• A version with a pant walked the runway for the Spring 2000 Balmain Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta.
• In 1993 Oscar de la Renta took over as Creative Director at Balmain where he designed the Haute Couture collections until 2002. The house had been floundering at that point and he had a huge impact on the reviving the sales of the couture pieces, mainly by catering to private clients, much like Balmain had originally.
• It is extraordinary to think that Oscar never produced a Haute Couture line under his own label and these few short years at Balmain gives us a chance to see just how talented he really was at all levels.
• Both pieces would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The jacket especially is a dream and I feel like the photos do not fully convey how beautiful and elaborate it feels in real life.
• The fabric used on the jacket is outstanding. The base is a handmade woven yarn and silk mix. Onto that are designs made from natural twine cording that has been embellished with a tiny hand carved round pieces that appear to be mother of pearl.
• The added yarn circles and flowers sit slightly up and off the base and you can clearly see the hand work done to apply them to the base fabric.
• The tiny little circles that are mixed into the design seem at first glance to be sequins but when you take a closer look at them you can clearly see each one is an individually cut iridescent circle with a tiny hole drilled through their centres. They appear to be mother of pearl.
•  The skirt is made out a fabric that looks to be a handwoven silk linen mix. I love how it is cut in a simple silhouette so that the jacket shines.
  
• The jacket has no collar and the shoulders have some padding built in for some structure but still have a more soft feel.
• The sleeves fall from there and each ends with an elaborate addition of four handmade buttons that decorate, and hold closed, a slit set vertically along each cuff.
• The front buttons to close with six more of those same handmade buttons. Tiny faux pockets sit on either side of the button just above the flare that curves over the hips. Each pocket is detailed with its own design of corded circles that matches the borders of the jacket.
• The skirt has a simple long pencil silhouette with a slit at one side to allow ease of walking. It is a slightly paler shade then the jacket and has a very pretty woven texture running through it.
• The waist has no band. It simply curves out and over the hips and then falls in a fairly straight line to the hem.
• I love that this is two separate pieces so that you have the added versatility of being able to mix a match the jacket and skirt with existing things you already own.
• The jacket is fully lined in a very high end hand set silk and closes with hooks set behind the buttons at the front. The buttons on the cuffs are decorative. The skirt closes with a hidden set zipper and hook and eye behind the top of the zipper at the inner waist. All of the work is done completely by hand to couture standards. The proper Haute Couture tag is present inside the jacket. The set appears to have been worn very little if at all. 
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Jacket
Sleeves: 24" and they are just under 12" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom hem: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 21" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 40" from waist to hem and the slit is 12" from hem up.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5744

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 set is from the Spring 2000 Balmain collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta.
  
• The Spring 2001 show featured Spanish and Russian influences and you can see the impact of Oscar in the beautiful floral print that covers this set.
• This is the full set that includes the jacket, a long full length skirt and a little bandeau style top.
• All three pieces are made from a silk that has a floral pattern scattered over the surface and then each piece has been covered in iridescent clear sequins over the print.
• The skirt has a small band around the waist for definition. From there it curves over the hips before falling to the floor. It widens out slightly and there are high slits that run up both sides of the skirt. When you walk or move you get a flash of this unexpected bare skin on both sides. Pockets sit on each hip that are still lightly tacked shut.
• The top is cut like a bandeau and is suspended from the shoulders by tiny little bands of a piped ivory silk. There is a horizontal seam that runs just under the top edge of the top. This continues all the way around you and then it zippers with a hidden set zipper at one side. The bandeau is wide enough to cover the bust but still gives you a bare expanse of skin between it and the top of the skirt.
• Last is the most beautifully cut and tailored jacket. It has lightly padded shoulders and the sleeves are long. The collar is notched and it is cut so that it comes in at the waist for shape. There is a single hidden hook at the waist to hold it closed and then it curves back out over the hips. I love the two top set pockets on either hip.
• The silk that all three pieces are made from is light in weight and easy-to-wear. With the added iridescent sequins over the fabric the entire set catches the light from every angle. It is phenomenal.
• I love that the three pieces give you the versatility to wear together as a set or mix and match with existing pieces in your wardrobe.
• All three pieces are lined in an ivory silk. The skirt closes at the side with a hidden set zipper and has a hook and eye at the waist. The bandeau has a hidden set zipper at the side that opens from the bottom up leaving an inch of the top closed. If you need more room to get into it you could have the zipper switched for one that opens it completely. The jacket has a single hook at the waist to close and the shoulders are lightly padded. The front pockets are functional. I see a tiny bit of grubbiness on the edges of the inner arm of the jacket. 
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Jacket
Sleeves: 23"
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 25.5" from neck to hem

