1990's Valentino Pale-Pink Silk Strapless Plunge Birdcage Cut-Out Resort Dress
View Similar Items
1990's Valentino Pale-Pink Silk Strapless Plunge Birdcage Cut-Out Resort Dress
About the Item
Valentino
The mononymously known Italian designer Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (b. 1932) is renowned for his fashion house of romantic styles and feminine shapes that he founded in Rome in 1960. Valentino dresses, skirts and other apparel captured the hearts of many of Italy’s wealthiest ladies in the couturier’s early days and led to commissions from Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Jayne Wrightsman and others on the international best-dressed list (when it still meant something). They sought out Valentino for gorgeous gowns, jackets, elegant daytime wear and even when they needed wedding dresses.
An early fascination with fashion developed when Valentino attended the theater as a child and was dazzled by the evening gowns on stage. While a teenager in Voghera, Lombardy, he studied under Italian designer Ernestina Salvadeo and soon moved to Paris, where he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Valentino spent time apprenticing under haute couturiers Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, learning how to design and construct high fashion while also thinking about how to strike out on his own.
In 1959, Valentino returned to Italy, and a year later, he opened his own salon, soon joining with longtime professional and personal partner Giancarlo Giammetti. It was located on Rome’s trendy Via Condotti and modeled after the French maisons. One of his earliest clients was Elizabeth Taylor, who discovered Valentino while she was in Rome filming Cleopatra and ordered the white dress that she wore to the premiere of Spartacus.
When the designer launched his first couture line in 1962 with its fiery red colors, it was internationally celebrated, with Valentino soon attiring fashion trendsetters including Princess Margaret and Audrey Hepburn. He formed an especially close friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for whom he designed numerous dresses. Luxurious drapery with fine needlework, bold uses of color and dramatic flourishes would define Valentino fashion across the decades.
As a fashion house, Valentino is best known for its signature Valentino Red color, though one of its iconic lines is the monochromatic “no colour” collection for which the designer won the Neiman Marcus Award in 1967. (The collection also debuted his trademark “V.”) The white dresses and beige dresses led to a demand for Valentino wedding gowns, with clients including Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez and Anne Hathaway.
Valentino retired from his fashion empire in 2007, with Alessandra Facchinetti and then the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri (who departed in 2016) and Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeding him as creative directors. But Valentino still steps out of retirement for special occasions, such as designing a wedding gown for Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013.
Today, the brand offers a range of collections that include the Valentino Garavani line and REDValentino, a diffusion line that is aimed at a younger audience. The house has expanded far beyond women’s haute couture and prêt-à-porter to encompass various lines of accessories, including shoes, sunglasses, scarves and perfume.
Find vintage Valentino evening dresses, handbags and other items on 1stDibs now.
- Antique 1910's Julius Garfinckel Couture Beige Embroidered Net-Lace Dress GownLocated in Beverly Hills, CAUnique mixed-lace dresses from the early 20th century are perennial favorites and this Julius Garfinckel and Co. garment is a showstopper. Garfinckel...Category
1910s American Tea Gowns
- Vintage 1930's Cartwright Ivory Striped Silk Rayon Cut-Out Maxi Dress & JacketLocated in Beverly Hills, CAThe vibrant rainbow-stripe used on this ivory silk rayon 1930's "Cartwright" designer dress ensemble has a whimsical allure that I find irresistible. The sleeveless bodice has a flir...Category
1930s American Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Jeanne Lafaurie Couture Watercolor Floral Silk Strapless GownLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking Jeanne Lafaurie Couture watercolor garden two-piece gown ensemble dating back to the mid 1950's era of fashion. Jeanne Lafaurie was a Pari...Category
1950s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1960's Galanos Couture Ivory Silk Satin Low-Plunge Long Sleeve JumpsuitBy Galanos, James GalanosLocated in Beverly Hills, CAA gorgeous Galanos Couture ivory-creme silk satin jumpsuit dating back to the mid 1960's. Dedication to excellence in craftsmanship and design was ...Category
