Matte Jersey Fringed Gown
View Similar Items
Matte Jersey Fringed Gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 57 in (144.78 cm)Marked Size: 6-8 (US)Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Waist: 32 in (81.28 cm)Hip: 38 in (96.52 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU441486133
Bill Blass
Venerated designer and philanthropist Bill Blass helped define style for women of means during the late 20th century and inspired generations of fashion industry professionals and enthusiasts all over the world.
Blass designed garments that saw a playful mingling of notes both subdued and bold, and his clothes were comfortable, easy to wear and sexy. The Indiana native was influenced by the likes of Coco Chanel and became famous for refined, simple looks that appealed to prominent women such as Brooke Astor and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Blass didn’t endeavor to produce showstoppers — he worked with quality materials, and his modern designs boasted meticulous tailoring. He glamourized sportswear with chic lines and dramatic colors, and by way of subtle, graceful ruffles or a tasteful application of sequins, he introduced modest flair to his day dresses and evening dresses. Vintage Bill Blass clothing is just as relevant today as it was during the height of his career.
Blass, who spent his spare time sketching red-carpet looks in his school notebooks as a kid, left home at 17 and moved to New York City, where he trained at the McDowell School of Fashion. After finishing design school, he joined the U.S. Army and fought in World War II. When the war was over, Blass returned to Manhattan. In 1946 he joined the fashion house Anna Miller and Co., where he worked as a design assistant for Anna Miller and her brother Maurice Rentner.
Anna Miller and Co. merged with Maurice Rentner, Ltd. in 1959, and Blass became the company's head designer. There he quickly built a name for himself and was soon a staple of the postwar fashion scene, impressing even the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar at the time, Diana Vreeland. Blass expanded into designing menswear and was the first couture designer in America to create a collection for men.
In 1970, Blass gained ownership of Rentner and renamed the company after himself. Blass employed a licensing-based business strategy, and soon his name marked a full array of accessories and apparel, including Bill Blass jeans, watches, home furnishings, eyewear and luggage. Blass's renown and success expanded considerably, as fashion bearing his name became more accessible than it had ever been.
Throughout his life, Blass made considerable contributions to the AIDS care center at Cornell Medical Center and to the New York Public Library. In 1962, he became a founding member of the Council of Fashion Designs of America (CFDA) trade association, which promotes American designers around the world. The CFDA presented Blass with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, and he was the first recipient of their Humanitarian Leadership Award in 1996.
Find vintage Bill Blass fashion on 1stDibs.
- Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel Chiffon LBDBy Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in New York, NYKarl Lagerfeld for Chanel, classic, "LBD" inspired by Coco Chanel's early silhouettes from the 1920's. This sleeveless dress is made of chiffon having a jeweled neckline with slit pa...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
Sold$1,495 - Yves Saint Laurent One Shoulder Cocktail DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent, Rive Gauche, one shoulder, black matellase, cocktail dress having a subtle, lurex, textured sheen. Dress has a fitted bias cut, bodice, with a slightly dropped ga...Category
1970s French Cocktail Dresses
- Dior Strapless Cocktail DressBy John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in New York, NYChristian Dior, chiffon and hammered silk satin, strapless cocktail dress. Bodice has a horizontal, pleat like bodice in hammered silk satin having a ruched back. Skirt has two laye...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Cocktail Dresses
- John Galliano Pleated Silk Georgette Cocktail DressBy John GallianoLocated in New York, NYJohn Galliano, sleeveless, layered, silk georgette, cocktail dress having a V neckline, with "Madame Grès" pleated detail at the bodice. Side, self button and loop closure .Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- Galanos Silk Crepe Cocktail DressBy GalanosLocated in New York, NYGalanos, 3 ply, black crepe, bias cut sleeves dress having a spiral, layer starting from the shoulder, working its way around the dress. Beautiful construction.Category
1980s American Cocktail Dresses
- Versace Dress With Assymetric HemBy Gianni VersaceLocated in New York, NYGianni Versace, sheer, mesh jersey, slip dress with asymmetric hemline. Bias cut panels are placed at the bust at the center of the dress and at the back. Biker shorts underpinning ...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace F/W 1993 Runway Couture Sheer Knit Mesh Lace Evening Dress GownBy Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace F/W 1993 Runway Couture Sheer Knit Mesh Lace Bustier Black Evening Dress Gown IT 44 Excellent Condition!Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- The little black dress by Chanel black and white silk Sculpted figureLocated in Bilbao, ESAbsence of vulgarity was central to Chanel’s definition of luxury, a view formed during her impoverished early life. Born in 1883 in Saumur, France, as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, she was just 12 years old when her mother died and her itinerant father put her in a home for orphaned girls run by a local convent. She learned to sew and, upon moving to Moulins six years later, became a seamstress. She also sang in nightclubs, earning the sobriquet “Coco,” an allusion to a popular song of the time. Beautiful, one of a kind vintage silk dress and jacket for everyday ware as a coktail dress...Category
1990s Aesthetic Evening Dresses
$2,745 Sale Price32% Off - F/2012 look # 6 NEW VERSACE MACRAME GOTHIC CROSS COCKTAIL SILK DRESS 38 - 2By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Actual Runway Samole Fall/Winter 2012 Look # 6 Macrame Gothic Cross Cocktail Dress This long sleeve, turtle neck cocktail dress features an allover macrame Gothic cross...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Azzedine Alaïa F/W 2001 Vintage Halter Backless Black Gown Maxi DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaïa 2001 Vintage Halter Backless Black Gown Maxi Dress Size XS Alaïa black maxi dress featuring halter neckline, open back. flared hem with trai...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Thierry Mugler Strapless Black Satin Gown, c.1980sBy Thierry MuglerLocated in New York, NYThierry Mugler Strapless Black Satin Gown, c.1980s Thierry Mugler Strapless Black Satin Gown featuring asymmetrical, gathered corseted bodice with rhi...Category
1980s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Bill Blass Black Silk Long Sleeve Beaded Gown Size 10By Bill BlassLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Bill Blass gown is composed of a black silk adorned with silver and champagne hued beads on the bodice. Features a center front drape detail, long sleeves, and a center back cl...Category
20th Century American Evening Gowns