors is wonderful. Excellent condition

The pants are made of two layers of silk chiffon and close with a back painted zipper. They have elastic at the waist. The over dress is lined with a nude silk chiffon through the bodice and the skirt is constructed from two layers of the silk chiffon. The overlay closes on one side with hidden fabric covered snaps. There are a couple of very minor repairs and light snags near the hem of the overlay. This is a one-off, unlabelled custom piece made for Betsy and came from her estate. 

Over dress
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 62" from shoulder to hem

Pants
Elastic waist: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Pant: 45" from waist to hem
Inseam: 32" from inner seam to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD2278

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

James Galanos was just 27 years old when he launched his first label called Galanos Originals in 1951. By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award. By 1958 he was producing clothing that could range in price from $200 to $3000, an astronomical price for ready-to-wear for that time period. when you convert that to modern dollars and realize that it would be just under 30k for his upper range pieces. Part of the reason for those high price tags was that his ready-to-wear was made to couture standards. The workmanship and craft put into them were made to a level that was on par with the official French couturiers. Galanos was a master cutter and draper. Grace Kelly was an early fan and other couturiers looked to his work as inspiration. His work is held in all of the major museums around the world and he is one of my personal favourite designers. 

This particular dress reminds me of the pink colour blocked one that was worn so famously by Gloria Vanderbilt. It has that same feel created by his use of different panels of colour through the skirt. This is a technique that he used on several occasions and in several fabrics. The Vanderbilt dress for example was a silk chiffon and I have seen a darker, more column cut version in a silk jersey. This one is made from a silk taffeta and that choice of fabric keeps the dress extremely light while allowing it to have that wonderful volume that you see. The dress is extraordinary and is a testament to the couture construction techniques that he utilized in his work. The bodice is fitted with a slight sweetheart feel to the neckline. It is suspended by two tiny silk straps. The top port of the dress is lined in a silk but has no inner boning. It is meant to skim and hug the body underneath rather then to force a shape. The waist nips in and the skirt is set to feel very full with multiple soft gathers around the waist to create the fullness that you see. The skirt is made of four panels of silk taffeta, at the front here is a green on one side and a chocolate colour panel on the other. At the back both panels are the same blue as the bodice. All of the edges are finished with a gold cord that has been hand applied stitch by stitch. At the front the skirt is split quite high so that when you walk or sit you get an very unexpected flash of bare leg. The silk taffeta is so light that when you walk the skirt has a billowing effect behind you that it just magical. There are no extra underskirts added for these shots. All the volume of the skirt that you see has been created by the cut and the fabric alone. Around the waist the fabric from the silk has been gathered and held in place by more of that gold cording and then the edges of the fabric is set in an elaborate series of ruffles above that. This creates the prettiest ruffled finish that wraps all the way around you, cinches you in, and adds a pretty touch of romance. The work is all hand finished and all the inner seams have a beautiful ribbon finish. This is truly a stunning dress. Excellent condition  

Unlined and closes with a back zipper. Ribbon edge interior seams. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. 

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 17" from top of shoulder to waist seam
Skirt: 42" from waist to hem
Front slit: 26" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD3736

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 an incredible Haute Couture dress that came to me from the niece of the original couture client and is unlabeled. In our hunt for more information on it we found the runway photos from the 1979 Yves Saint Laurent dress and you instantly see that it is its twin in all ways except for the length. It is always the prerogative of the couture client to change some elements of the dress to suit their needs and in this case, this woman attended many functions where a full length dress was required. She frequented the Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Ungaro ateliers. She often removed the labels to avoid customs and it is fantastic to be able to verify which designer and collection this one is from as many of the records she kept were lost. The dress is completely made by hand to Haute Couture standards and it is incredible. I love having the runway photos so that you can see just how amazing it is in the body.

The dress is made from a crisp black silk and this fabric choice allows it to hold those beautiful lines that you see. It's beautiful shape is a testament to the level of workmanship that you only see in true couture pieces. At the front the neckline dips into a V and the dress is vertically seamed to follow the curves of the body. The sleeves are amazing. Each is cut on a curve to follow the shape of the arm in the traditional manner of making a sleeve. They are set into the shoulders with a beautiful series of soft pleats so that you get a bit of volume at the shoulder. They puff out slightly around the upper arm and then narrow down at their ends. At the back the dress scoops low to give you a bare expanse of skin. The back has a low set seam under the open scoop and this allows the top of the back skirt to lift slightly off and away from the body. A tiny detail that feels very sensual on the body. That same seam curves around the hips and angles up towards the waist at the front and then the skirt at the front is cut on a stunning curve that widens out as it reaches the hem. The back is fuller and it also falls a touch longer to give it the feel of it sweeping out behind you. Built in underneath the skirt is a ruffled black silk net underskirt and when you move or sit you see just a peek of the ruffle around the inner hem. Built inside the top of the inner skirt are layers of silk net that help to hold the fullness around the hips. The dress is detailed with hand applied sequins to form little varying sized circles that run over the entire bodice, the waist and the top part of the skirt. Two types of sequins have been used, tiny silver sequins one and others that are an iridescent pale blue. The blue ones catch the light and range in colour from silver to an ice blue. It is incredible. Mixed into that are some circles that are made from little glass crystal beads. All are hand applied and the entire dress is completely hand made to couture standards. I have taken some detail shots of the interior seams for you to see the fine Haute Couture workmanship inside. It is an incredible piece and just beautifully made. Excellent condition with a small note below

The bodice is unlined and the skirt is fully lined with a built in underskirt in a black silk net and taffeta. Built in panniers around the hip area that I have photoed. It closes with a hand set back zipper and the skirt snaps into place with silk covered snaps over that. Hidden set zippers at each wrist. Hand finished throughout. There is the occasional sequin or crystal missing on the dots here and there and I have photoed one area for you to see as an example. Please see the last detail photo for that. Unlabeled. Made to Haute Couture standards with a tremendous amount of detail put into its construction.

Sleeves: 24"
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Length: 58" from top of shoulder to front hem, 60" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3677

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 am always on the look out for this style of dress by Halston. It is perhaps the most iconic of all of the Halston silhouettes and in 2016 a red version of this dress entered modern day fashion history when Kate Moss wore its twin on the red carpet at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. We have had Martha Hunt wear a white one version that she sourced from us to Cannes. She landed on several Best Dressed lists as a result. These were made in a variety of colours and this one is a gorgeous deep teal colour that I have not had before.

Halston was a master at this cut. There is a certain sexiness caused by the illusion of having the entire dress suspended by one shoulder. It gives the sense that the entire dress could drop in a puddle around you. It is constructed from two attached layers. The inner dress skims over the body in a long sheath. The inner part of the dress has a high slit that travels up the side of the leg opposite to the draped side. So when you walk or sit you get a flash of leg. Attached to that inner sheath lies a draped panel of the same nylon jersey that is suspended from the shoulder. This falls from that shoulder and drapes down and over the front and the back of the dress so that the jersey cascades loosely down and over the inner layer for the ultimate Grecian goddess feel. This is a classic dress by Halston that is perfect for traveling as it is wash and wear and so easy to style. A quick change of shoe takes it day to night in a snap. It looks to have been worn very little if at all. I love the teal of it. It is just so pretty. Excellent condition

The dress slips on to wear with no closures. These will fit a variety of sizes since they are not cut to be super fitted and the jersey does have some stretch.

Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hip: to 23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 56" from top ff shoulder to longest point of hem
Slit: 26" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD4421

Reference Photo: (1-2) Kate Moss in Vintage Halston at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.  /  (3) Karen Bjornsen, Alva Chinn, Connie Cook and Pat Cleveland in Halston Dresses, photographed by by Harry Benson, 1978. / (4) Martha Hunt wearing this dress in Cannes, 2019.  /  (5) Martha Hunt on Harper's Bazaar Australia Best Dressed List. /  (6-7) 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.

James Galanos was known as the designer that could rival the French in terms of construction and design. He launched his atelier in 1951 and though he was never a designer that was formally acknowledged as being a true Haute Couturier, he certainly produced clothing that had all of the hallmarks that define couture. This attention to detail and cut gave him the status as being known as one of the 'American Couturiers'. This is a gorgeous little dress that you can wear a couple of different ways which makes it a little extra versatile.

This dress is gorgeous. It closes at the top of the neck with a single hook and then wraps and hooks into place around the waist and that it is. It feels so sensual once on because of this. The fabric is almost weightless and this feeling of it just being hooked and wrapped around you is very sensual. very unusual and I had a hard time deciding how to best have it sit on the dress form. It sits beautifully when worn as a one shoulder dress but you can also turn it around a bit and wear it as more of a halter with the back left more bare and open. I love that it has this little bit of extra versatility. It is made of an incredible five layers of silk chiffon. The top layer is printed with a gorgeous floral print done in greens, corals and deep yellows. Under that top layer are four more layers made out of a solid green silk chiffon. All of the edges are hand rolled. These added layers keep the dress from being too transparent when on. At the same time the silk chiffon is of such a high quality that the dress is as a feather. The neckline is finished with a ruffle of the chiffon layers for pretty detail and a touch of romance. The skirt wraps over itself and where it overlaps there is a slit that only shows when you walk or sit. I added a green velvet ribbon around the waist which I will include to show you how pretty it is with something to cinch in the waist a bit. It is gorgeous. Excellent condition

Fully lined in the four layers of green silk as described above. Hand finished throughout. It wraps and hooks to close. Elastic through the edge of the halter top. Inner tag that defies the front. Teeny bit if fading along an edge here and there but otherwise looks unworn 

Bust: variable because of the wrap
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam and you could adjust the inner hooks up or down as needed
Hips: variable because of the wrap
Bust: approx 18" from shoulder to waist but meant to drape a bit
Skirt: 45" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD3398

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

John has dived into his archives once more for me and today I have two more of the dresses he sent for you with one last one to come still. This is a runway piece from the early seventies just after he launched his label. Like the ivory coloured one already in the shop, the bead work on the dress was done by hand by Madame Gandini, who did beading for many of the Couture houses of the day. John is one of my favorite American designers and right out of the gate he won the Coty Award for his work. The first time in 1972 and then again in 1976. He designed clothes that were simple and elegant but glamorous. His work veers towards minimalism with sharp tailoring. Striking evening wear was his signature and he is renowned for his cutting and tailoring. It is an extraordinary privilege to have pieces directly from his archives and these are things you will never see again.