Bandeau
Top seam: to 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom seam: to 14.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 14" from top of shoulder to bottom hem and the bandeau itself is just under 6" wide at its widest point.

Skirt
Waist: 12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 44" from waist to hem with about 2" turned under the hem.
Slits: 20" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5588

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.

• The twin of this dress with a more pink base was presented as Look 5 for the Resort 2008 Prada collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Miuccia Prada.
• This was one of the most famous of all Miuccia's collections and the pieces sold out world-wide shortly after being released. Resort pieces are produced in more limited quantities making everything from this collection even more special. 
• Vogue's review of the show said that "The collection, full of colourful prints and polka dots, can only be described as pretty" and took special note of the one shoulder pieces.
• The runway version dress was also photoed for an editorial that season.
• It is made out of one of Prada's beautiful fabrics meant to mimic the silky rays of the 1940s. It was then printed with one of Miuccia's proprietary floral prints that she used for this collection. These florals were defining look for the season and they incorporated the word Prada in the print.
• The dress curves up and around the bust and over the shoulder. The shoulder is soft and extends down into a sleeve that ends just past the elbow. The sleeve has elastic around the bottom which lets it puff up above.
• The bodice is cut to skim over you and it is gathered in from the front and the back into the side of the waist opposite to a sleeve. She then added a swag very reminiscent of the 1940s runs down that same side. These nights to the 1940s are a common theme seen in her work.
• The angle the back is set on is cut slightly more dramatically then the front and the two angles give you a deep and unexpected plunge right to the waist.
• The skirt appears to wrap around you and falls to mid-calf depending on your height.
• Set at the base of the plunge is a panel that extends out to create that beautiful draping that you see running down that side to just past the hem. ore silk has been set in panels above that so that entire side has that incredible detailing.
• The floral print combines pinks with a brown that has a touch of pinky-purple undertone to it.
• One of my favourite details about this dress is that the inner hem has been finished with a 3" panel of the same pink that is in the print. You do not see the panel when you are standing still, but when you walk or move, you get a tiny flash of that unexpected colour.
• The dress is fully lined in black and closes at the side with a zipper and then the swag snaps to close over that. The end of the sleeve has elastic. I see a tiny catch on the shoulder and a small very faint watermark on the skirt that gets hidden in the folds. Please see the photo after the label shot.
• Tagged a vintage Prada 44
• Great condition with the minor note above.

Sleeve: 21.5" and it is 15" around the upper arm
Waist: to 14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 21.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Total length: 53" from top of shoulder to hem and the side panel extends another 2" past that at its longest point.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5745

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.

• A version with a pant walked the runway for the Spring 2000 Balmain Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta.
• In 1993 Oscar de la Renta took over as Creative Director at Balmain where he designed the Haute Couture collections until 2002. The house had been floundering at that point and he had a huge impact on the reviving the sales of the couture pieces, mainly by catering to private clients, much like Balmain had originally.
• It is extraordinary to think that Oscar never produced a Haute Couture line under his own label and these few short years at Balmain gives us a chance to see just how talented he really was at all levels.
• Both pieces would have been completely made by hand in the Paris atelier.
• The jacket especially is a dream and I feel like the photos do not fully convey how beautiful and elaborate it feels in real life.
• The fabric used on the jacket is outstanding. The base is a handmade woven yarn and silk mix. Onto that are designs made from natural twine cording that has been embellished with a tiny hand carved round pieces that appear to be mother of pearl.
• The added yarn circles and flowers sit slightly up and off the base and you can clearly see the hand work done to apply them to the base fabric.
• The tiny little circles that are mixed into the design seem at first glance to be sequins but when you take a closer look at them you can clearly see each one is an individually cut iridescent circle with a tiny hole drilled through their centres. They appear to be mother of pearl.
•  The skirt is made out a fabric that looks to be a handwoven silk linen mix. I love how it is cut in a simple silhouette so that the jacket shines.
  
