Massachusetts - Fashion

As arguably the most versatile garment that former fashion designer Martin Margiela made with his eponymous Paris-based Maison Martin Margiela, this convertible double-faced semi-tra...

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 Fall/Winter 2005 collection this bias-cut, layered, silvery semi-tr...

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...

While also Gucci Creative Director, for his first collection for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford designed this S/S 2001 black two-layer peek-a-boo delphos-silhouette draping evening gown. It features a Ford-signature plunging V-neck above ruched center-seams that support side-draped cut-out opaque panels. For discrete see-through effects under the draping, it overlays a fully attached black semi-transparent figure-hugging stretch-silk maxi dress. At this turning point in fashion history, French founder Saint Laurent (1936-2008) planned to retire by early 2002 with his last haute-couture collection--after selling his Parisian business to luxury conglomerates that named American Ford its director. Crystalizing the iconic brand's sex appeal at his first YSL show, Ford debuted in Paris tuxedo-inspired womenswear in mostly black or white, which included this dress that conjures an ancient Greek female sculpture...

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...

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

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 ...

Tom Ford for his Gucci Spring/Summer 2001 collection toyed with the mid-century concept of nude sex-appeal embodied by the initial Playboy-bombshell Marilyn Monroe, who inspired that season's designs and ad campaign. With the themes of bare skin and black-seamed sheer stockings, Ford's opening looks on his fashion-show runway featured ecru corset dresses with black transparent or leather overlays and stiletto heels. Our versatile ecru leather tuxedo-influenced sharp-shoulder dinner jacket is from the same award-winning collection. Significantly, 2001 was the year that Tom Ford (b. 1961) won the Council of Fashion Designers of America womenswear award for Designer of the Year, while The Met acquired Ford's signature corset dress for its Costume Institute collection. Purchased at the Gucci boutique on Manhattan's Upper East Side, this "Made In Italy"-labeled jacket is tagged size 40, while suiting a US-size 4 to 6 with the padded shoulder-to-shoulder seam measurement of 15.4 inches and 23.6 inches arm length. The jacket is streamlined by marked and angled peak lapels, sleeve vents with concealed buttons, back symmetrical vent, and single-point closure near the interior seam via a tiny Gucci branded silver-tone metal clasp. Notably, these elements are among the most technically challenging to tailor. Fully lined in ecru silk-blend fabric, the jacket's left interior chest pocket sports button-and-fabric-loop closure and a fully sewn larger black Gucci brand label. For styling inspiration, we added photos of the jacket worn over our not-included black-tulle-covered ecru strapless balconette corset dress, which was the Gucci Spring/Summer 2001 fashion...

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

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...

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 ...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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

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 ...

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

As conceptual art while he transitioned to French luxury house Hermes Creative Director in 1998, Martin Margiela--whose creations today debut mostly in contemporary-art galleries--de...

Navy convertible clutch, the exterior enhanced front and back with a set-in white rectangular border echoing the shape of the bag. The bag features...

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 ...

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

The late Italian Gianni Versace near the end of his life--cut short by his murder in July 1997--designed this couture heavily embroidered semi-transparent silk chiffon sleeveless hou...

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 ...

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

Donna Karan crochet lace dress crafted of metallic gold yarn that skims the body and features a deep V neckline front and back, flutter cap sleeves slit down the center, and handkerc...

With Martin Margiela's original blank white textural cotton corner-sewn label from the early 1990s visible above the structural hole in the center of the circular knit, this openwork yarn top that is clearly a one-of-a-kind Artisanal "Line 0" garment by Maison Martin Margiela is crocheted from a brown soft animal-hair blend into a see-through changeante pattern recalling a collapsed spiderweb. A prominent European dealer sold a Margiela Fall/Winter 1994 similarly knit but longer deconstructed openwork mohair-blend dark grey cape-like "maxi cardigan" that also featured a circular knit hole and spiderweb aesthetic. Its remaining additional tag indicated that it was produced by Margiela's longtime Italian knitter Miss Deanna. Further, we have found similar one-of-a-kind Margiela openwork-knit and unraveled pieces, as well as one with oversized snaps like the fasteners on our top, dating back to his 1992 collection. Suggesting that our listing could have been from an even earlier collection possibly knit by Margiela's mother, Antwerp fashion museum MoMu featured a pale deconstructed mohair sweater dating from 1990 in its major Martin Margiela 20-year retrospective (see our snapshot), which was an exhibition produced in collaboration with the designer during his final year at the house in 2008. Our design may be a vintage style collected for reproduction before the new commissioned top was deconstructed with his Paris-based team. Our knit fastens with pompon-tipped yarn ties, along with two signature silver oversized snap-buttons, which appeared on Margiela tops most noticeably in 1994 for a collection that was inspired by toy doll wardrobes and included human-sized reproductions of actual loose-fitting miniatures. For price comparison beyond the recent record-breaking Margiela auctions in Paris, two other Margiela 1990s...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Italian Miuccia Prada created for her F/W 2000 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, Miuccia Prada 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...

