1990's Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld Black Lace Illusion Blouse Skirt Ensemble W/Tags
View Similar Items
1990's Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld Black Lace Illusion Blouse Skirt Ensemble W/Tags
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Style:Lace Illusion (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Lace
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU309357172
Karl Lagerfeld
More than a mere tastemaker, Karl Lagerfeld devoted himself to the continual pursuit of chic. “My life and my job,” the designer once said, “is to forget myself.” During his five-decade career designing shoes, handbags, evening dresses and other items for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times.
An outsize, instantly recognizable personality — his ponytail powdered like an 18th-century viscount, his eyes perpetually shielded by dark glasses, wearing fistfuls of chunky silver jewels — Lagerfeld was, above all, an avatar of style.
Born in Hamburg (in 1933, ’35, or ’38 by varying accounts), Karl Lagerfeld packed his bags for Paris in 1954. His design for a coat won him the International Wool Secretariat and landed him a job with the celebrated couturier Pierre Balmain. He went on to become the designer of Jean Patou, eventually realizing that his seemingly endless ideas could fuel a career as a designer-for-hire. As such, Lagerfeld lent his vision to everyone from Loewe and Max Mara to Krizia and Charles Jourdan, nimbly moving among a diverse range of styles. It was an unprecedented way of working in the days when freelance was still a dirty word.
During the late ’60s and ’70s, he refashioned Chloé to reflect the free spirit of the day and, beginning in 1965, joined forces with the Fendi family, taking it from sleepy furrier to fashion’s haute-est stratum. Because of his track record for reviving and reimagining brands that had grown stagnant, in 1983 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday.
From Lagerfeld's first Chanel collection, he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. He riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. Despite producing eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as four to five for Fendi, Lagerfeld never faltered in proposing new ideas each time he put pencil to paper.
Lagerfeld’s collections for Chanel, in particular, displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. From Watteau (Spring/Summer 1985 couture) and Serge Roche (Spring/Summer 1990 ready-to-wear) to hip-hop fly girls (Fall/Winter 1991 ready-to-wear), surfers (Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear) and ancient Egypt (Pre-Fall 2019), Lagerfeld used each season’s inspiration to conceive Chanel’s signatures anew.
Browse a collection of sophisticated designs by Karl Lagerfeld on 1stDibs, including handbags and evening gowns for Chanel, vintage cocktail dresses for Chloé and more.
Chloé
A part of the Left Bank intellectual crowd who shared her mother’s fondness for fashion, Chloé cofounder Gaby Aghion was inspired to empower independent working women to break from the conservative dress of the 1950s and don more free-spirited, feminine designs that were appropriate for both work and social life.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Aghion established her fashion house in Paris in 1952 with her business partner Jacques Lenoir to develop her own source of income, separate from her husband’s. She was one of the first designers to embrace the concept of luxury prêt-à-porter as a middle ground between haute couture and off-the-rack for the masses.
In 1964, Aghion hired a fledgling Karl Lagerfeld as a designer. The pair would bring Chloé into the international spotlight with their easy yet glamorous lines that drew such fans as Jacqueline Kennedy. Lagerfeld became the staff creative lead at Chloé in 1974 and stayed with the brand until 1983, during which time he became known for his romantic silk dresses that continued Aghion’s feminine vision and were a favorite of the “rich hippie” set. In 1988, then-unknown designer Martine Sitbon took the helm of Chloé for several years before Lagerfeld returned as creative director from 1992 to 1997, drawing all of the iconic 1990s supermodels to his runway.
After his second departure, Chloé tapped yet another early-career designer to lead the label: a punky 25-year-old Stella McCartney, who earned the position not because of her famous lineage (she’s the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney), but because of her fashion education at Central Saint Martins and work experience on London’s Savile Row and at Christian Lacroix. Following McCartney’s exit to launch her own line in 2001 — not long after introducing the diffusion label See by Chloé that year — Chloé named Phoebe Philo to the post.
Under Philo’s leadership, Chloé expanded from women’s clothing to an accessories line — including handbags — and debuted the legendary Paddington bag in 2005. The padlocked satchel, notorious for weighing a hefty three pounds while empty, became one of the “It bags” of the decade (the brand’s double-handled Marcie holds its own in that regard); the entire 8,000-bag initial production run sold out via preorders.
Philo left Chloé in 2006; her successors include, among others, Clare Waight Kelle and Natacha Ramsay-Levi, who announced that she would be departing the house in late 2020. Part of Chloé’s decades-long lasting influence — which we’d like to speculate would appease Aghion greatly — is the brand’s dedication as a career-launching platform for newbie designers, particularly women.
