#6628 $1,250
Chanel-style black flapper dress, c.1926
After Chanel introduced the little black dress in 1926, it became a modern fashion icon. The ascendancy of the LBD made it the subject of many interpretations and copies. If you saw the Chanel exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in 2005, you probably noticed a similar Chanel original. The 5/1/05 New York Times Styles section had a picture of the original, taken by Karl Lagerfeld himself.
Here is a creative interpretation of the LBD, this one fashioned from black sheer silk chiffon over a black crepe slip. The floating back cape gracefully emphasizes the dip in the skirt. Both pieces slip over the head with no closures.
I love the flirty handkerchief hem of the bias-cut skirt that dips lower in back. The designer was obviously very au courant. The bias cut had been invented by Madeleine Vionnet in 1922, only four years before this dress saw the light of day.
These days Coco is everywhere. Whatever goes around comes around and ends up looking just as Chanel as ever. If you are watching the pennies, you can save more than $30,000 by choosing our dress over the original displayed at the Costume Institute in 2005.
The condition is excellent. It is clean and ready to wear.
The slip measures: 38" bust and waist, 42" hip, and 44" from the shoulder to the hem.
The dress measures: 40" bust and waist and 42" hip.
