Spring 2001 Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture Look 22 Runway Sample Beaded Silk Chiffon & Net Dress

The Shrimpton Couture Archives

• This is the actual Haute Couture runway sample that walked the runway for the Spring 2001 Jean Louis Scherrer Collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Stephane Rolland.
• Stephane Rolland took over as Artistic Director for the Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture atelier in 1997 at the age of 31 which made him the youngest of the twenty official Paris sanctioned couturiers at the time. He remained as the head of the Couture division until the last showing in 2005 when the house officials shuttered is couture division.
• This dress is from the Spring 2001 Haute Couture collection and it is the actual runway sample for Look 22 that was worn on the runway. I have included several runway reference photos for you so that you can see just how spectacular the dress is once on an actual body.
• This is the dress that was also worn by Will Fitzgerald for the 2024 Critics Choice and it was just named as one of the Best Vintage Critics Choice dresses of all time by Hello Fashion. 
• It would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.  
• It is a gorgeous piece of Haute Couture history. Having the actual couture sample means that Stephane himself would have fit the model to walk the runway that day. Runway samples are as hands on by a designer as you can get. It is an amazing opportunity to own what few people ever even see; a dress that is straight from the atelier, overseen and fitted by the couturier himself for its debut on the runway.
• The dress itself is phenomenal. The base is made of pieced panels of black and a taupe silk chiffon through the bottom portion of the skirt and then the beaded parts are all done on a net.
• The entire dress has a touch of transparency to it because of the fabric choices and this adds to it sexiness and allure
• The bodice is incredible. The neckline curves down on one side. Leaving a deep expanse of skin exposed on one side.
• A single capped sleeve sits on one side, and the other side is created by the fabric, curving up and around the shoulder. You can see how beautifully this sits on the body by the reference photos we've included here.
• The dress skims over the bust and then curves in at the waist. From there were curves back out over the hips the lower portion of the skirt is made of silk chiffon, and this flares out beautifully as it reaches the hem.
• The top portion of the dress is done on a nude netting and then a mix tiny black beads and drops to look like beads have been applied on the fabric. The drops portion appear to be some type of resin with some of them, seeming to cover small beads with the resin being what adheres them to the surface of the netting. Each droplet is fused onto the net underneath. Where you see black parts of the design this has been created by thousands of tiny black beads mixed in with the other beads. These bands are densely applied and sit slightly up and off the fabric.
• Both portions of the pattern have all been meticulously hand applied onto the underlying netting to create the print that you see.
• I love how the lines are all on a curve that follow the angle that begins at the neckline and then runs downward over the body. This is all done to emphasize the curves of the woman underneath.
• The fabric is incredible and this is the type of thing you will only ever see in a Couture piece
• The skirt is meticulously piece together and made out of multiple panels that are fitted together like a puzzle. Each little piece has been cut to create the shape that you see and how it widen out as it near the hem. Everything is done by the tiniest little hand stitches.
• I love how parts of the bead work extend out into little panels that sit up and off of the silk underneath as it starts to change from the bead work to silk as it goes down and over the skirt
• The dress is partially transparent as you can see in the runway and red carpet reference photos.
• The final result is absolutely beautiful. It is an incredible piece of modern Haute Couture with the added provenance of being the actual runway piece combined with its place in modern red carpet appearance.
• The upper portion of the dress is backed with a transparent nude layer of netting. It closes with a hidden set side zipper and it is finished a level appropriate to a runway sample and all of the work is by hand. It has its original handwritten runway tape. It has only ever been worn the two times shown here that I am aware of.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeve: is 10.5" around the upper arm
Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam and will to stretch to 17"
Waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam and will to stretch to 18"
Total length: 61" from neck to hem and then the back extends another 4" past that.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Reference Photos/Videos: (1-7) Spring 2001 Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture Runway.  /  (8-12) Willa Fitzgerald wearing this dress at the Critic's Choice Awards, 2024.

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