Browse an extraordinary inventory of vintage Chloé handbags, day dresses, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
- Vintage 1950's Lilli Diamond Silver Lamé Beaded Strapless Dress and Swing JacketBy Lilli DiamondLocated in Beverly Hills, CAA seductive and highly stylized 1950's sparkling silver lamé dress ensemble by the famous Lilli Diamond label. The silhouette is classic pin-up "femm...Category
1950s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1971 Pierre Balmain Haute Couture Beaded Blue Velvet Jumpsuit and JacketBy Pierre BalmainLocated in Beverly Hills, CAExquisite Pierre Balmain Haute-Couture dark blue silk-velvet jumpsuit ensemble dating back to his opulent 1971 collection. This iconic designer created a very sculptural quality whic...Category
1970s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1970s Valentino Novelty Acorn Print Velvet Swing Jacket & Maxi Skirt SetBy ValentinoLocated in Beverly Hills, CAValentino’s work is timeless and dramatic. This early Valentino boutique creation, dating back to his fall-winter 1977 collection, is very unique in many ways. The novelty chestnut r...Category
1970s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1960s Burke Amey Couture Black Wool Green Silk Appliqué 3-Piece Mod SuitBy Burke-AmeyLocated in Beverly Hills, CAUltra chic and super sophisticated Burke-Amey graphic appliqué 3-piece ensemble dating back to their 1968-69 fall/winter collection. Burke-Amey was started in 1959 by designer Ronald...Category
1960s American Skirt Suits
- Vintage 1960's Galanos Couture Ivory Silk Satin Low-Plunge Long Sleeve JumpsuitBy Galanos, James GalanosLocated in Beverly Hills, CAA gorgeous Galanos Couture ivory-creme silk satin jumpsuit dating back to the mid 1960's. Dedication to excellence in craftsmanship and design was ...Category
1960s American Jumpsuits
- Vintage 1970s Sant' Angelo Burgundy Draped Chiffon Bodysuit & Fringed Maxi SkirtBy Giorgio di Sant' AngeloLocated in Beverly Hills, CAIncredibly stunning and highly desirable Giorgio Sant' Angelo designer bodysuit ensemble dating back to the late 1970's. He first hit the fashion scene when Diana Vreeland asked him to design clothing for a desert location shoot that starred Verushka in 1968. This shoot is legendary and his clothing was instantly sought out by all the most fashionable women on the planet. Sant' Angelo was the winner of two Coty Awards and two Council of Fashion Designers of America honors. He has had an entire museum exhibit dedicated to his work and will go down in history as one of the great American designers. This seductive two-piece set is a perfect example of his genius. I love the low-cut plunging draped bodysuit as a wardrobe staple. Would also look fantastic with trousers or jeans! The interior is a stretch jersey in a matching burgundy hue so when you put it on, the bodysuit molds to your bod in the most comfortable way. The sleeves are cut long and the draped backless bodice flows into the sash which wraps around the waist. Such a smart design! The matching high-waist embroidered fringe maxi skirt finishes the look off effortlessly. Sant' Angelo once said, "I am not a fashion designer but an artist who works in fashion engineer of form." We added many pictures so you can appreciate this masterful achievement. Measurements Bodysuit (varies due to stretch) Bust: 34-38 inches Waist: 26-30 inches Sleeve Length: 24 inches Skirt Waist: 28 inches Hips: up to 42 inches Total Length: 44 inches This vintage Giorgio di Sant...Category
1970s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Paul Daunay gold lamé jacquard couture evening ensemble, c. 1960By Paul DaunayLocated in London, GBPaul Daunay gold lamé jacquard couture evening ensemble comprising: long-line waistcoat lined with purple silk and high rise a-line skirt with inverted pleats and two side pockets. ...Category
1960s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Issey Miyake multicoloured mesh and lycra skirt and top set, ss 2002By Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GB▪ Issey Miyake multicoloured mesh and lycra skirt and top set ▪ Vest with ruched back and bust panels ▪ Mid-length skirt with ruched seams and handkerchief hemline ▪ JP 3 / EU + US M...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Prada embellished orange silk organza top and skirt set, fw 1999By Miuccia Prada, PradaLocated in London, GB▪ Prada 2-piece set ▪ Creative Director: Miuccia Prada ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 1999 ▪ Constructed from orange silk organza ▪ Beaded leaf-shaped organza appli...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood 'Voyage to Cythera' harlequin leggings and shirt set, fw 1989By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood harlequin ensemble. Loose fit cotton shirt and high waist fitted leggings. ''Voyage to Cythera'' Fall-Winter 1989Category
1980s British Trouser Pant Suits
- Dolce & Gabbana black 3-piece ensemble with ostrich feathers, A/W 1995By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB- Silk chiffon loose fitted blouse with ostrich feather trim on collar and cuffs (IT42-FR-38-UK10) - Black satin bra with lace trim and adjustable straps...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Yves Saint Laurent black silk off-shoulder blouse and maxi skirt set, fw 2001By Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in London, GB▪ Yves Saint Laurent black silk blouse and skirt evening set ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 2001 ▪ Off-shoulder peasant blouse ▪ Low-rise maxi ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Remembering Fashion Designer, Collector and Supreme Tastemaker Karl Lagerfeld
The creative force behind brands like Chanel, Fendi and Chloé was as exacting in his interiors as he was in his clothing designs.
This Two-Piece Beaded Gown by Puerto Rican Designer David Fernandez Is the Embodiment of 1970s Glam
On the Met Gala red carpet, this vintage ensemble would bring the heat.