• This dress is from the 1960s Oscar de la Renta boutique label
• It was made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta.
• The Oscar de La Renta boutique label first appeared in 1967. His boutique label is important as it is know for being the first ready-to-wear line for a Seventh Avenue designer to be launched. These early pieces have lots of hand finishes and are just stunning examples of his work during these early days of his career.
• The dress is made out of a deep blue silk organza that has a touch of transparency. The fabric has a slight texture to it and it has an almost crisp feel. It is printed and has a metallic gold thread added to the fabric. 
• The organza is shot through with gold thread on specific parts of the dress to highlight the design. Oscar loved this technique during this time period and you see this often in his work from this era.
• Just enough gold has been added to let the fabric shimmer softly as the light catches it from every angle.
• The top neckline of the dress has been finished with a wide ruffle of the same fabric. There is a band of the silk between the ruffle and the shoulder, so that you can wear the dress on top of the shoulder and have the ruffle frame your face. However, you can also wear it completely off of the shoulder to leave the shoulders completely bare. I love that the way it is designed gives you that versatility.
• The sleeves are kept simple and have been left semi-sheer with no lining so that you really get a sense of that incredible pattern.
• Under that extravagant ruffle around the neckline the bodice skims down to the seamed waist.
• The dress comes with its original wide sash made out of a double layer of the same fabric. This allows you to cinch in the waist as much as you wish.
• The skirt billows out from the waist and widens out as it falls perfectly to the floor. I love the fullness through the skirt.
• The dress is fully lined in a blue silk and closes with a combination of a back zipper and snaps. The sash belt is original to the dress. It appears to have been worn very little if at.
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition
  

Sleeves: 22" and are just under 12" around the upper arm. 
Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 14.5" from top of the shoulder to waist
Total length: 51" from top of the shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5670

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 label in the dress dates it to the 1970s.
• It was made under the creative direction of Ronald Amey.
• In the 1960s and seventies if you wanted to wear something with a dramatic flare then you chose the work of Ronald Amey.
• He was known for his original use of fabrics and colours and his dresses were priced in the thousands even back then. 
• His career was very short-lived. From 1959-1969 he designed under the label Burke-Amey. Joseph Burke, his partner, took care of the business side of things. In 1970s he bought out Burke and renamed the company Ronald Amey where he continued to produce his dramatic clothing until the label closed in 1976. This gives us a very precise window for the date of this dress.
• His clothing was high in quality and he incorporated many couture level details into their construction. All of his pieces were sewn in-house at his New York atelier and I consider them to be demi-couture level.
• One of his signatures was to combine prints, fabrics and detailed embellishments in interesting, unusual ways and this dress is a wonderful example of that. This is an absolutely beautiful dress and I think that in person it is even better.
• The neckline is high and the cut velvet detailing on it runs wide across the tops of the shoulders and down into the bodice in the fantastic pattern you see. The bodice is cut to curve and skim over the body and then it comes in at the waist with a more generous feel.
• The shoulders are soft and the sleeves extend out from the top of the shoulder. Each sleeve is cut to be full above the cuffs. The cuffs are finished in that same cut velvet used on the bodice and I love the iridescent facetted round buttons that define each cuff.
• From under the seam of the bodice the skirt falls to the floor. It is gathered in around the waist and then widens out as it near the hem.
• The mix of fabrics on the dress is spectacular. The cut velvet mixes an earthy mustard on a brown silk chiffon base. All of the edges where that is used are finished with a gold metal braiding. Under that on the bodice is a floral silk chiffon with pops of turquoise and purple.
• The skirt is made out of a heavier silk that has a gorgeous abstract floral print. The fabric has painted silver and gold parts to highlight the print and you can feel the paint sitting on top of the fabric.
• The very bottom of the hem is edged in a printed black band. Under that on the inner hem is another band of printed colour. You may be able to let that band down if you wanted more length and for that to show. Even if kept turned under it is an incredible and unexpected flash of colour when you move or sit.
• It is a phenomenal dress that showcases how beautifully patterns can be mixed. He was a genius at this and known for his mixing of unexpected prints and patterns and fabrics.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk throughout including the sleeves. It is entirely hand finished and closes with a back zipper. Each cuff has three dome buttons and hand made silk loops. The dress appears to have been worn very little if at all. The dress is even better in person. 
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: approximately 24" and they are 14.5" around the upper arm
Shoulders: no defined seam
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 12" from neck to waist
Total length: 58.5" from neck to hem and the hem under 4" wide

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5669

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 gorgeous Christian Dior dress that dates to the 1970s.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan
• It is a wonderful example of the work being done during this time period and shows how well the label could be when it delved into a more minimal cut combined with that full out glamour.
• The dress has classic feel of the best of Old Hollywood and the closer you get to it the more you see the incredible and elaborate amount of detail that has been put into it.
• The dress is made from a soft grey silk chiffon with a curving pattern worked over it made from matte silver sequins. 
• The silver sequins are set in pretty curves that create individual little designs, and then these are set by side-by-side over the entire dress. It gives it a slight Art Deco feel.
• The top sequined layer sits over an inner pale baby blue lining. This tiny little shot of colour underneath creates a pretty overall colour to the dress. It is very clever.
• The dress is suspended from two silk chiffon straps that curve over each shoulder. The front neckline dips into a slight V and the back is a simple scoop.
• The front is a more halter and then the dress falls from there. It is cut to skim over the body from bust to hips with no seaming to break the design of the sequins.
• The shape of the dress is created by vertical seaming. The skirt widens out a touch as it nears the hem.
  
