Chanel Long Bustier Dress in Navy Blue Pleated Silk Taffeta
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 49.22 in (125 cm)Marked Size: 38 (EU)Bust: 13.78 in (35 cm)Waist: 13.39 in (34 cm)
- Style:Circa 1990 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Silk taffeta
- Condition:
- Seller Location:SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
- Reference Number:
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
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.” From his first collection at Chanel — after joining the brand in the early 1980s — he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel handbags, evening dresses, coats, jewelry and other clothing and accessories riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment.
During his five-decade career as a designer 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. Lagerfeld’s collections for the brand 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. And 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.
Find vintage Karl Lagerfeld Chanel day dresses, jackets, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Louis Féraud Haute Couture "Poisson-Lune" dress Spring-Summer, 1990By Louis FeraudLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRLouis Féraud - Haute Couture dress embroidered with sequins featuring moonfish. It is accompanied by a muslin stole embroidered with iridescent sequin waves and small pearly beads. H...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Louis Féraud Dress, Size 38FRBy Louis FeraudLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRLouis Féraud -Dress embroidered with black and blue sequins. Size 38FR. Additional information: Dimensions: Chest: 38 cm, Waist: 36 cm, Hips: 48 cm, Length: 104 cm Condition: Very ...Category
1980s Evening Dresses
- Louis Féraud Black Silk Dress Embroidered with Beads and SequinsBy Louis FeraudLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRLouis Féraud - (Made in Germany) Black silk dress embroidered with beads and sequins. Size 42FR. Additional information: Dimensions: Chest: 45 cm, Waist: 42 cm, Length: 100 cm Cond...Category
1990s German Mini Dress
- Gold and Silver Dress Paco Rabanne, Size 36FRBy Paco RabanneLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRPaco Rabanne -Long silver and gold coated canvas dress embellished with gold metallic plates. No size or composition label, it fits a size 36FR. Additional information: Dimensions...Category
1980s French Evening Dresses
- Pierre Cardin Haute Couture Long Silk Dress, Size 36FRBy Pierre CardinLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRPierre Cardin -Long silk long sleeve dress. No size label, it fits a 36FR. Model dating from the 1950s. To note, the lining has some tears. Additional information: Dimensions: Ches...Category
1970s French Evening Dresses
- Ensemble Jean-Louis Scherrer Silk Crepe Ruffle Mesh EnsembleBy Jean-Louis ScherrerLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRScherrer -Silk crepe ruffle and silver rhinestone mesh ensemble. No size indicated, it corresponds to a 34FR/36FR. To note, presence of pulled threads. Additional information: Dime...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses
- ALEXANDER MCQUEEN 2018 Red Cut-Out Gown XSBy Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueenLocated in Berlin, BEALEXANDER MCQUEEN 2018 Red Cut-Out Gown Brand: Alexander McQueen Designer: Sarah Burton Collection / Year: 2018 Fabric: Viscose / Silk Color: Red Size: ...Category
2010s Italian Evening Gowns
- New LANVIN Duchesse Satin Vintage Gray Long Wedding Celebrity Gown US 2 4 FR 36By Lanvin ParisLocated in Goshen, KYSize: French 36 Brand: LANVIN Color: Light Dove Gray Season: Vintage Features: Strapless sweetheart neckline Draped detail throughout Ruffle detail at side Belt at waist Long leng...Category
2010s Wedding Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Neymar Couture Duchess Satin & Beaded Gown UK 4 US 0Located in Cheltenham, GBA once in a lifetime piece, this original 1950's Neymar Couture duchess satin gown, in the most sumptuous shade of cream, showcases true craftsmanship i...Category
1950s Ball Gowns
- Vintage 1930's Pleated & Ruched Amber Satin Dress UK 10 US 6Located in Cheltenham, GBA beauty to behold, this original 1930's satin dress rendered in the most sumptuous shade of amber satin, is the perfect statement piece for your special occasion wardrobe. The rou...Category
1930s Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1960's yellow sequin beaded cocktail dress wiggle dress UK 12 US 8Located in Cheltenham, GBThis breathtaking 1960's yellow knitted wool dress, embellished in its entirety with clear iridescent sequins, and finished with floral beaded details in yellow rocaille beads, and i...Category
1960s Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Duchess Satin Sweet Pink Pleated Dress UK 8-10 US 4-6Located in Cheltenham, GBA true beauty to behold. This original 1950's duchess satin dress, rendered in a soft shade of sweet pink and accented by the most divine pleat wor...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How the Chanel Jacket Forever Changed What Women Wear
The classic tweed garment has been a wardrobe staple of chic women around the world since the 1950s.
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.