• The jacket has no collar and the shoulders have some padding built in for some structure but still have a more soft feel.
• The sleeves fall from there and each ends with an elaborate addition of four handmade buttons that decorate, and hold closed, a slit set vertically along each cuff.
• The front buttons to close with six more of those same handmade buttons. Tiny faux pockets sit on either side of the button just above the flare that curves over the hips. Each pocket is detailed with its own design of corded circles that matches the borders of the jacket.
• The skirt has a simple long pencil silhouette with a slit at one side to allow ease of walking. It is a slightly paler shade then the jacket and has a very pretty woven texture running through it.
• The waist has no band. It simply curves out and over the hips and then falls in a fairly straight line to the hem.
• I love that this is two separate pieces so that you have the added versatility of being able to mix a match the jacket and skirt with existing things you already own.
• The jacket is fully lined in a very high end hand set silk and closes with hooks set behind the buttons at the front. The buttons on the cuffs are decorative. The skirt closes with a hidden set zipper and hook and eye behind the top of the zipper at the inner waist. All of the work is done completely by hand to couture standards. The proper Haute Couture tag is present inside the jacket. The set appears to have been worn very little if at all. 
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Jacket
Sleeves: 24" and they are just under 12" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bottom hem: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 21" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 17.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 40" from waist to hem and the slit is 12" from hem up.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5744

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 twin of this dress in a gold walked the runway for the Spring 2008 Oscar de la Renta collection as Look 64. 
• It was made under the creative direction of Oscar de la Renta.
• On the runway a version of this was shown in a gold and then for the shops they produced this red version with a chunkier embellishment around the collar area and down the front.
• The dress is made out of a linen like finished red silk and then the collar has had an extensive pattern of various beads, rhinestones and sequins added by hand. Some pieces are backed by leather and there is embroidery in the mix.
• The collar is spectacular. It is just under three inches wide and to create a bold band curving around your neck. At the front it runs down and over the silk to just about the waist giving the illusion of wearing a jewelled bib collar. At the back it splits into two straps that expand outward on an angle to meet the silk.
  
• I love how this leaves most of the upper back bare and exposed.
• The beads on the collar have a very organic feel and they mix what looks like wood and perhaps ceramic beads applied onto leather backings in some spots. Big chunky rhinestones and clear beads have been added, and there are bits of embroidery. It is really fantastic and you can clearly see hand work throughout.
• Under that the dress is cut on a slight curve at the neckline and then comes in at the waist. The shaping through the waist is all done by long vertical seams at the sides with no horizontal line to break the eye or the beaded pattern at the front.
• From there it curves back out over the hips with a slightly exaggerated shape and then it expands out again as it nears the hem.
• Extra fabric has been added at the back and around the sides of the lower skirt to give you extra fullness there and a bit of movement as you move. You can get an idea of how it moves with the reference video added.
• I love how dramatic the red version is. It is a fantastic example of his work during this time period.
• The dress is fully lined in a matching red silk and closes with a hidden set back zipper that is hidden along and offset side seam. The collar hooks to close at the top of the shoulder on one side.. The embellishments have been added by hand. I see some slight scuffing into the top layer of the fabric around the back hem. Please see the photos attached. It is minor but it is mentioned for accuracy.
• Tagged a modern ODLR 2
• Excellent condition
  

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 12.75" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 62" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5743

