Massachusetts - Fashion

Among the Greek-goddess inspired mini dresses that Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) designed for his first French haute-couture Givenchy collection in 19...

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

John Galliano, while Christian Dior Artistic Director for French haute couture and ready-to-wear, designed for his Autumn/Winter 2005 collection this bias-cut, layered, silvery semi-...

Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014) for his Sprint/Summer 1982 collection created a number of styles of bold vibrant uniquely handpainted crepe-de-chine caftans that helped define his five...

As a variation of the traditional waiter 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, which can be styled as a tied face veil, jabot, wrap skirt or dress, was part of his 1994 first retrospective collection. The iconic corner-stitched textural white cotton brand label is stenciled with seemingly contradictory text referencing an earlier Fall/Winter 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 the garment 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 referenced 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...

With intricately hand-embroidered pink-tone ombre reflective rose flowers and 20-inch hand-knotted tassel fringe on all sides, this museum-quality antique 85-inch-square ballet-pink ...

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

For his first collection for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche while also creative director at Gucci, Tom Ford designed this Spring/Summer 2001 black two-layer peek-a-boo delphos-silhou...

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 for 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...

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

A beautiful float of a dress, this Yves Saint Laurent evening caftan-style gown is crafted of black silk chiffon printed asymmetrically with a white abstract floral/leaf pattern belo...

Clearly inspired by early-20th-Century French designer Paul Poiret (see our photo from TheMet museum exhibit of a 1911 ensemble), Stella McCartney designed these one-off balloon pant...

For his Gucci Fall/Winter 2001 collection, Tom Ford designed this sleek leather-and-knit pullover that features a suede collar and plunging V-neck front that drapes in a reverse V-sh...

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 ...

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, so that it can also be styled as a 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...

Designed by Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014) for his Resort 1975 collection, this deeply draping two-layer empire-waist maxi dress gown is hand-painted on white silk in a blue-and-cream...

For Comme des Garcons S/S 1997 iconic collection titled "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body", which was nicknamed lumps-and-bumps, Rei Kawakubo designed this navy two-piece set of transparent pullover long-sleeve net tulle blouse and convertible translucent bias-cut draping long skirt or tube dress debuted on the runway in "Look 11" among the Vogue coverage (partly concealed under a navy open robe). Significantly, our pair repeats the fashion show's "Look 1" theme--which was interpreted by TheMet museum curators as "clothing-absence/body-presence"--with a see-through symmetrical top revealing breasts and a bias-cut draped asymmetrical skirt that clings to body curves. Variations of this silhouette were modeled in white, navy or red. Many had net-encased organ-shaped down pillows freely inserted into net underlays by the designer to shockingly distort the silhouettes with impossible feminine curves, such as with two kidney-shapes on the back or a tube across the front of the hips. This set will likewise accommodate such padding that is apparent in the Vogue photos...

This vintage amusing enameled silver pendant adjustable-chain unsigned necklace, belt or novel interior decoration features heart-shaped two-inch...

While a revolutionary futurist fashion designer in the late 1960s, Paris-based Paco Rabanne (1934-2023) created for an French haute couture client this hand-painted silk chiffon shaw...

When Belgian former fashion designer Martin Margiela debuted gold Lurex knits while French luxury-goods Hermes Womenswear Artistic Director, simultaneously for Fall/Winter 1999, he introduced at his eponymous Paris-based Maison Martin Margiela a collection featuring 1970s-inspired Lurex-accented sweaters, along with oversized loose clothes intended for either women or men. Including a distinct printed tag stitched into a seam by Italian knitwear innovator Miss Deanna, who created many iconic knits under Margiela's artistic direction, this Margiela sparkly finely-knit long-sleeve pullover in a Lurex and viscose stretch blend is a minimalist unisex design with narrow ribbed trim at the crewneck, wrists and hem. Its "Made In Italy" size 44 with a 15.5-inch shoulder-line is without darts and drapes like a one-size-fits-most soft T-shirt. Presenting the optical illusion of a dark tube top and detached sleeves worn underneath, the lightweight sweater was knit from pale-gold, grey and blue yarns into a ombre pattern like a spray-painted gradient or dip-dyed fabric. Yet the additional glittery orange-tone metallic thread (difficult to photograph due to reflections) woven throughout proves that it was not painted or dyed, but an experimental complex knitwear manufacturing technique by Miss Deanna. While we have sold Lurex distorted sweaters by Miss Deanna from the F/W 1999 collection with matching label text formatting and a blank Margiela brand label, none of them included a conceptual trompe-l'oeil of another garment in reference to earlier collections, which suggests that this is among a Margiela-commissioned one-off comparable to her initial Artisanal knits. Later for Margiela's first diffusion collections, Miss Deanna mass-produced knits for Line 6, which were identified by the house's new brand label with a circled numeral among the Line numbers from 0 to 23. This more affordable Line evolved into MM6. Comparatively, Margiela's Fall 1999 Artisanale Line 0 collection, which was instead produced by his Parisian team, explored the textural effects of hand-painting fabrics, such as the unisex T-shirts that were striped or obscured with thick silver paint. Earlier in the 1990s, Margiela had reproduced some vintage...

The best-known writing instrument of all Montblanc collections, this Meisterstuck Classique features six gilt rings and a clip on the black resin rollerball pen with a pull-off cap, ...

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 knitted long-sleeve sweater with peek-a-boo textural stripes features a dramatic circular ruffle collar that drap...

A lightweight coat from the 1960s composed of a nubby off-white wool and featuring a straight cut with dolman sleeves, a small mink collar, and a single-breasted closure system with ...