John's business was all done on a made to order basis. That means the majority of pieces you will find are a one-off, or if there are similar pieces, very few of each piece exist. This personal attention to each dress is clearly seen in the workmanship of his pieces. His work is very expensive and beaded pieces like this sold for over $10,000 even in the 1970s. If you convert that to modern dollars you get to about $68,000 which is incredibly still less then a modern couture pieces done to this level would be. Having this actual runway samples that John pulled from his own archives to share with you is just amazing.

This is an amazing dress that is heavily and densely beaded. The base of the gown is made of an black silk chiffon and then onto that are thousands of vertical rows of glossy black glass tube beads laid out in to fully cover every square inch of the dress. The dress is already spectacular on its own and the addition of the thousands and thousands of glass tube beads give the dress an extra layer of texture and glamour. Every square inch of the dress catches the light and sparkles. As a result the dress is fairly heavy off the body. We weighed it and it is almost 10 pounds because of that extensive bead-work. Yet once on the body it perfectly drapes over you in a way that it is balanced and not at all unwieldy. The impact of all those beads from head to toe is stunning in the light. If you even remotely love it in the photos you will gasp to see it in real life. This needs a body to give it a life of its own and the camera cannot capture just how gorgeous it is and how the beads catch the light. The cut is sublimely simple. The bodice has a high collar and the bead work there is done in a slightly different pattern  so that it has just a bit of added detailing. The rest of the dress falls from there in a beautiful column of beads to skim over you all the way to the floor. There is just a suggestion of the waist and it skims over the hips. The sleeves are long and equally as simply. They have that same slightly different bead work to give them a cuffed detail that is perfect. The back is just one long column of the bead work. The skirt widens out just a touch as it nears the hem and there is an extremely high slit up the back. You don't get as much sense of it in these photos but once on the body this really adds a high flash of bare leg as you walk away. It is insanely sexy. As good as it photoed, the effect that this dress has once it is on an actual body is far more dramatic and fabulous. If you even remotely love it in the photos you will dance when you see it in person as it is so much better in real life. It is completely made by hand and you would never be able to find its modern equivalent. It is stunning. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silk chiffon and it closes at the back with a metal and nylon zipper. Hand finished throughout. As noted above it has a good weight to it since it is fully beaded from top to bottom with glass beads but feels balanced when on and comfortable. There is perhaps the occasional bead missing here and there but no bare areas. Numbered sample tag on the inner hem.

Sleeves: 22" and 10" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 14"
Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 59" from neck to hem
Back Slit: 30.5" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-SML

Item# DD4404

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

Jean Louis is the designer who created that dress that Marilyn Monroe was sewn into when she sang Happy Birthday to  President John F Kennedy. Louis worked in the movies heading the costume department at Columbia Pictures before starting his own label in 1961. Once he began designing under his own label he concentrated on suits and evening wear and was known for his beautiful fabric choices. This caftan is the perfect example of his eye when it came to choosing fabrics. It is absolutely stunning.

This is an incredible caftan that makes a striking statement with its combination of that vivid pink silk with the gold and silver metallic thread that runs over its entire surface. The base is a ultra light silk organza has a slight iridescent quality to it and this has been layered over a fine tissue silk inner lining. Woven onto that is an over sized floral design done in gold and silver thread. This combination gives it the glamorous and exotic feel that the piece has and is is incredible to see in the light. The front has a thick braiding border that is made from a gold metal thread and pink cording. This is tightly braided and runs around the neckline and down to the hem. On the upper part where it opens one side extends out into loops and the other into little frog knots. The dress is full and easy through the body and the sleeves are cut to be extra wide. It is as light as a feather and it is just beyond. Overall great condition with notes to review below

Fully lined in a pink tissue silk and slips over the head to wear. Some point the hem was cut and not resewn. I have chosen to leave it this way so that you have every available inch and you can have it to your perfect length. There is some light fraying and the beginning of separation here in there along the edge of the sleeve. I see a bit of fraying and separation here and there along other seams and some small tearing to the fabric here and there. It is perfectly wearable as it is without doing a thing but these are pointed out for accuracy. The loose and easy cut should allow it to fit a variety of sizes.

Sleeves: approx 22" from natural shoulder
Shoulders: no true defined seam
Bust-hips: 28-29" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 54" from neck to unfinished hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: OSFA

Item# DD4392

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