CHANEL Boutique c.1980s White Silk Pleated Drop Waist Shift Dress Signature Belt
View Similar Items
CHANEL Boutique c.1980s White Silk Pleated Drop Waist Shift Dress Signature Belt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 34 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Aside from minimal imperfections including minor spots/discoloration; light wear to belt buckle; minor wrinkling to belt; few minor pulls as showcased in photos. Please refer to all photos.
- Seller Location:Thiensville, WI
- Reference Number:Seller: EI:005863_1/E1stDibs: LU54133798651
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 1984 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday. From his first collection, Lagerfeld 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 evening gowns for Chanel, vintage cocktail dresses for Chloé and more.
Chanel
In the years following the opening of her modest millinery shop, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel became a pivotal designer of both fashionable casual wear and Paris haute couture as well as an icon and arbiter of 20th-century style with her bob haircut and pearls. Today vintage Chanel handbags, jackets and evening dresses are among the most sought-after clothing and accessories for fashion lovers all over the world.
The first Chanel shop was established in 1910 in Paris on rue Cambon by the young milliner Gabrielle Chanel (1883–1971), who had picked up the nickname “Coco” while working as a club singer. The boutique drew the attention of the Parisian fashion elite who popularized her wide-brimmed Chanel Modes hats. Soon she added a sportswear store in the Normandy resort town of Deauville, where Coco set the tone for her defining sense of style — traditionally masculine garments reimagined for feminine shapes, made from simple jersey fabric.
Effortless and elegant, Chanel's designs promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by complicated layers of fabric and cumbersome corsets. She followed this success with a couture house, opened in 1915 in Biarritz.
But Chanel was not born into a life of glamour. Following the death of her mother, her father left her in an orphanage where she lived until the age of 18. It was there that she learned to sew as well as appreciate the classic pairing of black and white as worn by the nuns. In 1926, she introduced her first little black dress, reclaiming a color that had once been reserved for mourning and working-class women. That same decade, she debuted her perfume, Chanel No. 5, as well as the Chanel suit with a fitted skirt, inspired by the boxy lines of men’s clothing and employing a sporty tweed.
Chanel closed her fashion operations during World War II, then returned to the industry in 1954 to design for the functional needs of modern women. Structure and wearability endured in all of Chanel’s clothing and accessories, like the quilted leather 2.55 handbag introduced in 1955 with its gold-chain shoulder strap that freed up a woman’s hands. Chanel's collarless jacket reacted against the constricting styles of Christian Dior's New Look, replacing them with a design that was timeless, an instant classic. The 1957 two-tone slingback pumps had a practical heel height while offering a bold statement in the black tip of the shoes.
After Coco Chanel died in 1971, the brand underwent several changes in leadership, including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who took over as artistic director in 1983. Over the years, the company has continued to innovate, such as expanding into ready-to-wear fashion in 1978 and, in 2002, establishing a subsidiary company — Paraffection — dedicated to preserving the heritage skills of fashion artisan workshops. The House of Chanel still operates its flagship on rue Cambon in Paris, where it all began.
