christian lacroix

Spring 1988 Christian Lacroix Demi-Couture Runway Red Polkadot Dress w Detachable Sleeves

  • The twin of the dress walked the runway for the Spring 1988 collection.
  • It was made under the creative direction of Christian Lacroix
  • I love that the runway shots show just how phenomenal the dress is once on the body. It feels as relevant now as it did then.
  • Lacroix's Luxe label was only produced the very first couple of seasons after launching his label. It was a very high-end (very expensive) ready-to-wear line that was made to demi-couture standards. It was available primarily to his couture clients and a select few beyond that. It was the predecessor to his regular ready-to-wear collections. The label only lasted the first two seasons because some of the couture clients complained at how close the garments were to their Haute Couture pieces. Very few pieces were made so they are almost as rare as finding one of his Haute Couture pieces.
  • The dress is spectacular.It is made out of a cotton pique that has a gorgeous texture running through it. A white dot pattern pops off the red backdrop.
  • It is meant to be fitted to the body. The inner bodice is boned and shaped and I love the two black grosgrain bows that sit on the top of each peak. The back dips quite low to expose an expanse of bare skin. 
  • Black grosgrain straps have been tacked into place at some point. The dress was shown originally and produced as a strapless piece. It would be easy to tack the straps if you prefer it that way or just tuck them in so you can wear it either way.
  • It curves in at the waist and the inner underskirt is attached there and acts almost like a bit of a corset around the waist. 
  • The skirt has wide inverted flat pleats that open out to achieve the fullness that you see and this falls over an inner attached underskirt.
  • The underskirt underneath is what gives the dress its incredible volume. It is made out of a stiffened white net and all the volume that you see is from the underskirt. It has added built-in side panniers inside to add extra volume and hold the width of the skirt. The very lower edge is finished with a stiffened netting and then that is covered with a band of black lace that peeks out from under the edge of the skirt.
  • The best part about the dress is that it still has its original little removable 'sleeves'. Each is made out of the same red fabric and slips over your arm to sit high on the upper arm. They are lined with organza inside so once on the arm, they hold their gorgeous puffed shape. 
  • The dress is fully lined in a white silk through the bodice and has built in boning to hold it in place around you. The inner attached skirt hooks to close around the waist and the dress zips to close over that. Hand finishes throughout. I see a couple of extremely minor marks on the inner lining and a couple of the dots on the exterior have just slightly faintly yellowed. It is extremely minor but mentioned for accuracy. It otherwise appears to have been worn very little if at all.
  • There is no size tag so please go by the measurements listed below
  • Excellent condition

Sleeves: the openings are elastic. The larger opening is 12" around and will stretch to a mass of 18" around. The smaller opening is approximately 10" and will stretch to 18" around.
Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approximately 11" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 32" from from top of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD5781

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SIZE GUIDE

Please review all measurements carefully. More often than not, vintage garments do not fit any size category exactly. If in doubt, measure a garment of your own that fits and is a similar cut and compare it's measurements to the listed measurements below.

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