This dress is absolutely gorgeous and it is very well documented. It was sent to me by someone that worked for Bill Blass. The dress was purchased from the company archives when the original label shuttered in 2012. Which means that this could very well be the same dress that actually walked the runway since it was from the Blass archives. It still has it's original tags from that sale and I have left them in place since they add historical accuracy for the dress's provenance. Kristen McMenamy looked spectacular in it as she walked the runway. I have included the runway footage here so that you can see just how wonderfully this dress moves. The dress was shot for an editorial for Mirabella magazine and it appears twice in the book 'Bill Blass: An American Designer'. It is truly one of the most spectacular dresses I have seen by him and is wonderfully pretty and romantic feeling as well.
The dress is made out of a combination of a pretty floral and a checked gingham. The floral part makes up the main body of the dress. It is a warp printed silk taffeta chine that is finished in a soft peach blush. This then has romantic bouquets of pretty spring florals trailing across its entire surface. The silk has the feel of an antique 18th century gown and I love this reference back to the past. The top is a fitted slip style bodice and the dress is suspended from the shoulder by thin silk straps that curve up and over and then inwards towards the centre. The beck is set very low so that you get a wide expanse of bare skin. The waist is set to have a slight drape to it as it wraps around you. The silk curves around you down the front of the skirt and then curves back up to meet the waist at the back. This gives the front of the dress a more long and lean feel but with a hint that something special might happen as you turn. The back is the star of the show. A checked underskirt flares out and back in a tremendous sweep of fabric. The underskirt is made out of a slightly heavier weighted silk faille in a yellow and white gingham check. The heavier fabric and sheer volume of fabric used causes the back to have a full beautiful feel to it. Many yards of silk have been used its construction and it designed to have massive volume at the back. From every angle of the dress you get these wondrous sweeping views. The combination of the two prints is just amazing. It is one of the most beautiful dresses I have seen. Excellent condition with some a small note below.
The bodice is lined an a blush silk and the gingham part of the skirt is interlined with silk in some parts and backed with a second layer of the silk gingham in others. It closes with a hidden set zipper at the back and then the skirt snaps into place over that. Hand finished throughout. Original atelier tags attached. The straps have been hand tacked at their base to shorten them and could be let out. The tops of each strap is delicate and shows some shattering but they are wearable as is. Slight grubbiness to the edges the hem and to the straps. There is a piece of fabric missing from the underside of a seam on the floral layer that does not show but that I am mention it for accuracy. The slightest of wear to the silk near the top of the zipper where it looks like someone pinned something there art some point perhaps. Please see the photos provided after the label shot.
Bust: approx 16" flat across but there are no true side seams
Waist: 13-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: approx 60" from top of shoulders to front hem, 65" to the longest point of the back hem
Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED
Item# DD3635
Reference Photos: (1-3) Spring 1995 Bill Blass Runway. Model: Kristen McMenamy. / (4) Sheila Metzner for Mirabella magazine, May 1995. Dress by Bill Blass. / (5-6) From the book "Bill Blass: An American Designer".
This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.