Browse vintage Chanel bags, evening dresses, shoes, jewelry and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- LOUIS FERAUD c.1990's White Geometric Print One Shoulder Handkerchief Hem DressBy Louis FeraudLocated in Thiensville, WILouis Feraud c.1990's geometric print one shoulder handkerchief hem dress. Semi-sheer white cotton voile with multi-color bold geometric print t...Category
1990s German Casual Dresses
- RUDI GERNREICH Harmon Knitwear c.1971 Purple Red Mod Op Art Wool Knit Day DressBy Rudi Gernreich Design for Harmon Knitwear, Rudi GerneichLocated in Thiensville, WIRUDI GERNREICH Harmon Knitwear c.1971 Purple Red Op Art Print Wool Day Dress VTG Brand / Manufacturer: Rudi Gernreich for Harmon Knitwear Circa: 1971 Designer: Rudi Gerhreich Style:...Category
1970s Casual Dresses
$1,447 Sale Price50% Off - OSCAR DE LA RENTA c.2000's Maroon Gold Floral Detail Front Zip Kaftan Maxi DressBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in Thiensville, WIOSCAR DE LA RENTA c.2000's Maroon Gold Floral Detail Front Zip Kaftan Maxi Dress Brand / Manufacturer: Oscar de la Renta for Neiman Marcus Circa: Early 2000's Designer: Oscar de la ...Category
Early 2000s Chinese Kaftans
$792 Sale Price50% Off - ROBBIE BEE c.1940's Vtg Brown Copper Hand Beaded Accent Trompe-L'oeil Day DressLocated in Thiensville, WIROBBIE BEE c.1940's Vtg Brown Copper Hand Beaded Accent Trompe-L'oeil Day Dress Brand / Manufacturer: Robbie Bee Circa: 1940s Designer: Robbie Bee Style: Cocktail Day Dress Color(s): Brown (fabric), Copper (beads) Lined: Yes Unmarked Fabric (feel of): Cotton (exterior), Twill (lining) Additional Details / Inclusions: Vintage Robbie Bee c. 1940's brown day dress...Category
1940s Cocktail Dresses
$447 Sale Price50% Off - ALEXANDER McQUEEN S/S 2010 Multi-color Kaleidoscope Jersey Knit DressBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Thiensville, WIALEXANDER McQUEEN S/S 2010 Multi-color Kaleidoscope Jersey Knit Dress Brand / Manufacturer: Alexander McQueen Collection: Spring / Summer 2010 Style: Body-con dress Color(s): Shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Lined: No Marked Fabric Content: 100% Viscose Rayon Additional Details / Inclusions: Kaleidoscope printed jersey knit dress; deep v-neckline with keyhole; dropped cap sleeves; drape back detailing; fitted, body-con style...Category
2010s Italian Casual Dresses
$797 Sale Price50% Off - BALENCIAGA c.2015 Sky Blue Band Collar Drop Shoulder Shift DressBy Alexander Wang, BalenciagaLocated in Thiensville, WIDESCRIPTION: BALENCIAGA c.2015 Sky Blue Band Collar Drop Shoulder Shift Dress Brand / Manufacturer: Balenciaga Style: Shift dress Color(s): Sky blue Lined: Yes Marked Fabric Cont...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shift Dresses
$382 Sale Price50% Off
- DOLCE & GABBANA - Cotton Sleeveless Dress in Blue and Cream Stripes | Size MBy Dolce & Gabbana, D&G by DOLCE & GABBANALocated in Cuggiono, MIIntroducing a sleeveless cotton dress from the prestigious Italian luxury brand D&G, adorned with elegant dark blue and cream stripes, embodying timeless style and sophistication. Cr...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shift Dresses
- McQ Alexander McQueen Off White Ivory Wool Long Sleeve Turtleneck Sweater DressBy McQ Alexander McQueen, Sarah BurtonLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Sarah Burton for the McQ line of Alexander McQueen for the fall 2014 season. Wool in variations of chevron and vertical knit pattern. Size: M. Photos taken of measuremen...Category
2010s Turkish Shift Dresses
- Valentino White Linen Dress With Lace Hem & Matching VestBy ValentinoLocated in New York, NYThis 1980's Valentino look is in a crisp white with its delicate lace hem, this dress exudes timeless grace and femininity. Paired with the matching vest, it creates a beautifully co...Category
1980s Day Dresses
- Burberry White Satin Silk & Chantilly Lace Sleeveless Slip Dress SBy BurberryLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Bring feminine grace and demure to your closet with this beautiful slip dress from the House of Burberry. It is stitched using white satin silk and intricate Chantilly lace. It is ac...Category
2010s British Casual Dresses
- Burberry White Satin Silk & Chantilly Lace Sleeveless Slip Dress SBy BurberryLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Bring feminine grace and demure to your closet with this beautiful slip dress from the House of Burberry. It is stitched using white satin silk and intricate Chantilly lace. It is ac...Category
2010s British Casual Dresses
- Burberry White Satin & Lace Paneled Slip Dress XSBy BurberryLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Aesthetically pleasant and pretty, this slip dress from Burberry will become your favorite creation in no time! It is designed using white satin and is enriched with lovely lace panels...Category
2010s British Casual Dresses
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.
From the Runway to Rihanna, These Chanel Pearl Sunglasses Are the Peak of ’90s Chic
This cheeky accessory is seriously fun.