Berkshires - Evening Dresses and Gowns

Flowing chiffon floral gown in fuchsia and navy print featuring a deep V neckline front and back, a high waistline, and sheer, raglan balloon sleeves. The skirt falls from soft pleat...

One of Victor Costa's best designs, this strapless cocktail/evening dress is fashioned of white satin and black velvet alternating horizontal stripes with fitted bodice leading to an...

With the finest fabric and tailoring--the base expectation for all progressive minimalist luxurious fashions designed for powerful women by German Jil Sander before the Prada-buyout ...

In the early 1990s, Paris-based Azzedine Alaia (1935-2017) designed this knit pullover chemise-style sleeveless lavender violet viscose dress that features bias panels in back define...

C. 1960s Ted Lapidus dress fashioned of black devoré velvet on a chiffon ground, the floral-design velvet enhanced with black sparkles that catch the light. Stylewise, the dress feat...

While at Balenciaga in late 2007, Nicolas Ghesquiere designed this 100%-silk bias-cut paneled dress that explodes with a grey and pale-yellow flower print and features unique technic...

Around 1970 when he introduced his eponymous brand after becoming a leading couture fashion designer among New York City society, American Bill Blass created this sleek tuxedo-like e...

From one of the last fashion collections by legendary Belgian artist Martin Margiela, this asymmetrical plunging V-neck black jersey pullover that he designed for Spring/Summer 2008 ...

1960s evening dress by Malcolm Starr in pale pink satin with beaded emellishment throughout. This consists of primarily silver beads in various shapes and sizes, the body covered wit...

A rare find, this wedding dress and jacket from the 1930s is made of ivory lace and is in excellent condition. The bias-cut dress has a V-neck and empire bo...

c.1970 Victor Costa for Romantica long dress combining a black sequin bodice juxtaposed with a large-scale taffeta plaid for the full ankle-length skirt and short puffed sleeves, a n...

Unique cocktail dress by J. Mendel intricately constructed of charcoal wool and black faille and featuring a silver fox border which peeks out of the flounced hem. While the main bod...

For a formal special event, this 1980s maxi dress sleeveless gown by American designer Victor Costa features glamorous glossy red satin that is gathered, ruched and topstitched in bo...

This timeless quintessential corseted, shirred, ruched and topstitched "little black dress" produced by Victor Costa in the 1980s was made for the high standards of New York's trendsetting Bergdorf Goodman when it was the first U.S. luxury department store to order exclusive special-occasion dresses from this Texas designer and subsequently to give him a namesake in-store boutique. He soon became associated with the feminine glamorous gowns worn by "PYT" (Costa-speak for pretty young things) on the Dallas-based television-series "Dynasty", which idealized a status-conscious Texas woman mostly via fashion. With a strapless curvaceous sweetheart neckline (spared from '80s shoulder pads!), narrow sinuous folds of crepe silk-blend jersey cross diagonally below the decollete, while contrasting vertical ruching defines the seven bones of the invisible corset structure that is fully lined on the interior. Under the bust in front below the empire-like peaked high waist, the fitted tucked underlay of the cocktail dress wraps around the back to end as an overlay in front, where the opening on the left side extends to the bodice like a discreet slit. The freely hanging bias-cut overlay in front is gathered underneath each breast for a forgiving central drape that adds additional curves to make the wearer's torso underneath appear in sleek condition despite a potentially less than ideal figure. The dress closes with a concealed zipper in the center of the back, with exterior hook-and-eye fastening to narrow the waist. There is a second concealed hook-and-eye fastener at the top of the zipper. Although the only remaining tag is the Costa/Bergdorf label, it is a contemporary U.S.-size 8, which will also suit a large-busted size 6 or a svelte size 10. Now 88 years old, Victor Costa (b.1935) became widely known by the 1980s in The States for perfecting affordable luxurious gowns that could be mistaken for one-of-a-kind flamboyant designs by foreign couturiers Christian Lacroix, Arnold Scaasi, Oscar de la Renta or Valentino Garavani. Early on, the avid female sketcher...

In the 1960s the futurist Paris-based revolutionary haute-couture designers included Andre Courreges, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne, who was the last to died in the 21st Century in ...

With a delicate eyelash-lace boatneck and hem, this couture transparent red-and-black floral silk evening sleeveless midi dress is constructed with torso tucks above and below horizo...

This couture lingerie-like spaghetti-strapped black silk satin apron vest, with extraordinary graphic cutwork featuring a heavily hand-beaded breast-plate and appliques, was custom made by a young designer for a New York City female...