• The sequins appear to have been applied by hand and catch the light from every angle.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a baby blue synthetic fabric. It closes with a back zipper. I see some small repairs around the hem. The dress came to me hemmed up and I decided to let it down to its full original length even though this disclosed some of the repairs around the hem. I see a slight bit of darkening around the edges of the bottom, near the zipper and on the straps. There is a tiny bit of fraying on the top of the straps. Please see the pics after the label show.
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 57" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5668

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 gorgeous dress is a true couture piece from the Fall 1970 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan.
• The book Dior:Catwalk noted that the Vogue proclaimed that "Any woman anywhere on earth would want to own these total feminine clothes"
• In the few photos that survive of pieces from this collection, it is interesting to note that he showed most of these shift dresses under capes, which would be a lovely combination even now.
• This dress would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris atelier. 
• The dress is made out of a jet black silk velvet that is extremely soft to the touch and has beautiful drape.
• I love the nod to classic minimalism that the dress displays.
• Straps in a matching black velvet curve up and over your shoulders and then the front and back have just the most gentle bit of a scoop across. Just enough to take away the harshness a straight line would have.
• It skims over the bust and is cut more generously over the waist so that it falls in a perfect shift or column feel around you. If you wanted to add more shape you could easily add a belt or corded rope tie.
• It flares slightly out over the hips and then the skirt falls from there widening out as it near the hem.
• The dress closes down one side with glossy black buttons and I love the deliberate contrast in texture that it has against the black velvet. That pop of shine of the high gloss of the buttons is the perfect subtle detail against the inky texture of the velvet.
• The buttons close the dress down one side to just past the hip and then the rest of that seam is completely open all the way to the hem. When you walk, move, or sit, you get a flash of bare leg all the way up that one side. It is almost startling to have that flash of bare skin against the column of black and I love this play between elegance and sexiness.
• It is a dress that appears to be so simple in shape but every seam and line of the dress was purposefully and masterfully executed and planned.
• This is an extraordinary example of his work during this time period and it is an absolutely stunning dress.
• The dress is fully lined in a matching hand set black silk and closes at the side with the row of buttons. All of the work is done by hand to Couture standards and it has its appropriately dated couture tag present. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• There is no size tag present because it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 57" from top of shoulder to hem and the slit is 29" from the hem up to the last button.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5655

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 dress is from the Fall 1979 Haute Couture Yves Saint Laurent collection.
• It was made under the creative direction Yves Saint Laurent.
• The 1979 collection was an a homage to Picasso and Diaghilev. Yves had been to an exhibit on Picasso costume and set designs for Diaghilev's ballet Russes. At the time he told French Vogue that he had been on a different path entirely for the collection but then he saw the exhibition and "my collection took on the structure of a ballet. I embroidered on Picasso, on a slightly soft cubism, on harlequin, the Blue Period, the Pink. It's best when in inspiration comes! You no longer have any doubt, you get on with it, you feel an immense joy!"
• You can see that inspiration of the harlequin especially on the pattern of this dress. We found several runway examples where he used the same pattern and added those here. It was a significant part of the collection.
• In the YSL folio that contains all the drawings from the collection, I saw that he had to use this particular print in several colours; a golden brown, a red, a white and black, and this magnificent blue. I have also included a sketch of the dress that is closest to this particular piece. Based on the drawings in my folio, it seems that this is most likely a one off done in collaboration with the client's request.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• It is made out of a beautiful fine silk that has a secondary pattern within the weave in the same blue and then it is printed with that black design leaving the blue to show between. The silk is of the highest possible grade.
• You can see the very beginnings of the classic Yves Saint Laurent sack dress to come in the cut and silhouette in this dress. These sack dresses played on volume and cut. As the years went by they got bigger and looser through the middle. This one is still on the edge of being a more loose-waist A-line. 
• The collar is banded in the same silk and the silk is gathered in around it for a little added detail. The shoulders are soft and the upper portion of the sleeve is wider and set in a slight cap on the top of the shoulder. This narrows down to a cuffed wrist that ends in a ruffle made of the same silk.
• The cut through the body is loose and easy and it is almost tubular in feel with just the slightest bit of narrowing as it nears the hem. 
• I love how this makes it easy to wear and that it gives you the option of wearing it loose or adding a belt to cinch it in and add shape around the waist.
• I have shot it both of those ways with an added black rope belt. The belt is not original to the dress but will be included.
• The perfect finishing touch is the little slits on either side of the skirt. These allow for movement when you move and gives you ease of walking plus a little bit of extra leg to show.
• This is a superb piece of Couture and is an early example of his work.
• The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear with a single button at the back of the neck above a keyhole. Each cuff buttons to close. It is entirely made by hand. The appropriate Haute Couture label is present.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23.5" they are 15" around the upper arm. The neck is 13" around. The cuffs are 6" around where the button is presently but could be opened and the button moved to get 7".
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36.5" from neck to hem. Each side slit is 9" from the hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5644

Reference Photos: Fall 1979 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.

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.