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...

Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche charcoal gray velvet jacket, c. late 1970s-early 1980s, trimmed on all edges in black braid. The collarless jacket is cropped and features narrow sleev...

Given the stenciled YSL logo that had been created in 1961 while the founding fashion designer was only producing haute couture, paired with the French-blue bordered "Yves Saint Laur...

1997 arguably marked the pinnacle of Japanese Comme des Garcons founding designer Rei Kawakubo's collection debuts when she introduced deconstructed asymmetrical "lumps and bumps" padding and transparent tops that both deformed and revealed female bodies. For the Fall/Winter "Adult Punk" collection, she designed this transparent ecru organza pullover blouse, whose bodice and lower long sleeves are color-blocked with white textured silk-blend appliques and lined in white tulle that is hand-sheered above the outer hem. A recent Parisian exhibition at Musee de la Mode, "1997 Fashion...

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...

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, ...

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 Look 2 (see photos) for the Parisian fashion show debut of his S/S 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...

Definitely a one-of-a-kind piece, this pastel-colored artisan jacket is composed of various materials, primarily suede and canvas, and is trimmed in snakeskin and spotted fur strips....

From the Spring/Summer 2000 collection that Rei Kawakubo described as "beautiful chaos", this purple-overdyed grey stretch knit short-sleeve pullover top, which is perceived as diffe...

Mid-20th-century rhinestone belt composed of five rows of round stones featuring a square rhinestone buckle. On the opposite end of the belt, there are 10 central openings for the bu...

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 transparent black chiffon rectangular garment, which can be styled as a tied face veil, jabot, wrap skirt or dress, was part of his first retrospective collection in 1994. The iconic corner-stitched textural white cotton brand label is stenciled with seemingly contradictory text, which notes the Fall/Winter 1990 collection in which the original design debuted. 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 distinguish our garment from the 1990 one and from later "replicas", which was the term that Margiela printed on a different kind of label for his second self-curated retrospective of 10 more collections in Spring 1999. 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. More so, the materials of the retrospective garments differed from their debut collections. In a silk-like floaty gossamer fabric suggesting a dress lining, our matte synthetic garment in an extraordinarily fine weave was cut and sewn with hems and topstitched ribbons at two corners on one of the longer sides, which gives the noted women's US-size 6 the most styling possibilities--although it can be worn by virtually anyone in more than one way. The flat stiff woven ribbons may be repurposed tailoring or bias tape. As we have sold multiple Margiela apron...

Recalling contemporary Hermes luxury womenswear, this antique Native American quilled brown chamois suede leather sleeveless chemise dress was handmade during the "reservation era" b...

For the late British designer's S/S 1999 fashion show, this Vivienne Westwood runway-look three-piece ensemble of a black corset-style jacket,...

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

Black wool/cashmere blend easy jacket featuring a large and plush brown fox shawl collar. Raglan, above-the-wrist sleeves, no buttons, , hidden pockets in si...

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 ...

Black faux astrakhan coat that features a detachable cape. The fitted, princess-style body is single breasted and fastens with 8 black stone and silver...

Italian Roberto Cavalli (1940-2024) designed this two-piece leopard print ensemble of a highly embellished top and cuffed capri jeans for Spring/Summer 2003, which showcases his sign...

Comme des Garcon founder Rei Kawakubo designed this translucent salmon-pink bias-cut satin sleeveless maxi-dress evening gown for her Spring/Summer 2000 collection, which debuted on a runway model at Paris Fall Fashion Week as "Look 12" among the Vogue photo-coverage (see our last photo of the ensemble). The unusual V-neck shape creates a deep central drape in the front of the unlined dress that prevents the synthetic semi-transparent fabric from clinging to the torso. To continue to flatter the curvy shape of the lower body like the bias-cut enables, such as while walking, Kawakubo added an additional piece of fabric with a circling angular seam that rises from the wider hem. With the exception of the brand tag, all others were cut off 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. If the buyer would like to create a layered ensemble with this gown as seen on the runway, we have other textural colorful tops to choose from with over-dyed unique appliques from this same Spring/Summer 2000 collection. However, we think our backless-mannequin photos show that this minimal dress...

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...

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...

Thierry Mugler 1980s suit in brown wool gabardine features a belted jacket with silver metal stars dangling from the patch pockets and interesting inverted V detail near armhole. Dro...