In an atypical Japanese-dye color for Rei Kawakubo, in 1999 she designed this translucent salmon-pink bias-cut satin sleeveless maxi dress evening gown for her brand Comme des Garcons, which debuted on a model walking the Paris runway that Fall as "Look 12" among the Vogue photo-coverage of her Spring/Summer 2000 collection. The unusual V-neck shape creates a central drape in the front of the unlined dress that prevents the synthetic semi-transparent fabric from clinging to the torso, while still enabling the lower part to swoosh while walking. With the exception of the brand tag, all others were removed by the sole owner to eliminate bulk and visibility through the dress. If the buyer would prefer, the fabric can be made shinier and completely smooth with professional pressing. Please notice that In a couple of our photos the white drapery next to or below the dress was converted by 1stDibs auto-editing to appear like trailing elements. Also, as we used a backless mannequin, the rear side of the dress at the top is draping inward--not outward--in our photo. We have other items from this same Spring/Summer 2000 collection if the buyer may want to layer pieces for a look similar to the fashion show. This is such a beautiful minimal dress...

Odette Barsa was primarily renowned for her exquisite lingerie, produced from the 1930s-1970s, and this vibrant red print ensemble may have been originall...

Judy Hornby multicolor silk print dress featuring a bias cut, double-tiered handkerchief hem, a deep V-neckline, and puffed sleeves. The British-born designer made her way to the Uni...

This antique Native American brown chamois suede leather sleeveless chemise dress, which was handmade during the "reservation era" between 1870-1930, is made from two soft supple ani...

This unusual mid-century lingerie-style black semi-transparent mini dress that conjures a historic pinup-girl like Bettie Page is suitable as a cocktail dress as part of an evening ensemble. It was probably meant by its New York designer to be paired with slim cropped pants, which became popular in The States after worn by Hollywood-movie actresses Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. The A-line dress was most likely made by the former ready-to-wear fashion company following the revolutionary debut by French Christian Dior of his couture cinched-waist-voluminous-skirt "New Look" collection, whereafter German Sonja de Lennart introduced "Capris" in 1949, and American Hugh Hefner launched Playboy magazine in 1953. The complex hourglass-shaped garment features a double v-neck four-seamed ruched lined bodice in a crepe silky woven fabric. Its defined gathered bust extends from the chest seams at two angles to form short dolman sleeves only in the front, while there are arm seams in back. The gathered see-through black faux-lace organza flared skirt reveals a black velvet-textured scalloped floral pattern with a net underlayer. With beige lining, the self-trim band at the waist enables the folded scalloped-lace pattern to continue to stand out on the opaque black torso. The edges of the peplum and sleeves are further cut in a scallop shape to resemble more delicate eyelash-lace trim. The brand label of the obsolete line is the only interior tag that remains. Camouflaging the midsection, the flattering dress will best suit a U.S.-size 6. It can also be worn by larger sizes with a relatively slim waist and small or large bust as there is no restriction at the hips or wide armholes. At the waistline, a hook and looped cord fasten over the bypass zipper to better conceal it. Notably, the steel-tab-and-teeth zipper is an original U.S-made Murlen model, which was used in new clothes from the 1940s to 1960s and helps to date the mid-century dress.

During his first year as French Christian Dior creative director in Paris for haute couture and ready-to-wear in 1997, John Galliano designed for his Spring/Summer 1998 button-enhanc...

British Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022) designed this corset-style hourglass red velvet evening dress with its outsized bow and sheer moire faux-underlay while producing her "Dressed To Scale Collection" in 1998 with protege Andreas Kronthaler. This fresh interpretation of the classic Marilyn-Monroe silhouette was dubbed the "MM Corset Dress" for her semi-couture Gold Label, while it can still be made-to-measure as a bespoke dress (see photo of model wearing version as a white wedding gown...

A unique vintage find, this ensemble consists of a long black maxi skirt and sleeveless top, its floral design repeated in cut-out appliqués down the left side of the skirt. the A-li...

While John Galliano was also creating his early Dior haute-couture fashion collections as its acclaimed creative director, for Fall/Winter 1999 ready-to-wear for his ongoing eponymous Paris-based fashion house, the Brit designed this teal green woven-wool day-to-evening dress with a luxurious bias-cut satin silk underlay and couture-like finishing. Evidenced by this dress, at that time Galliano was championed by the editors of U.S. Vogue as the leader of the sleek ultra-feminine trend. The influential magazine had earlier helped to establish him in Paris with a U.S. financial backer for an independent atelier and in American among high-end retailers--from where this dress was purchased by the sole owner, but never worn. Although its streamlined elegance that creates a striking silhouette has the look of a conservative linear dress...

