CommeDesGarcons 2000 StuddedLeather PinstripeWool RawEdgeNeck HalfDress Topcoat

In the 1930s when French fashion couturier Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946) was creating decorative bias-cut silk tulle overlays for her feminine full-skirted sleeveless "robes de style", she designed this black semi-transparent silk-tulle formal jacket featuring diagonally-striped topstitched silk-crepe appliques throughout the bias-cut panels. This sheer geometric-patterned cape-like jacket has a skirt that drapes from an open waistline and a top-fastening bodice with gathered rounded 3/4-length sleeves that each have two arm seams and shirred embroidered cuffs. It could have been the first "swing coat" design that was given that name around 1935, when Lanvin was the "uncontested leader in the haute-couture field"--according to the French Palais Galliera that has collected and exhibited similar garments at its fashion museum in Paris. In New York, TheMet collected a House of Lanvin black evening coat with a similar shape that also features dramatic linear appliques, but in a white starburst that it dates to Spring/Summer 1927. The unprecedented modern look of this Art-Deco women's jacket, which was inspired by 18th-Century French and Spanish topcoats for aristocratic court dresses, may have been good cause for Maison Lanvin to custom-make some close reproductions of a one-of-a-kind couture original for additional clients in Paris, which is implied by the remaining French brand-label noting "Adaptation Jean Lanvin...

While British John Galliano was creating haute couture in Paris as French fashion-house Christian Dior Artistic Director beginning in the late 1990s, he designed this "Made In France" black lace-and-sheer-mesh low-back boned corset featuring a bold curvilinear halter neck, underwire padded 32B bustier with a rounded-bust silhouette, cinched waist with a lace ruffle, and embroidered text "Dior". Along with leading couture designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and the late Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler and Gianni Versace, Galliano is closely associated with the popularity of the contemporary corset, which was the focus of his acclaimed couture show in 2024 as the ongoing artistic director of Paris-based Maison Margiela for the past decade. Notably, a Galliano corset from his turn-of-the-century Christian Dior collection--with like tags and similar low back with bustier--can be viewed online among the collections of the Underpinnings Museum, which is dedicated to the most outstanding lingerie. In addition to the tags noting "Christian Dior Made In France" along with the size, Galliano added subtle Dior-logo embroidery to the cleavage. There is no tag noting the materials of the multiple laces, tulle mesh, bones and additional padding or strap fabrics, which seem primarily synthetic for desirable stretch-to-fit. Instead, care-instruction symbols can be found on the back of the size tag. The neck straps for this French-size 85 or U.S.-size 34 can be adjusted to one of the three tiers of hooks that best suits the wearer, while the corset has two tiers of hooks to cinch the waist. As worn by our small-size mannequin, the top will flatter even an A-cup breast size. As noted in our listing sidebar, the buyer will receive the corset packed in its original Christian Dior silver shoebox-size cardboard packaging, while the lingerie will be wrapped in the original logo-printed white tissue paper. The box and paper are in good condition without rips or perforation, while the lingerie is in like-new condition as if it had only been tried on and not worn for an event. For price comparison, a later dated Galliano/Dior bustier corset top--with like tags but strapless--recently sold on 1stDibs for $6,200. The previous sole owner of our top recalled making their purchase as new lingerie in 2001. This French ready-to-wear complex-structure garment should not be confused with other international lingerie lines with different but similar labels--"Christian Dior Intimates...

GUCCI by Tom Ford coat comes in a grey shearling with a fur interior featuring front pockets, gold tone hardware, strap cuffs, and a double breasted closure. Made in Italy. Excellent...

This charcoal grey wool coat from Martin Margiela’s Fall-Winter 1998 collection exemplifies the designer’s radical exploration of garment construction through the “Flat” series. Cut ...