Massachusetts - Fashion

With incredible intricately hand-embroidered ombre reflective rose flowers and 20-inch hand-knotted tassel fringe, this museum-quality antique 85-inch-square ballet-pink silk-jersey ...

Made in Italy in a babydoll style, this Emanuel Ungaro Paris double-ruffle-trimmed bright red layered cocktail mini dress features a handpainted-tulip print that has different effect...

Callaghan mid-calf-length dress crafted of purple cotton knit featuring a unique one-shoulder design with a long, fitted torso and a full, heavily gathered skirt that falls from the ...

Made in Italy for a mid-2000s Fall collection, this Dolce & Gabbana grey soft virgin-wool knit sleeveless strapped v-neck evening cocktail dress features a see-through cotton-ble...

These deconstructed balloon black cotton pants by Comme des Garcons founder Rei Kawakubo premiered on the Paris Fashion Week runway for her Spring/Summer 2003 collection. Featuring u...

The Traina-Mignon label was active during the 1970s and produced mostly floral and romantically inspired cocktail attire, as seen in this sheer, print dress. The dress features a she...

Made in France, this Balmain Paris vibrant reddish-orange knit mini dress in reflective dense viscose features dozens of spaghetti-laced gold eyelets that line both seamless sides fo...

Versatile c.1980s mink jacket that converts to a vest by removal of the sleeves. The thigh-length jacket features a light fox open collar that extends to the hem and furnishes a nice...

Designed by Oscar de la Renta in the 1970s, this poppy-red pointelle knit long-sleeve sweater with peek-a-boo textural stripes features a dramatic circular ruffle collar that drapes ...

A dramatic look in this 1970s gown of polyester matte jersey featuring a strapless, shirred bodice with long scarf ties attached at center; these can be worn in several ways over the...

With a unique hand-folded, gathered and topstitched square neckline with contrasting triangular "lumps", this asymmetrical lightweight-wool long-sleeve pullover loose-fitting blouse ...

For her eponymous brand's second collection for Fall/Winter 2002, British Stella McCartney designed this airy layered silk-chiffon empire-waist cap-sleeve rose-color pullover blouse,...

Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) designed this curvaceous uniquely-draped wool and hand-shredded intricately-ruched silk-chiffon black evening-gown cocktail-dress for his Autumn/Winter 2002-2003 collection "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", which set a ready-to-wear $37,500 auction record in 2020 for its complimentary black billowing silk coat. Comparatively, a 1stDibs midi-dress listing similar to ours from his subsequent fashion-season collection for a raw-edge silk chiffon red dress for Spring/Summer 2003 in good condition sold for $10,144. Our sleek lined opaque wool hourglass midi dress with a raw-edge semi-transparent bodice is in very good condition. Although made in Italy, the tagged size 38 will suit a French 38/US 4-6. 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 Met Costume Institute showcased a runway ensemble including the aforementioned coat in its museum retrospective, "Savage Beauty", a year after the designer died...

For his Gucci F/W 2001 collection, Tom Ford designed this sleek leather-and-knit pullover that features a plunging V-neck collared suede front, which drapes in a reverse V-shape on t...

With a biomorphic print and curvilinear layered design created by Spain-based renowned multimedia artist Sybilla, this rare billowy bias-cut semi-transparent silk crepe sleeveless V-...

During John Galliano's first year as Christian Dior Artistic Director for French haute couture and ready-to-wear in 1997, he designed for his Spring/Summer 1998 collection this bias-...

Tom Ford, for his first collection for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche while also creative director at Gucci, designed this Spring/Summer 2001 black two-layer evening gown. It feature...

Art Deco evening bag, its body crafted of a floral-design brocade on a black background and seamed to shape. Of note is the ornamented gold metal frame and clasp, the former constructed of ivory colored enamel on the sides centering a blue enamel base decorated with delicate marcasite floral motifs front and back. Carved and pierced jade motifs provide the final embellishments, as the ball clasp on top and the oval on the front of the enameled frame. Matching brocade forms the handle. The black interior, no wear issues noted, features open compartments on either side, each lined in yellow, A sewn-in label reads "Anton Moritz...

The design of this edition-of-two couture 1994 Maison Martin Margiela "Artisanal" knit pullover was based on a sweater assembled from a vintage pair of deconstructed dancer-leggings ...

These 1990s Casadei limited-edition black patent-leather, calf-leather and ornamental-Chinoiserie metallic-embroidered satin-bound mules with towering five-inch heels are supported by a unique platform with cut-out sides. The pair pays homage to traditional Japanese-geta sandals...

Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022) designed this corset-style hourglass-shaped red velvet evening cocktail dress with its outsized double bow and sheer moire faux-underlay while producing her "Dressed To Scale" collection in 1998 with then-decade-long protege Andreas Kronthaler. A design from this collection set a Westwood-clothing auction record at Christie's London when a corseted silk gown fetched over $41,000. This fresh interpretation of the classic Marilyn-Monroe silhouette was dubbed the "MM Corset Dress" for Westwood's 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...