Arguable the most significant design in the Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2003 collection since it debuted in several colors on the runway and was worn by the British designer to take her fashion-show bow, this pink-printed dark-grey silk-blend zip-front mini-dress with white satin stripes and pink piping was a favorite of the Vogue critic and her father Beatles co-founder Paul McCarthy. Vogue wrote: "Her hippest new idea came in the form of puffy satin bombers--she transformed one, a fusion of sport and chinoiserie print, into an off-the-shoulder bubble dress. McCartney is so into the glam-bomber idea, in fact, that she bounded onto the runway wearing a black version herself." The garment's voluminous batwing sleeves and stretch-cotton ribbed neckline and hem, plus custom golden-charm two-way zipper, enable it to have two different necklines and lengths to convert to a shorter puffier bomber jacket. Notably, the versatile piece that is subtly printed with mock-Beatles lyrics seems to have been the first tribute fashion-design that McCartney created to reference her father. Prior, she had credited her stylish mother Linda for instilling her with a love of fashion and inspiration for her initial namesake collections, which followed her first commercial collections with Phoebe Philo for Chloe. For background, when McCartney was a young girl in 1978, the mock-rock band The Rutles parodied a Beatles song, which was recorded by EMI as "Ging, Gang, Goolie". Given its lyrics, the chinoiserie-style dragon motifs were substituted by McCartney with bird skeletons...

Tom Ford, for his Gucci Spring/Summer 2001 runway "Look 1" and for its ad-campaign inspired by Marilyn Monroe, dressed model Kate Moss in an ecru corset dress featuring a long-sleeve transparent black overlay for the nude appearance of a sheer evening gown or cocktail wear. Our more complex version of the stretch-tulle dress, which was Ford's "Look 2" photographed by Vogue, is strapless with a balconette-bra corset to reveal more skin, along with bold black seams that play with the imagery of classic black-seamed stockings...

Isabelle Allard 1980s strapless dress and bolero jacket in white faille with tiny black polka dots. The shaped and fitted dress is trimmed at the bustline and faux flap pockets with ...

In the 1990s, French Thierry Mugler designed this haute-couture labeled and numbered corset-style topstitched zigzag-panel ecru 100%-cotton-denim cocktail dress, which is fully lined...

In 1996, Japanese Junya Wantanabe made this sculptural red whorled-rose jacquard evening coat-jacket cape to convert to an equally stunning asymm...

Beautifully crafted Bill Blass two-layer dress, the main body a strapless sheath of repeating ribbon stripes in aqua, mint, beige and gray. Skimming over this is a sheer net sleevele...

British Alexander McQueen designed this curvaceous uniquely-draped black evening gown for his "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" collection for Autumn/Winter 2002-2003, which set a ready-to-wear $37,500 auction record in 2020 for its complimentary "parachute" silk coat, while a 1stDibs listing in only "good condition" for a later similar raw-edge-finished silk chiffon red midi dress for Spring/Summer 2003 sold for $10,144. In very good condition, the intricate ruched semi-transparent silk chiffon and sleek lined wool hourglass below-the-knee dress is tagged size "38" as a French size (US4-6)--not an Italian size although other tags note "Made In Italy". Like the 2020-auctioned coat from Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, the gown is also among the few that encapsulate this collection according to Alexander McQueen, who was quoted by magazine Numero: "This collection was inspired by Tim Burton. It started out dark and then got more romantic as it went along." This is why The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute showcased a runway ensemble including the romantic black coat in its Alexander McQueen retrospective, "Savage Beauty", a year after the designer died...

Donna Karan metallic gold crochet lace dress with a complementary silk charmeuse slip dress underneath. The crochet dress skims the body and features a de...

1930s black lace gown and bolero jacket, the long dress having an open neckline and cap sleeves and featuring a deep panel of black silk velvet extending from the bust through the hi...