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

While John Galliano was artistic director of Chistian Dior haute-couture and ready-to-wear, he designed this hip-accentuating bateaux-neck sleeveless sheath dress with characteristic...

Small 1960s crocodile handbag from Artbag on Madison Avenue, NY, features an envelope style top with snap closure and double handles that attach belo...

Handmade in England in 2004 by recent-Louvre-museum-exhibited British Duro Olowu for the debut of his eponymous brand, this mixed-print silk kimono sleeve empire-waist mini dress fea...

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 ...

Italian Roberto Cavalli (1940-2024) designed this silk-and-cotton top-and-jeans ensemble for S/S 2003, which showcases his signature mix of animal prints with luxurious embellishment...

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 ...

These couture Roger Vivier Paris platform stilettos with a heel height of four-and-a-half inches feature dark-chocolate brown fine Italian leather and leopard-print animal hair with ...

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...

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

This Comme des Garcons black flared-hip fitted shirt cum open jacket, which features a unique feminine bustle-like applique hand-stitched into draping bias-cut pleats layered around the inner hem, was designed by Japanese Junya Wantanabe for an early 2000s collection. Significantly, The Met museum made rare purchases of his similar experimental three-dimensional patterning for its Costume Institute after the designer debuted what he described as "techno couture...

Like a turtleneck ensemble acquired by TheMet, Ann Demeulemeester designed this bold-silhouette contrasting-texture wool set of chocolate ribbed tight high-neck cropped long-sleeve knit sweater and black bias-cut crepe mini skirt for her Fall/Winter 1996-1997 collection, when the latter low-waisted garment without a waistband was worn on the Paris runway over trousers. The soft thick darted pullover jumper characteristically has the designer's hallmark of oversized exaggerated cuffs, which can be left unfolded for a more feminine look. The Belgian designer meticulously tailored the brushed-wool skirt so that its three seams are in the back, where there are also darts to flatter the bias drape, two belt loops, and invisible zip closure at the center. Aside from featuring knitted turtlenecks in almost every ensemble that debuted on the runway that season, this collection was significant because Demeulemeester--who was known for her black-and-white palette of monochromatic pieces until she retired from her independent label in 2013--added colors and textures including this sweater. However, red was the only color featured on the runway. For an alternative pairing idea, we included a photo of a similar brown ribbed darted high-neck sweater, which was worn in Demeulemeester's runway show for Fall/Winter 2000, but with a shiny billowy slit maxi skirt...

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...

A unique find, this tunic top is composed of vertical rows of openwork metallic thread in shades of blues and lavender and features butterfly sleeves and scooped necklines back and f...

Lovely style and fabric in this summer dress of lavender voile embroidered allover with a repeat linear pattern in white and edged with a narrow white scallop. The shirt-style dress ...

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...

Black cardigan from the 1950s-'60s embellished with black beads and sequins. Sweater composition is lambswool, angora and nylon and has tiny spherical ...

Embodying Yohji Yamamoto's unique mix of Japanese classic fashion draping and construction with Savile Row menswear tailoring for women, this convertible wool white-pinstripe grey re...

Golden mink stole of simple, yet novel, design, it sits around the shoulders and gracefully frames the upper chest, neck and face. Constructed of three skins, the longest hugs the ba...

Made in Italy, this Emanuel Ungaro Paris double-ruffle-trimmed bright red layered baby-doll evening cocktail mini dress features a handpainted-tulip print that has different effects ...

Uniquely designed as couture by French Jean-Charles de Castelbajac in the 1980s in Paris, this oversized soft cashmere-viscose-wool bias-cut Italian-knit black sweater has made-in-Fr...

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...

Wide-brimmed natural straw hat w/wide navy velvet band and red fabric roses. Small high crown perches on top of head, does not pull down, lined in taffeta. Wide brim, 5 1/2 inches at...

Stella McCartney debuted for the runway finale of her Fall/Winter 2002 collection this unique ethereal lingerie-like transparent silk georgette blouse as Look 36 among the Vogue cove...

A finely woven shawl in ivory wool bordered with lace. Large square in excellent condition. Beautiful, lightweight hand. Bergdorf Goodman label.

Featuring his characteristic couture-a-porter innovative craftsmanship, Ermanno Scervino designed this guipure lace white viscose crochet knit mini dress for a resort collection. Sti...

French Jacques Adnet--before he gained fame designing furnishings for Parisian luxury artisan house Hermes--created this Art-Deco period bar set with his characteristic combination o...

Made by a Jean-Paul Gaultier accessory designer during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in January 2004, this custom-made feather headpiece with a black long three-prong hair comb fe...

Made in Italy in the 1990s in garnet thick stretch wool for a soft tight fit that remarkably drapes, Romeo Gigli designed this off-shoulder pullover knit top like a long-sleeve blous...

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...

1950s-'60s cropped ivory sweater covered in ABA sequins and studded throughout in a turquoise bead and pearl motif; turquoise beaded edging is further ad...

Flattering mahogany mink hat featuring a broad, upturned brim and a round crown. The brim is stiffened to hold it shapeand edge can be unrolled for a straighter brim. Lined in black ...

Sleekly designed by Tom Ford, these Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2003 slim high-waisted straight-leg jeans feature fine stretch-cotton denim, rear tucks, five pockets, and five b...

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

For his design mentor Rei Kawakubo's Japanese brand Comme des Garcons, Junya Wantanabe made this inimitable translucent 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. Significantly, no other Wantanabe collection is represented by more garments at The Met Costume Institute. In our dress, 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...

This Valentino Made In Italy semi-transparent 100% silk charmeuse pink fuchsia raspberry sleeveless pullover top features a low scoop neck in front with wide shoulders and darts for ...