Chanel vintage silk camellia scarf featuring a pale pink ground scattered with white camellias and accented by green leaves. Chanel printed in green capital letters at bottom right. ...

Walborg Art Deco inspired evening bag composed of black and gold beads, both reflective bugle beads and mat seed beads, arranged in a geometric pattern of squares and rectangles. Bot...

Handmade by New York-based milliner Jennifer Ouellette who custom designs head pieces for couture clients, this 1990s "candy" tweed wide band or draping tiara is intricately decorate...

c. 1970 mink jacket in a soft golden shade features a spread collar and comes with a brown leather sash belt. One fur hook and an interior tie keep allow ...

This unique handmade deconstructed cotton and satin cape that is convertible as a wrap skirt was created in 1998 by radical New York City artist-and-architect collective ORFI. The co...

As conceptual art while he transitioned to French luxury house Hermes Creative Director in 1998, Belgian Martin Margiela--whose creations today debut in the setting of a contemporary...

Valentino red straw hat, the deep back tapering towards the front, where it is creased in the middle and held with a straw knot and tie. The straw is worked in concentric circles and...

Black plush wool maxi coat features double-breasted styling and self sash. The coat buttons up to the pointed collar. Set-in sleeves with two buttons at each wrist and shoulder epaul...

Luxurious fisher coat by Alixandre, known for high quality furs. Simple styling featuring a notched collar and round, padded shoulders, the vertical skins ...

1970s coat crafted of gray pigskin suede and featuring white fox trim for the lush shawl collar and front trim that contours around the hem. A self belt with buckle encircles the wai...

A unique double coat, the main piece of silky black and brown print featuring a sable collar that continues down the front of the coat to the hem. It is lined with the same fabric an...

Vintage taupe bathing cap in "pixie" fringe style with one rhinestone at top. Size Small.

Rosenfeld c.1960s evening bag with chain of gold metal metal molded in a quilted and wave design. A gold metal triangular clasp, echoed on the rever...

Evening clutch of microbeads featuring a black background with an integrated floral in center and lattice design around the edges. Intricate, pierced gold tone frame embellished with...

Convertible clutch in faux tortoise shell features a textured goldtone clasp and gold chain. The chain folds away to convert to a clutch. Fabric interior with side compartment. Made ...

A unique piece from renowned coat and suit manufacturer Lilli Ann, this vest is extravagantly and boldly decorated with large multicolored paillettes in geometric shapes that echo th...

For his design mentor Rei Kawakubo's Japanese brand Comme des Garcons, Junya Wantanabe made this inimitable semi-transparent white taffeta floaty ruffled-V-neck sleeveless pullover dress with distinct parachute elements, cutwork, and adjustable ruching and draping as "Look 1 and 2" (see photos) for the Parisian fashion show debut of his Spring/Summer 2003 collection. The stunning combination of contrasts range from romantic-to-combat themes, gathered-to-flowing construction, raw-to-finely-finished edges, soft-to-hard materials, and gossamer-to-dense textural fabrics. Secured on the exterior of the dress with bold silver-tone metallic hardware, the parachute-like 100%-cotton grosgrain straps are mostly enclosed within multiple diagonal and vertical ruched channels to enable symmetrical or asymmetrical draping and lengthening of the thin synthetic fabric into multiple swags. Strap ends can freely hang from the functional hardware on the front of the dress and below its sides--as if they could be yanked to release the fabric into a drifty parachute sail. With the potential to be a stunning formal overlay if worn with a minimalist wedding gown or long skirt, the reverse side of the voluminous dress is equally remarkable for its ruffled diamond-shaped cutout at the lower back, where it is intersected by a trio of linked thick straps that are secured to a looped ruched channel. This creates an elongated bustle with a dramatic central 19-inch slit between the two swags that each extend 43 inches below the outer shoulder hem. This premiere-catwalk dress is distinguished from others in Wantanabe's "Parachute Jumper" collection by the complexity of its top. Two ruched straps form an X-shape via silver hardware at the upper back, extending to the front over the shoulders to form an adjustable face-flattering ruched V-neck with silver-hardware-linked narrow straps. 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 and adjustable style of the dress, which is equivalent to an Italian-size 44 or U.S.-size 6. Beyond a convertible dress...

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...

For her Fall/Winter 2002 runway finale with the model embodying a "jeans bride", Stella McCartney debuted this unique ethereal lingerie-like black transparent silk georgette blouse ...

With an elegant tucked front and all the drama on the back, this Gianni Versace Couture S/S 1996 black crepe short-sleeve lined mini dress features his signature peek-a-boo cut-outs ...

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...

