This is an incredibly well preserved midnight blue silk dress, dating from the late 1910s to the early 1920s. It features a softly rounded neckline, with a crisscross silk ribbon trim and six popper closure to the right hand neck seam. The front and back panels are made using deep V inserts in a deep blue chiffon, embroidered with floral designs in gold and blue thread. This chiffon detail continues on both sleeves, which are then finished, wide at the cuff, with solid blue silk and crisscross ribbon trim. The waist section features a narrow embroidered silk belt which fastens at the back with a hook and eye closure, giving the dress a lovely nipped in shape. Inside the back central pleat is another embroidered chiffon panel, which can be seen when the dress is in motion. The skirt is lined with a shorter piece of silk, and falls beautifully due to the soft nature of the fabric.

The dress is unlabelled but bears all the hallmarks of early French haute couture. In superb antique condition and wearable with only very minor occasional pulls to the silk, which are hardly noticeable - exceptionally rare for an item which is over 100 years old. Its relaxed shape means it would best fit anywhere from a UK 10-14, or 6-10 US.

MEASUREMENTS:

BUST: 40 in ( 101.6 cm )
WAIST: 34 in. ( 86.36 cm )
HIP: 42 ( 106.38 cm )
SHOULDER: 32 ( 81.28 cm )
LENGTH: 45 ( 114.3 cm )