Vintage 80s Givenchy Brown and Black Virgin Wool Long Sleeve Mock Neck Sac Dress
By Givenchy
Located in San Diego, CA
Chic vintage 1980s GIVENCHY brown and black virgin wool color block sac dress! Features a chocolate brown bodice with a black skirt, black collar, and black sleeve cuffs. Hidden zipp...
Fabulous Vintage 80s Black and White Daisy Polka Dot Print Sz 4 Strapless Dress
By A.J. Bari
Located in San Diego, CA
Fabulous vintage 1980s black and white silk strapless Bodycon dress! Features daisy flowers printed throughout a sea of polka dots. Ruched boned fitted bodice, with a ruffle detail a...
Adele Simpson 1980s Size 4 Yellow White Silk Chiffon Polka Dot Vintage 80s Dress
By Adele Simpson
Located in San Diego, CA
Flirty 1980s ADELE SIMPSON yellow and white silk chiffon polka dot dress ! Features a boned ruched bodice, with a slightly dropped waist. Multiple layers of chiffon on the skirt. Ful...
1980s Guy Laroche Size 44 / 12 Novelty Fruit Print Avant Garde Vintage 80s Dress
By Guy Laroche
Located in San Diego, CA
Chic 1980s GUY LAROCHE novelty fruit print Avant Garde cotton belted dress! Stylish puff sleeves, with a side peplum. Pockets at each side of the hips. Hidden zipper up the back with...
NWT 1980s Vintage Denim Trompe l'oeil Cotton Blue Jean Abstract 80s Halter Dress
Located in San Diego, CA
Brand new with original tags early 1980s denim tromp l'oeil lightweight cotton halter dress! Features a bodycon fit that really flatters the body. Unique print made to look like deni...
Incredible Vintage Oscar de la Renta Size 10 Black Silk Chantilly Lace 80s Dress
By Oscar De La Renta
Located in San Diego, CA
Incredible vintage late 1980s OSCAR DE LA RENTA black silk Chantilly lace dress! Couture quality, with an expert attention to detail. Chic semi sheer silk dolman sleeve lace bodice, ...
Laura Ashley Batsheva 80s Sz 6 Purple Pink Avant Garde Vintage Floral Midi Dress
By Laura Ashley
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and iconic early 1980s LAURA ASHLEY Batsheva Avant Garde purple, pink and green cotton midi dress! Features the signature Ashley floral print. Great double layer of ruffled slee...
Lorrie Kabala 1980s Ivory Lace Sheer Size 8 Vintage 80s Caftan Maxi Dress
Located in San Diego, CA
Avant Garde early 80s LORRIE KABALA ivory / off white sheer lace embroidered caftan maxi dress ! Features romantic vintage lace with embroidered lace trims. Buttons up the top back c...
1980s Azzedine Alaia Black Dolman Sleeve Vintage 80s Mini Dress or Sweater
By Azzedine Alaïa
Located in San Diego, CA
Amazing early AZZEDINE ALAIA black mini dress or sweater tunic! Incredible design by the body conscious designer, whom always produces figure flattering designs. Stitching at the bot...
1980s Oleg Cassini Size 6 Black Beaded Vintage 80s Cut - Out Rayon Mini Dress
By Black Tie by Oleg Cassini, Oleg Cassini
Located in San Diego, CA
Sexy, yet classic late 80s Black Tie OLEG CASSINI black beaded mini dress ! Features thousands of hand-sewn seed beads throughout the front and back bodice. Cut-outs at each shoulder...
1980s Vintage Victor Costa Size 12 Tropical Hawaiian Avant Garde 80s Maxi Dress
By Victor Costa
Located in San Diego, CA
Gorgeous vintage late 80s VICTOR COSTA taffeta flower gown / maxi dress!
Bob Mackie 1980s Black + Nude Lace Rhinestone Vintage 80s Mini Dress
By Bob Mackie
Located in San Diego, CA
Sexy late 1980s BOB MACKIE black and nude silk mini dress ! Bodice features nude silk with black lace overlay that is embellished with rhinestones. Inner boning holds everything I n ...
With entire museum exhibitions dedicated to examining fashion designers and their creations, we’re finally recognizing that costuming is art. Evening dresses over time have conveyed specific statements about social class, position and beliefs. Fashion is a powerful means of self-expression, and sophisticated vintage evening dresses and gowns by our favorite couturier play no small role in making us feel wonderful but, perhaps more importantly, making us feel like ourselves.
In the 16th century, dresses and gowns were so important that England's Queen Elizabeth I defined rules about what dresses women could wear — guidance included long skirts and fitted bodices. Forward-thinking designers have responded to this history.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel reimagined traditionally masculine garments for feminine shapes, and her elegant evening dresses and gowns promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by layers of fabric. Christian Dior's gowns celebrated luxury and femininity in the late 1940s — and gave to women the gift of glamour they’d lost in the miserable years of the war. French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent introduced innovative and highly coveted dress designs in the 1960s while at the same time challenging sexist stereotypes about which members of society could wear tuxedos.
Works by unconventional British designer John Galliano — featured in houses like Givenchy and Dior — redefined limits that dressmakers faced in terms of material, construction and vision during the late 20th century. From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless Dior newspaper dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy
Today’s designers target an increasingly broad audience with their boundary-crossing work, and their tendency to play off of each other’s ideas means that every walk down the runway is also a walk through an entire history of fashion design and dress craftsmanship.
Whether you gravitate toward backless maxi dresses or silk charmeuse gowns by Alexander McQueen or embellished, ruffled floral-print designs by Chloe or Versace, there is an extraordinary collection of vintage and designer evening dresses and gowns waiting for you on 1stDibs.
Costumer to the stars Ray Aghayan brought the famed painting to life with his spectacular design.
From handbags and heels to jackets and jewels, Sharon Coplan Hurowitz has a deep admiration for (and collection of) all things Chanel.
Jeriana San Juan explains how she undertook the intimidating project of designing costumes for the new Netflix series about the New York fashion legend. (Hint: She found vintage Halston on 1stDibs!)
Once considered a controversial item of clothing, fashion designer Sonja de Lennart's creation is now a bona fide classic.
The classic tweed garment has been a wardrobe staple of chic women around the world since the 1950s.
Amanda Benchley and Bridget Moynahan teamed up to explore the relationship between powerful women and their most significant footwear.
This year's Costume Institute exhibition is all about embracing the eccentric.
Ballrooms, Bar Suits and British royals — in a sweeping exhibition, the London museum looks back on 70 years of the French fashion house, as well as its illustrious founder and his fondness for the United Kingdom.