Spring 1988 Christian Dior by Marc Bohan Runway Haute Couture Black Strapless w Bow

The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Spring 1988 show. It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan for Christian Dior. The evening portion of the collection focused on short dresses that had a corseted waist and bust with wrapping techniques that gave the feel of a sarong. The dress is a wonderful example of the feel he was after and it is fantastic. We found a teeny slice of a photo of it on the runway and even though the photo shows the model on an angle it does give you an idea of how wonderful this will be on the body. This would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier. The fabric is a black silk organza that has been gathered so it has a slight 3D puffed effect. This creates an incredible texture over the dress. The fabric is light in weight and despite the elaborate construction of the dress is not at all heavy once it is on. Inside the dress has a full proper corset with boning and built in cups to give support . A wide grosgrain ribbon hooks in place around the inner waist. All of the seams are finished by hand and its construction is a nod to the early days of couture. The bodice is cut with a curving sweetheart neckline and it is meant to hug the body. It is elaborately gathered and fitted around the bust with all of the gathered folds coming in to the seams that run over the bodice. It nips in at the waist and there is a large and elaborate bow that sits at the base of an angle seam coming from the bust. I love how this is set to curve around the hip to the back. The addition of the bow adds to the hourglass feel the dress has. The skirt curves down and comes back in and under the front panel to give it a more wrapped sarong feel. The dress is fully lined in a black silk and closes with a hand set side zipper. The interior of the bodice is boned and cupped for support. The inner corset closes with its own zipper and a wide band at the interior waist hooks to close. There is a tiniest bit of lightening to some of the edges on the fabric. This is a natural aging of this type of fabric and I do not consider it to be a true flaw but it is mentioned for accuracy. It otherwise appears to have been worn very little if at all. There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below. Excellent condition Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam Interior waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam Bodice: approx 10" from top of bodice to waist Total length: 29.5" from top of bodice to hem Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED Item# DD5782 All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.