Carolina Herrera Silk Evening Gown - 10
View Similar Items
Carolina Herrera Silk Evening Gown - 10
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 60 in (152.4 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Westhampton Beach, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: v38521708093115503fs
Carolina Herrera
Born into a family of wealth and sophistication in Caracas, Venezuela, but without a trace of design education, Carolina Herrera launched her eponymous fashion empire in 1981. Modeling her aesthetic on the principles of refined, simple elegance, she has gone on to defy all expectations.
Style, that elusive je ne sais quoi, is often hard-won, acquired over years of experimentation and missteps. Precious few are born with it. Carolina Herrera may well be one of them. And if she wasn’t born with it, she was most assuredly born into it, raised by wealthy and refined women in the most rarefied of circumstances back in Venezuela. Her mother and her grandmother were both perfectly put together, had their own dressmakers — even a live-in seamstress. Everything within Herrera’s reach at home was of the utmost quality. Hers was a privileged life, and no one appreciates that fact more than she.
Herrera brought that aesthetic to her first collection of clothing and accessories in 1981, encouraged by éminence grise Diana Vreeland, then the editor in chief of Vogue. Herrera was initially interested in designing textiles (she worked in a publicity role for Emilio Pucci — the iconic clothing and housewares maker — during the 1960s). It was Vreeland who planted the fashion seed. When it took root, Herrera returned to Caracas, and with the help of Guy Mellier, her personal couturier, she came up with a collection she felt was New York–ready. She never studied fashion and didn’t know how to cut or sew. “What I understood was proportion, and I had a good eye.” She knew not only what looked good on her but also on other women, too.
Herrera unveiled her first collection at the Metropolitan Club on Fifth Avenue. The fashion press was hard on her; “they didn’t have faith,” is how she explains it today. But how about the women in the audience, did they like what they saw? Herrera leans in and says with a smile, “A lot!” The buyers liked the collection, too — enough to place orders. (And they’re still placing orders.)
She quickly became synonymous with sophistication for her glamorous evening dresses, which eventually earned accolades in magazines, prime real estate in Manhattan boutique windows and a heavyweight client roster that included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
As her business has evolved — in 2010 it reached $1 billion in sales — so has Herrera herself. In the 1970s and before she became a designer, she used to dance until the wee hours at Studio 54, pal around with Calvin Klein, Bianca Jagger, Halston and Andy Warhol. Through all the madness — every bit of which she enjoyed — she remained unscathed. No scandals, no gossip, no whispers. She’s been famously photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe, Arthur Elgort, Norman Parkinson, David Seidner, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber and, yes, Ron Galella. (“I’ve never said no to the paparazzi,” she explains. “I smile, let them take the picture and move on.”)
Find a collection of vintage Carolina Herrera shoes, shirts, day dresses, handbags and more on 1stDibs.
- S/S 1996 Dolce & Gabbana Cheetah Long Stretch GownBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Austin, TXS/S 1996 Dolce & Gabbana Cheetah Long Stretch Gown Condition: missing main label, otherwise excellent 100% viscose Made in Italy Bust: 26"-40", Waist: 23...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Complice black slip dress with longer hem in backBy Complice, Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Austin, TXComplice black slip dress with longer hem in back Condition: Good, some all over wear 100% Viscose 28" bust, 24" waist, 35" hips, 53" length size S /...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Versace S/S 2005 Plunging Neckline Backless Seashell Print Belted Wrap DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace S/S 2005 Plunging Neckline Backless Seashell Print Belted Wrap Dress IT 42 Condition: pulls throughout as seen in the last photos and tarnishing on the metal belt.Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace S/S 2013 Runway Medusa Tie Dye Print Cutout Back Belted Mini DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace S/S 2013 Runway Medusa Tie Dye Print Cutout Back Belted Mini Dress IT 42 Look 36 from the Spring 2013 Collection.Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Chanel F/W 2001 Runway Sequin Embellished Tweed DressBy ChanelLocated in Naples, FLCHANEL RUNWAY F/W 2001 COLLECTION EMBELLISHED TWEED DRESS Ivory and tan Chanel tweed sleeveless evening dress with sequin embellishments at front, scoop neck, interlocking CC belt a...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Chanel S/S 2013 Runway Open Knit Double Breasted Ivory DressBy ChanelLocated in Naples, FLChanel S/S 2013 Runway Open Knit Double Breasted Ivory Dress FR 38 Look 23 from the Spring 2013 Collection. Creme Chanel silk open knit sleeveless knee-length dress with mock neck, ...Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns