1980s Guy Laroche Black Wool and Silk Taffeta Dress

This elegant Chanel monochrome evening dress was ordered directly from the spectacular Fall 1996 Haute Couture show, held at the Ritz, Paris, in January of that year. It is a long sleeve version of Look 52 and in all other respects is the same as the runway presentation design. Anna Wintour felt that the 1996 Haute Couture collection marked a change in the industry, writing in her editor’s letter for Vogue that this collection “moved daringly and definitively away from the plain, minimal, and vulnerable look that has characterised so many clothes over the past five years”. Even for haute couture, there is an incredible level of craftmanship in this dress which took 140 hours to make plus over 200 hours for the embroidery. The renowned French atelier, Hurel, created and hand-worked the design for Chanel. We understand the price for this dress was over $100,000 and that was back in 1996. The fabric is a translucent silk-chiffon, the top half and the long-sleeves are in charcoal black, and the handkerchief-hem skirt is in a soft, warm white hue. The cloth is detailed with abstract geometric forms in fine chain-stitch embroidery in contrasting monochrome tones that fall the length of the dress. Every single one hand-embellished along the edges with tiny, rounded beads and we estimate several thousand to be present on the dress. The slim cuffs...

This is a brilliant example of Ceil Chapman's early work from the late 1940s to early 1950s and the black taffeta silk design is exquisite. Its the first thing you notice about this dress which has the most unusual construction. The skirt's textured element from a distance looks like a floral design but its actually a large number of circular pleated stitched designs. The way the fabric is pulled and stitched creates an almost 3D effect. We have never seen this work before but it would have taken a very skilled seamstress and an incredible amount of time to do it. The dress style is a classic shirtwaister design with three taffeta covered buttons to fasten the bodice which is beautifully shaped and Princess seamed. The sleeves are three quarter length and feature a folded cuff...

Black rayon jersey band cocktail dress on a nude tulle base. Fabric composition: 90% rayon, 10% lycra. Zip in the middle back + 2 hook&eye on the top. SIZE...

This iconic Norman Norell couture gown exemplifies his signature blend of couture level quality with quintessentially American style; elegant in its simplicity. Dating back to his 19...