As a variation of the traditional waiter-style apron that Belgian former fashion designer Martin Margiela reworked with his eponymous Maison Martin Margiela since its first collection for Spring/Summer 1989, this minimalist convertible transparent black chiffon rectangular garment was part of his Spring 1994 collection. The iconic corner-stitched textural white-cotton brand label is stenciled with seemingly contradictory text referencing an earlier Fall 1990 collection. Instead of the blank label that had become internationally recognized among progressive-fashion buyers during the brand's initial five years, this black print was added in this manner for only one collection during its founder's tenure. This distinct typography identifies it as one of his favorites that he reproduced from his first 10 fashion shows. This season-less self-curated retrospective collection without any new designs was unprecedented in the ready-to-wear luxury-fashion industry, which sold only newly-designed clothes typically two to five times annually. In the early 1990s, this old-made-new-again collection was astonishing for a Paris-based high-end brand, for which any lack of fresh designs for Spring had otherwise been attributed to the loss of an artistic director or the outbreak of war. Nevertheless, there are subtle differences of color, material and draping possibilities that make our re-edition unique from the 1990 apron and from later "replicas", which was the term that Margiela printed on a different kind of label for his second self-curated retrospective in Spring 1999 following 10 more collections. Aside from the text-printed brand label with four characteristic hand-sewn corner stitches, the only other element that unified Margiela's first collection of favorites was that all the items were overdyed a darker color so that the clothes were various shades of grey, blue or black depending on the original color of the textile and how much dye the thread/yarn absorbed. The first Margiela apron...

Italian Miuccia Prada created for her Fall/Winter 2000 womenswear collection this Vogue-photographed fashion-show runway "Look 1" three-piece ensemble, which includes a 1940s-inspired check-texture tweed wool skirt suit with defined hourglass waist and padded shoulders topped by a plush fur neck-piece. While Prada became known in the 1990s for some of the best accessories, this detachable multi-color red-fox collar with thin beige grosgrain ties and silk-lined reverse was featured in its ad campaigns and magazine spreads as the versatile must-have of the season at the turn of the century. To put this collection in perspective, the year that Miuccia Prada designed this elegant ensemble she was nominated as "Designer Of The Year" for the Vogue Fashion Awards. With 100% virgin wool, sharp shoulders, flap pockets, and full lining, the warm jacket...

An unusual mink accent scarf of asymmetric design, half in white mink, the other half in yellow mink. The yellow side features a slit through which the whi...

While sleek cloche hats were the rage in Art-Deco "flapper" fashion, this antique fur felt hat was commissioned by Parisian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli and...

Italian Roberto Cavalli who died in 2024 designed this silk-and-cotton top-and-jeans ensemble for Spring/Summer 2003, which showcases his signature mix of animal prints with luxuriou...

Loro Piana large navy scarf/shawl featuring a scrolling floral pattern throughout. Solid wide border all around in subtle textured pattern. Composition is 60% silk, 40% cotton. It fe...

Small shoulder bag in fur, probably raccoon, with black leather frame and long gold chain. Black interior. Unmarked. Chain length: 37".

Vivienne Westwood's son Joe Corre opened the first lingerie boutique for his sexy London-based brand Agent Provocateur in Soho in the mid-1990s, when the sole owner of this black lac...

1980s white cotton cropped jacket by Oscar de la Renta features black topstitching at the edges and diagonally placed decorative black buttons fr...

Dorothée Bis woo knit 1980s ensemble consisting of a mid-calf skirt in solid pale blue/gray top with an oversized long seater with a charcoal ground -printed throughout with the coor...

Fur-trimmed and decorated cardigans were all the rage during the 1950s and '60s. This prime example is of black cashmere featuring a bicolor mink collar in white and gray vertical st...

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

Count Romi specialized in all-weather coats, as well as those suitable for travel. This example, from the early 1970s, is crafted of bright red wool knit and features double-breasted...

Arguable the most significant design in the Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2003 collection--since our versatile garment debuted in different 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 bubble-shaped mini dress with white-satin stripes and pink piping was a favorite of the show's 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 with stretch-cotton ribbed neckline and hem, plus custom golden-charm two-way zipper, enable it to have different necklines and lengths to convert to a shorter draping 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...

Handmade by legendary New York fashion-scene photographer and prior mid-century couture milliner Bill J. Cunningham (1929-2016), this rare asymmetrical supple black leather hat featu...

A profusion of multicolored beads and sequins adorns the surface of this eye-catching evening jacket. The mostly pastel beads cover the entire black silk surface in a riotous patter...

As French couture made by Martin Grant at his Paris atelier in the Marais in the mid-1990s, this pale grey plaid lightweight-wool slit-skirt suit has many hand-tailored elements that...

Suarez convertible clutch crafted of an unusual shade of lizard, avocado, that will provide the perfect complement to a wide variety of colors in a wardrobe. the clutch has an intere...