Hubert de Givenchy moved to Paris in 1942 where he worked for Jacques Fath, then Elsa Schiaparelli, and eventually Cristobal Balenciaga. Givenchy often attributed much of his later success to the years with to Mr Balenciaga and what he learned while there. In 1952, Givenchy founded his namesake house in Paris and quickly rose to fame as one of the great couturiers of our time. I am always pleased to find any of his Couture work as it is rare and this particular dress is exceptional with every detail on it finished to Haute Couture standards.

The dress is made from a fine silk chiffon in a dark brown colour. Worked through the chiffon are metallic dots that are made from several hues of metallic threads ranging from gold, silver and copper. These catch the light as you move and give the silk a real sense of movement as the light plays over the metallic bits and they move in and out of the pleats that dress is done in. It is really an amazing effect. The dress is immaculately made. Down the center of the front and the back is a panel of the fabric that has been hand pleated in a series of sharp little knife pleats softened by the lightness of the fabric. This creates a series of vertical pleats that add detailing and also give the dress more movement. The sides have no pleat work and this is a clever way for the dress not to swing out so much that you lose all shape. When worn without a belt the shape is loose and easy. I have added a grosgrain ribbon to give it some shape and you can see how much that simple addition changes the look of the dress. The sleeves billow out above their buttoned cuffs. The neckline is cut wide across the shoulder and it is accented with a mink fur collar. The dress is made to couture standards with all the inner seams finished by hand. I have included a shot of one of the inner seams for you to see. It is extraordinary and the kind of quality and beauty that you will only find with vintage. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition with one note below

The dress is lined in a hand set fine brown silk. The sleeves are unlined so have a touch of transparency to them. It closes on the interior silk lining with a hidden hand set, painted metal zipper that is hidden under the edge of the pleats at the back. The exterior layer snaps into place over that. Each cuff of the sleeves button to close. The ribbon is not original to the dress bit will be included. Finished to Haute Couture standards and entirely done by hand. Haute Couture tape label is present and numbered #59349. The easy cut should work on a range of sizes

Note that you could switch out the fur for a faux or even have it removed and the edge finished underneath of the fur bothered you and then just keep the fur stored for archiving purposes.

Sleeves: 26" but there is no set shoulder seam
Shoulders: no true seam
Inner bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner lining waist: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner lining hips: to 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 51" from top of shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED if the bust works

Item# DD2936

I have a small collection of historically important, key designer labelled vintage furs, fur trimmed & feather pieces stored away in my archives that I will be slowly posting on the site over the next couple of years until I have none left. I will no longer be buying furs for the shop moving forward and have not purchased anything for several years now. I feel like times have changed and while there still is a place for vintage furs for some, including collectors and historians, many modern girls are choosing other options. Many of the pieces in my collection are representative of the designer during a set time period in history that was different then our modern outlook. I have decided that the best course to handle this controversial issue is to let the pieces I have go rather then sit in a cold storage unit. All fur coats, fur trimmed & feather pieces are final sale

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.