Late 1930s - early 1940s black rayon crepe faille dress with floral sequined appliques.
This lovely vintage dress has padded shoulders with full caps.. ... a semi fitted bodice with 3/4 sleeves and keyhole detail at neckline. There is also a pretty celluloid and rhinestone button above the keyhole opening. The skirt falls straight and has a draped swag panel which gathers on the left hip beneath a crescent shaped faux pocket. The shoulder, hem and pocket are all embellished with floral appliques that are highlighted with colored sequins. The dress zips at the side and closes at the nape of the neck with a row of covered buttons.

A lovely dress suitable for a number of dressy occasions.

The size is Med/Small with a boyish cut. The waist is somewhat long so I would say the best body for this dress would be willowy with narrow hips. It will accommodate an average bust size. Please note measurements.


Bust 36"
Waist 28"
Hips 35"
Length of skirt from waist to hem 29"


Excellent Condition

Mourning dress from the later teens, WW1 era. Post Edwardian.
A bit of history.
The events which took place in Europe during the time of the first World War profoundly effected the world of Western Fashion. The 4 year war took the lives of over 27 million, mostly Europeans and the infamous flu epidemic killed many millions the world over. Europe was at war for three years before the United States joined the Allies in April, 1917. From 1914 until the end of the war in 1918 beautiful Paris, the "Seat" of Fashion was a somber and serious place. It became a city filled with young widows and grieving families. Early on the women of the day threw themselves into the war effort. They worked in factories and hospitals and the confining nature of the clothing from the "Belle Epoque" were no longer acceptable. Corsets, crinolines and hoop skirts gave way to loosely fit dresses with shorter skirts and comfortable higher waistlines. Flounces and full skirts were impractical so the dress became narrow with minimal embellishment. Of course the predominant color worn was black, the color of mourning. Although the U.S. was not fighting during most of the war the Fashions here were changing according to the dictates of the Parisian designers who were creating garments for the circumstances of their land.

The dress.
This somber but sweet little WW1 dress is done in black silk taffeta with black chiffon accents. With such fine fabric and fancy details it would have been considered a dressy garment. The bodice is deeply V'd in the back and front with sequined and beaded insets. Decorative panels drape front to back and are beaded on the edges. The waist wraps with a pleated band. The sleeves are flowing black chiffon ending above the wrist. The straight skirt is just slightly belled and has pleated panels adorning the sides. An attached short "apron" in front has beaded details at the corners. The back of the dress has black chiffon streamers on both sides which fall from the waist to hem. This dress closes at the waist with a complex series of snaps. There is no label, most likely it was done by the dressmaker to the family. All of the work is beautiful from the hand beading to the hand finished seams.
Small/Extra Small in size. You will want to pad your measurements because these dresses chould be worn loosly so as not to strain the delicate fabric. The measurements are as follows.

Bust 35",
Waist 29",
Shoulders (a bit narrow) 15 1/2" 
Length of the skirt is 33".
It is very rare to find a garment from this time that was not utilized. However this dress was never used, the fabric is still strong and it can be carefully worn.

Excellent Condition

1950s Dinner, Dance or Party dress

 Lustrous acetate crepe in a warm taupe. Empire style dress with gathered surplice bodice and soft shoulder. Wide dolman sleeves. Princess fitted waist and full skirt. Empire seam is defined by a self fabric inset that finishes in back with a smart bow. Skirt fullness is enhanced with a deep, center-back inverted pleat. The skirt is underlined with taffeta to give it body and it has a side metal zipper.

The plunging neckline dispels any hint of prim, in this ladylike yet sophisticated design. A very versatile special occasion dress that can cross seasons. The neutral tone is a perfect canvas for numerous accessory choices. Just about any color you can think of will work. I'm a brooch fan and would probably pick something huge and sparkly but a necklace would be beautiful as well. I have it pictured with a semi full petticoat underneath which gave it just the right amount of fullness. The petticoat is not included but there are lots of online sources for both new and vintage petticoats. (just key word petticoat or crinoline).

The dress is a medium size and will work well on someone with height and can accommodate a very full bustline It has the following measurements.

Bust up to 40"

Waist 28"

Empire seam right under bust 30"

Hips Free

Length from shoulder to hem 48"

Excellent Condition

 Cocktails in the garden....

 The finest cotton sateen and matching print voile went into the making of this lovely Christan Dior dress.  The cut is so  elegant....sleeveless sheath silhouette with draped panel accent and shirred "empire" bodice. The print is a bouquet of stylized florals in  shades of blue, green and aqua with highlights of lemon yellow. The body of the dress is silky cotton sateen...the drape and shirred bodice are done in sheer, matching print, voile. The date is difficult to pin point because it's such a classic style but with the help of my colleagues at the Vintage Fashion Guild we determined it was mid 1960s.

Ready to wear never got any better than Christian Dior New York, it was the closest you could come to couture. The prices were high and so was the quality. This dress is completely underlined in soft cotton batiste, all of the facings are hand finished and the zipper is invisibly hand stiched INSIDE to remain in place without any signs of stiching on the outside (speaking as a dressmaker this is really cool!) the hem is quite generous.

I don't know what else to say...it's just gorgeous!

Small size, the dress is designed to skim the body not cling tightly so the bust measurement is smaller in proportion than a more fitted dress would be.

Bust - JUST makes 35"

Waist - 30"

Hips - 38"

Length from shoulder to hem -  39"

Mint Condition inside and out, this dress looks like it was never worn

 Simply stunning three piece set with layers upon layers of luscious tie dyed panne velvet.  The velvet is hand dyed in shades of dark plum, purple and midnight blue with highlights of mango and tan. The set consists of a bias cut, cowl neck halter top and four gore skirt with a draped cocoon over jacket. The jacket has deep batwing sleeves and a long, self fabric scarf that is attached at the neck. It can be tied but I photographed it hanging loose. The pieces are un-lined and drape beautifully. The skirt has an elasticized waist and the back of the halter top is elasticized as well. There is no belt and none is needed but you can certainly wear one with it. I did take one photo with a belt (belt not included).

Worn all together, as a set, it's definitely a special occasion outfit but each piece is lovely on it's own as well.  The possibilities are many for mixing and matching mix with the rest of your wardrobe.  I'm not 100% sure of the era on this one. it has elements of the 70s and 80s and the maker, Whispers of San Francisco is one I am not familiar with. With the help of my friends at the Vintage Fashion Guild, we decided it is probably from the 80s. One of my colleagues thought it had a Stevie Knicks vibe while another compared it to Norma Kamali. Sometimes it's hard to tell era with artisan labels. Their work tends to focus more on creative textiles and silhouettes and less on mainstream fashion trends.

Besides the makers label, there is another that was put in by the shop it was purchased from. This one reads Tommy DeMaio Boutiquier, The Sheraton Center NYC. I was able to look up Tommy DeMaio and discovered he has been in business since the mid 70s. The company is now a salon and boutique, still located in New York City but not the same location.

The size is marked medium and it has the following measurements.

Skirt

Waist - is elasticized and with fit a range from 27" -32" comfortably

Hips - 40"

Length - 33"

Top

Bust - is elasticized in back and will fit a range from 36" to 40"

Waist -is bias cut, with give, so it will fit the same range as the skirt (see above)

Length from under arm to hem of top 16"

Jacket

Free size, will fit the same range of measurements as the other pieces. It is 32" long in back and the sleeves measure 26" from the neck to the edge of the cuff. Note : I am measuring the sleeves from the neck NOT the shoulder.

Excellent Condition no flaws to be found,