Stunning Mingolini Guggenheim Brown and Black Beaded Couture Dress Set
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a fabulous Mingolini Guggenheim Couture suit. The set features two pieces, a beautifully beaded sleeveless dress with zipper closure, and a wonderfully fitted 3/4 sleeve jack...
1950's MINGOLINI GUGGENHEIM Purple & Black Floral Print Silk Dress Set size 2-4
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a vintage silk purple and black floral print dress with matching coat by Mingolini Gugenheim. It is a strapless bustier dress with a 17" side-seam zipper, a bow detail which ...
50s Mingolini Guggenheim Amazing Black Pleated Strapless Gown
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A work of art. 1950s Mingolini Guggenheim gown in black silk artistically pleated in an undulating manner. Fully lined and has wonderful substntial weight. Fully boned bodice and fi...
1950s Mingolini Guggenheim Rich Brown Hand-Beaded Evening Gown
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is an incredibly stunning evening gown and matching jacket from Mingolini Guggeheim. A strapless a-line evening gown is done in rich mocha brown lace, heavily hand-beaded and se...
Vintage 1950's Mingolini Guggenheim Couture Pink Pleated Silk Strapless Gown
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
A gorgeous mid-century formal gown by the nearly impossible to find Italian couturier Mingolini Guggenheim. As you can see, this designer was heavily influenced by Christian Dior and...
1950s Vintage Brown + Beige Wool Blazer Jacket Size XS
Located in Sparks, NV
Darling vintage early-1950s blazer jacket in a beige and brown woven wool. Fully lined with front button closure. Light shoulder pads are sewn in underneath the lining. This has a ju...
$696
Size: Equivalent French Size 36
Beaded Charleston Flapper Dress from Art Deco French Period Circa 1920
Located in Toulon, FR
Circa 1920 France Charleston Ball gown in turquoise silk muslin embroidered with silver tubular beads from the 1920s. Background in muslin embroidered with translucent silver and iri...
Alexander McQueen F/W 2004 Beige Metallic Tweed Tie Neck Blazer & Skirt 2pc Suit
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Chicago, IL
Alexander McQueen F/W 2004 "Pantheon As Lecum" tweed skirt suit. As seen on the runway; look #3. Beige with copper and navy metallic basket weave wool blend fabric. Beautiful asymmet...
Dolce & Gabbana S/S 1998 Runway Floral Appliqué Sheer Mesh Coat Evening Dress
By Dolce & Gabbana
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Dolce & Gabbana S/S 1998 Runway Floral Appliqué Standing Collar Sheer Mesh Coat Evening Dress Size: IT 44, can fit from approximately IT 40 to IT 46 due to the high stretch material...
$29,282
Size: FR40 - UK12 - US6
John Galliano Ivory Metallic Jacquard Slip Dress with Rhinestone Straps, SS 2003
By John Galliano
Located in London, GB
Bias-cut slip dress in ivory and gold-tone viscose blend jacquard, designed by John Galliano for Spring-Summer 2003. The fabric features a woven floral damask motif with metallic thr...
Peach Silk Chiffon Art Deco Pleated Edge Trimmed Gown
Located in New York, NY
Elegant Peach Silk Chiffon Art Deco Pleated Edge Trimmed Gown from the 1930's. Pleated trim is used to edge the cape collar, sleeves and create neckline flowers. Hook and eye closure...
Bombshell 1950s Mr Blackwell 50s Vintage Couture Gold Metallic Wiggle Dress Gown
By Mr. Blackwell
Located in San Diego, CA
WOW! This vintage Mr. Blackwell Custom dress is OUT OF THIS WORLD! This is quite possible the best Mr. Blackwell piece I have ever seen! Dating from the late 1950s/ early 1960s, this...
$550
Size: none; comparable to size L
Red Silk Sleeveless Cocktail Dress w Convertible Draped Scarf Back - L, 1960s
Located in Tucson, AZ
An ingenious design, this dress features a draped shoulder-to-shoulder scarf that may be worn in the back, the front, or even on the head for three different and completely captivati...
$16,303
Size: FR38 - UK10 - US6
Christian Dior by John Galliano Black Halter Evening Dress with Draping, FW 1999
By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian Dior
Located in London, GB
Christian Dior by John Galliano evening dress, Fall-Winter 1999. This halter-style gown is constructed from a semi-sheer black viscose fabric with a woven metallic scalloped motif th...
Beautiful Rare Thierry Mugler Devoré Silk Velvet Dress Black
By Thierry Mugler
Located in Berlin, BE
Manfred Thierry Mugler distilled the drama of midnight velvet and the intrigue of bare skin into this impossibly rare devoré cocktail dress: a piece that feels less like clothing and...
Vivienne Westwood Hand Cut Moire Corset Style Velvet Red Cocktail Dress 1998
By Vivienne Westwood Gold Label, Vivienne Westwood
Located in Chicago, IL
Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022) designed this corset-style hourglass-shaped red velvet evening cocktail dress with its outsized double bow and sheer moire faux underlay for her "Dresse...
$31,325
Size: FR38 - UK10 - US6
John Galliano Burgundy Bias Cut Damask Dress & Shawl with Fringe, SS 1999
By John Galliano
Located in London, GB
This John Galliano evening ensemble from the Spring-Summer 1999 collection comprises a bias-cut floor-length dress with matching shawl, executed in deep burgundy damask with tonal fl...
1950s Demi Couture Black Silk Crepe Dramatic Sequin Neck Fringe Vintage Dress
Located in San Diego, CA
Wonderful 50s black silk crepe dramatic neck sequin wiggle dress! Features a shawl like collar drenched with thousands of hand-sewn black sequins. Dipped low back reveals just the ri...
Spectacular Thierry Mugler FW 1996 Runway Black Bombshell Vinyl Coat
By Thierry Mugler
Located in Berlin, BE
Iconic black Thierry Mugler’s Fall/Winter 1996 Collection Bombshell vinyl trench coat. This stunning jacket exudes a hypnotic blend of dominance and sophistication. Its sculptural s...
Chanel Vintage Fall/Winter 1992 Black Lesage Ribbon Silk Bodycon Midi Dress
By Chanel
Located in Jersey City, NJ
The Chanel Vintage Fall 1992 black silk bodycon midi dress is a piece of fashion history, famously seen on supermodel Eva Herzigová as she graced the runway. This iconic design captu...
1950’s Haute Couture Tapestry Beaded Dress
Located in Geneva, CH
A rare example of 50’s Egyptian haute couture, at the time Egypt was a constitutional monarchy, this feminine “Miss Egypt” dress is crafted in a flowery tapestry that is sculptural a...
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.