#2362 $1,250
Beaded chiffon evening dress, late 1920s
The best way to have a one-of-a-kind design without the high cost of couture is to buy great vintage pieces. You will stand out in the crowd in this sophisticated vintage original. The dress is fashioned from layers of black silk chiffon embellished with silver beads, clear crystal beads, and glittering rhinestones. It comes with a black satin slip.
The figure flattering cut is fabulous. The flared, short beaded bolero emphasizes the smooth, hip-hugging fit of the long beaded torso. The bias-cut chiffon skirt flares below the hipline. The style was very au courant, considering that Vionnet invented the bias cut in 1922.
The brilliant design (4th picture down) was meant for the woman who will embody the glitter and excitement, the romance and mystery, of the night. In his Notes on Paris (1867), Hippolyte Taine evoked her image:
She sets the fashion, lays down the law in dress; her manners are copied, and she is the talk of the town. She is felt to be superior, a queen among women; notwithstanding their apparent scorn, ladies admire her, ask questions about her, in the bottom of their hearts envy her freedom and her license, and foresee in her a rival.
The skirt, short in front and long in back, presages the longer skirts of the 1930s. The dress slips over the head with no closures. The slip closes on the side with snaps.
The condition is almost excellent. I found a few tiny holes (pin-prick—1/8") in the skirt. They are virtually invisible over the black slip. Mending would make them more obvious.
It measures: 38" bust, 34" waist, 40" hip, 44" from the shoulder to the front hem, and 54" from the shoulder to the back hem.