1960s American Jumpsuits
- Vintage 1960's Helen Rose Couture Fully-Beaded Blush Pink Silk Hourglass DressBy Helen RoseLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking and incredibly rare Helen Rose designer couture blush-pink beaded cocktail dress dating back to the early 1960's Old Hollywood era. Helen Rose won two Academy Awards for Best Costume Design: for "The Bad and the Beautiful" in 1952 and for "I'll Cry Tomorrow" in 1955. She was nominated a further eight times and was well-known for designing famous iconic looks of the stars of this era. She designed the wedding dress of Grace Kelly when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. She also designed clothing for Elizabeth Taylor in the movies Father of the Bride and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as well as Elizabeth Taylor's bridal gown when she married Conrad Nicky Hilton. Helen Rose, like Edith Head and Irene Lentz, was one of the rare women who became chief costume designer for a major film studio. Her style was elegant and understated but still extremely innovative. This sparkling museum quality dress is a perfect example of her pure genius. The fabric itself is a masterpiece; triple layered blush pink silk chiffon that has been embellished by hand with elegant glass-beads, large crystals, faux pink pearls in the most gorgeous floral motif. Such dazzling 3-dimensional texture! The sculpted low v-neck front and back bodice really compliment the elaborate fabrication. I adore the hourglass nipped waist cocktail silhouette which Helen Rose did so well. Helen's couture line existed from 1957-1971. In 1957, the price for her retail version of the Liz Taylor "Cat" short chiffon dress...Category
1960s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Traina-Norell Couture Watercolor Iris Floral Print Satin DressBy Traina-NorellLocated in Beverly Hills, CAThis exquisite Traina-Norell designer dress exemplifies their signature blend of couture-level quality with quintessentially American style— elegant in its simplicity. The gorgeous g...Category
1950s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Extremely Rare Mariano Fortuny Cotton DelphosBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis extraordinarily rare dress is made of finely pleated white cotton. Few cotton pleated Fortuny dresses have been documented and survived.
Named after a Greek clas...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request - Vintage 1950's Howard Greer Lace and Rhinestone Embellished Dress UK 8 US 4By Howard GreerLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis magnificent 1950's Chantilly lace and silk dress, in a palette of cream lace and apricot silk lining, accented by claw set silver rhinestones, this Howard Greer dress is a rare ...Category
1950s American Cocktail Dresses
- Versace Heritage Legging in Dark Orchid & Sun Baroque Print SZ 38By VersaceLocated in PUTNEY, NSWVersace Medusa Renaissance print leggings A colourful take on Versace's signature Greek-inspired motif, the Medusa Renaissance is present throughout the house's SS22 collection, as s...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
$582 Sale Price34% Off - 2000s Vintage Diane Freis Tropical Leopard Print Strapless Evening DressBy Diane FreisLocated in Hong Kong, HKThe vintage Diane Freis sequin evening dress is an exquisite and glamorous piece that is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression. With its bold leopard print and tropical floral mot...Category
Early 2000s Chinese Evening Dresses
- Verheyen London Flower Kimono dress in Italian Silk Satin - One SizeBy Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Flower Kimono dress in Italian Silk Satin - One Size The Verheyen London Kimono is the perfect dress for evening wear or coat dress to wear with a pair of jeans and...Category
2010s Cocktail Dresses
$803 Sale Price21% Off - Vivienne Westwood cow print nude silk corseted off shoulder dress, ss 1999By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood cow print nude and black silk mid-length evening dress with built-in corset and draped off-shoulder neckline Spring-Summer 1999Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Two-Piece Beaded Gown by Puerto Rican Designer David Fernandez Is the Embodiment of 1970s Glam
On the Met Gala red carpet, this vintage ensemble would bring the heat.
Madonna Wore the Same Plunging Azzedine Alaïa Design on the Cover of ‘Cosmo’ in 1987
The gold silk stunner was part of a knockout collection that changed the trajectory of Alaïa's then-troubled brand.