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 twin of this dress was shown for Look 52 for the Spring 2008 Versace collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Donatella Versace.
• This was part of the closing look of a series of bright candy coloured dresses Vogue's review of the show said that "Versace for spring was one of those idea confirming shows were a designer picks out a latent trend and coheres it into critical mass before your very eyes. This season in Milan it took Donatella Versace to get hold of drapey, flowy, goddessey dressing and make it look hot, easy and believable. Her beautifully constructed silk jersey dresses ran the gambut from day to night in a rainbow of colours with each piece gorgeous in its own right.... proof that Donatella Versace is at the top of her game."
• The dress is made from gorgeous pinky coral silk chiffon used for the main portion of the dress and this is combined with a silk chiffon panel that runs down from one shoulder. The silk used is feather light so feels magical once on.
• The dress is gathered up and into the bodice where it has been tightly gathered horizontally across the bust. A band that has tiny flat pleats stacked on top of each other runs across the top of the bodice and is set on an angle underneath.
• A tiny strap circles up and over one shoulder and then a wider chiffon strap curves over the other. The band that runs around the top of the bodice extends out to wrap around the outside of the arm.
• That silk chiffon panel that curves over the shoulder falls into a long panel of silk chiffon that widens out substantially as it nears the floor. It is cut to go to just past the hem of the dress and it creates beautiful movement around and behind you as you move.
• From the angled band that sits under the bodice the dress simply drapes and skims over the waist and hips.  
• The lower skirt is full and open with tons of silk chiffon. Underneath the top layer of chiffon there is a matching colour jersey layer which makes it all incredibly comfortable to wear. The back of the skirt falls slightly longer then the front. This combination of cut and fabric allows for fantastic movement around you as you move. 
  
• The dress is lined in a matching silk through the bust and a stretch silk jersey through the skirt. It closes with a combination of a hidden side zipper and hook & eye. There is a lightly boned partial inner corset piece under the bust. The inner corset has its own zipper. I see some very minor tiny marks on the inside lining near the hem and near the bottom edge of the draped panel. Both are very minor but mentioned for accuracy.
• Tagged a vintage Versace 40.
• Excellent condition with the minor note above.

Bust: the front bust will cover up to 16.5" flat across the front with no true side seams. The band that circles around to the outer arm is 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam under the bust: 14.25"  flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner waist: 12-13.35" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: 16-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 11" from top of shoulder to the top of the inner corset under the bust. 15.5" from the top of the shoulder to the waist of the inner corset.
Total length: 61" from top of the shoulder to front hem, 66" to the longest point of the back hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5737

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 dress is from the Fall 2003 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of John Galliano.
• This dress is from John Galliano's own label and is an incredible example of his work from this time period.
• For this season he had emphasized a glamorous hourglass shape mixed with nods to pinup girl lingerie style dressing. These bias cut dresses always showcase his love of the 1930s and 1940s and you can see that influence in them.
• The dress is made out of a deep dusky purple silk that has a slight bit of texture to it. It is completely cut on the bias in that signature cut he does so well.
• The dress falls from a delicate strap that curves up and behind the neck and then it drapes down and over the body to the floor.
• The bias cut of it allows the dress to skim and drape over you so that it shows every curve but is not overly fitted.
• The fabric has been pieced together with dropped and angled panels throughout to create the beautiful shape that you see.
• At the back the strap meets behind the neck and then drop down the centre of the back and panels of silk are suspended from it. These curving panels can be worn either down and under the arms or you can drape your arms through them.
• The dress glides over the body past the bust, waist and hips and then flares out as it reaches the hem.
• It buttons to close down the side with a row of his signature buttons covered in the same silk and then on the other side the fabric is gathered in and up into a wired circle. The circle is open in the centre and the panels that gather into the circle have been cut out and opened so that it forms the shape of a flower trailing over one hip.
• Silk lining backs the cut outs at the hip but I have seen this dress in another colour where someone had that part of the lining removed so you see bare skin and it looked great.
  
• The dress is fully lined in a slightly deeper purple silk crepe and closes at the side with a series of silk covered buttons. I see perhaps a tiny pull in the fabric here and there which happens with this fabric and a teeny bit of shininess here and there from pressing near seams. Very minor and mentioned for accuracy. The bias cut should allow it to fit a range of sizes with it just draping more in a smaller frame
• Tagged a FR42, GB14, US8. 
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 63" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD5726

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.