Massachusetts - Fashion

Among the Greek-goddess-inspired mini dresses that Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) designed for his first haute-couture Givenchy collection in 1997 and ...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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, ...

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-...

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...

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 ...

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...

For his Gucci F/W 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-shape on t...

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, 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 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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

With Belgian former fashion designer 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 "Line 0" Artisanal 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 similarly designed but longer deconstructed openwork mohair-blend grey cape that also features a circular knit hole. Its remaining additional tag indicates that it was produced by Margielas' longtime Italian knitter Miss Deanna for the Autumn-Hiver 1993-1994 collection. Further, we have found similar one-of-a-kind Margiela openwork-knit and unraveling pieces, as well as one with oversized snaps like the fasteners on our top, dating back to his 1992 collections. Suggesting that our listing could have been from an even earlier collection, Antwerp's fashion museum MoMu featured a pale deconstructed mohair knit sweater dating from 1990 in its major Martin Margiela 20-year retrospective (see our snapshot), which was produced in collaboration with the designer during his final year at the house in 2008. Based on other Margiela couture pieces with more than one remaining identification tag, the design of our cardigan without a remaining text tag began as a vintage top collected by Martin Margiela to upcycle or reproduce, and/or it was made-to-order by Miss Deanna before he finished it to some degree with his Paris-based team. Our knit fastens with pompon-tipped yarn ties, along with two signature silver oversized-snap buttons, which most noticeably appeared on Margiela tops in 1994 for a collection that was inspired by toy-doll wardrobes and included human-sized reproductions of actual miniatures. For price comparison, another 1stDibs dealer currently lists a silver-oversized-snap-fastening brown faux-leather windbreaker "doll" jacket by Maison Martin Margiela for upwards of $7,000. Also on 1stDibs, two other Margiela 1990s...

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 ...

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 La...

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...

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...

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 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 ...

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...

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.

For Comme des Garcons Spring/Summer 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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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 ...

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 ...

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

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...

Handmade in England in 2004 by recent-Louvre-museum-exhibited Nigerian-born British Duro Olowu for the debut of his eponymous brand, this mixed-print silk-trimmed kimono sleeve empir...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Missoni sundress, c.1970s-'80s, with spaghetti straps and interior elastic band that gathers the fabric in at the waist. Predominantly raspberry zigzag stripe knit. Light, packable a...

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

This Azzedine Alaia (1935-2017) black Spring ensemble features a new-condition triple-zipper fine-denim bodycon skirt from the iconic 1986 Alaia Paris brass-zipper collection. For a ...

With his signature beige color and elegant minimalist bodycon style, Italian Giorgio Armani (1934-2025) designed this semi-transparent 100%-silk pointelle-knit sleeveless fit-and-fla...

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...

Open-toe platform shoes in plum-colored snakeskin by Robert Clergerie featuring ankle straps, a thick high heel and gold bars under the toes. Retailed b...

Handmade in the 1970s by the museum-collected U.S. milliner known as "the mad hatter of the Midwest", Chicago-based Raymond Hudd (1924-2011, nee Huddlestu...

Unlike anything else from the 1990s, Comme des Garcons founder Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942) designed in 1999 for her Spring/Summer 2000 collection this pink-overdyed pullover soft stretch-...

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

Brown tweed wrap coat by Bill Blass features wide lapels, menswear style patch pockets and a matching tweed belt with buckle. Deep back vent. Brown taffeta lining. Approximate size 6.

Appearing in several versions on the Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2003 collection runway with silk oversized long bell sleeves (see our photos of the gold and white versions beginn...