Prettiest 1970s Alfred Bosand Black & White Lace Tiered Off Shoulder Full Length Dress

This is a lovely dress that has a very romantic feel with its use of lace and tiers. Alfred Bosand was an American Couturier and is often overlooked in my opinion. He was really one of the great American designers whose clothes where made to couture levels with lots of hand finishes and detailing to them. Bosand started his career after World War II by attending the Fashion Academy, New York City. He then worked with several designers before launching his own label. By the time he returned in 1986 he was one of New York's last privately owned couture designers with his own label. His work is of very high quality.

This dress is one of those pieces that once on the body it literally seems to transform into the stuff fairy tales are made of. The dress is made out of lace that has little floral medallions worked through the design. This top lace layer sits over an inner silk layer of white under the bodice and black under the skirt. I love the contrast between the black skirt and the white top. It gives it a bold feel that offsets the romantic quality of the lace. The top portion of the dress is amazing and really more of a cape with a top built in underneath. Two full tiers of lace overlap each other to fall from the neckline. The lace is set so that it hangs from the edge of the top of the neckline and the top of the sleeves so it simply looks like a caped effect that wraps around the body and arms. Elastic sits around the edge of where you put your arms through so the lace sits off shoulder and then simply falls from there. The waist is seamed and here the lace changes from white to black. There is a wide silk satin ribbon that details the waist and covers the transition of the colour. The skirt then cascades from there to the floor, widening out gently as it nears the hem. The skirt has three tiers of black lace that all cascade and overlap each other. Each layer is very full and is finished at its individual hem with a stiffened inner tap so that it has some structure and doesn't just lie limp. The back is slightly linger then the front so you get a beautiful sweeping line. It is very beautiful in person and even better on an actual body. Excellent condition

Fully lined in white through the bodice and black through the skirt. It closes with a back painted metal zipper and has elastic at the top of each shoulder. Hand finished throughout. There is the teeniest feel of grubbiness/yellowing to the edges of top of and into the inner bodice that you don't see when on.  

Shoulders: no true shoulder
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 22" on the inner lining flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 14" from shoulder to waist
Skirt: 46" from waist to front hem, 48" tp the back hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD3633

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