Junya Wantanabe made this inimitable white ruched floaty sleeveless dress with distinct parachute elements as "Look 1 and 2" (see photos) for the Parisian fashion show debut of his Spring/Summer 2003 collection, which was produced by his design mentor Rei Kawakubo's Japanese brand Comme des Garcons. The stunning combination of contrasts range from romantic-and-combat themes, gathered-and-flowing construction, raw-and-finished seams, soft-and-hard materials, and cutout-and-semi-transparent fabric. Secured on the exterior of the dress with bold silver-metal hardware, the 100%-cotton grosgrain-ribbon parachute-like straps are partly enclosed within multiple diagonal and vertical ruched channels to enable adjustment of the light synthetic-fabric draping and swags, such as for lengthening the dress. Strap ends freely hang from functional hardware on the front of the dress and below the sides as if they could be yanked to release the fabric into a drifty parachute sail. The reverse side of the dress is notable for the ruffled diamond-shaped cutout at the lower back and its framing set of adjustable looped parachute straps with a concealed white plastic buckle, which enables the hitched-up bottom to extend into a train like a dreamy wedding dress. This premiere-catwalk dress is further distinguished from others in Wantanabe's "Parachute Jumper" collection by the complexity of its top. Two ruched straps form an X-shape via metal-hardware at the upper back, extending to the front over the shoulders to form a ruched V-neck with linked straps that highlights your face. The soft folds of the neckline contribute to the raised ruffle collar, as well as flow to the shoulder seams. The hand-cut hem was designed unfinished and meant to fray, although it has not given its minimal wear and very good condition consistent with only age and storage. See our photos of the care/material tags. All tags remain, including from the Italian concept-store 10 Corso Como, where it was purchased in Milan. The "Made in Japan" size is a large-running "S" due to the pullover-style of the dress, which is equivalent to an Italian-size 44 or U.S.-size 6. In addition to wearing as a convertible dress...

For his first collection for Yves Saint Laurent Paris/Rive Gauche while also creative director at Gucci, American Tom Ford designed this Spring/Summer 2001 black formal evening gown ...

1960s medium-weight silk shift dress in a beautiful shade of pink. The construction features a yoke at top that extends over the shoulders to form cap sleeves. The simple straight sh...

Kathryn Dianos long red dress in a rayon and nylon blend fabric featuring a set-in midriff with two ties, a deepv neckline and raglan cap sleeves. The b...

1930s beige lace dress featuring a square neckline, short sleeves, and a dropped waistline with slight shirring at the sides, where there are slits at the hem; the front and back pan...

Judy Hornby Couture voided silk bias-cut evening dress with deep cowl neck neck and layered hem, both layers trimmed with pearls. Long sleeves with gathered shoulders and pointed wri...

Pink wool crepe shift dress, the round neckline and short sleeves embellished with intricate beading consisting mostly of varied crystals and gold thread. The slightly A-line silhoue...

Victor Costa at his dramatic best. Feel like a princess in this black strapless evening dress with its velvet bodice and tulle skirt. The sweetheart strapless bodice is fitted throug...

Stunning Pauline Trigère 1970s ensemble in black wool crepe, the simple dress underneath an unusual reverse cape/shawl terminating in deep black fox trim at t...

Quintessential Geoffrey Beene in cut and detail, this stunning and sophisticated gown is composed of olive green satin with black wool crepe panels strategically integrated into the ...

A great LBD from Victor Costa with a sweetheart necklace and stand-away shoulders. Fashioned of a black satin blend of silk and rayon, the dress features shirred details on the brace...

Norman Norell is well known for his sequined creations. Here is an unusual version that, though unlabeled, is unmistakably Norell.

A casual style predominates, from th...

Sophisticated and sexy at the same time, this Ungaro design features a deep cowl neckline that plunges to the waist in front, the cowl held together at the bust line with a tab studd...

An unusual example of the work of Greek/American master Stavrapoulos, known especially for his fluid chiffon creations. This shift dress, with open neckline and three-quarter sleeves, appears to be made from an antique embroidered shawl...

Brocade gown in a geometric silver and charcoal pattern featuring a wide, square neckline, empire waist, and long sleeves. The skirt is gathered under the waist seam and there are sl...

Cocktail dress featuring an all-over black sequin bodice and a gunmetal satin skirt, the bodice with jewel neckline and long sleeves, the satin skirt with box pleats sewn down with a...

1970s custom-made gown in peach gazar with unique fringed ruffle capelet and hem border. The sleeveless dress features a U neckline and pleated matching belt that fastens in back. L...

Fabulous long sheath of black crepe with allover beading in a squiggle design of black bugle beads. Narrow body hugging design with straight neckline front and back and cut-in armhol...

Rich burgundy velvet 1960s dress by Kiki Hart featuring an empire bustline trimmed with a band of black soutache and jet beads. A rolled turtleneck, na...

Hard-to-find 1930s cocktail dress in excellent condition with a scoop-neck, sleeveless bodice of black silk charmeuse and a tiered skirt of black lace. The bodice is studded with rhi...

Easy wearing, long shift with handkerchief hem, 3/4 sleeves, and shirred scoop neck finished with a large bow. Fabricated of a lightweight synthetic in aqua and gold. No label, but a...

Sheer black lace dress from the 1930s with a fitted bodice through the hips and bias-cut skirt with scalloped seam going from low to high, where...

1980s royal blue coat and dress with charcoal beading in geometric patterns and hearts. The open coat reveals a V-neck, 3/4 sleeve dress underneath...