This is a great piece from a quantity of glamourous clothing I found at an estate sale for a woman who had been both an avid collector and entrepreneur with shops in the southwest. Most of the clothing had been stored for some time; just about everything survived well.
This dress is total elegance...a gown worthy of Audrey Hepburn at least! It is an incredible bit of design and craftmanship. As a seamstress myself, I can see how much work went into the construction of a garment like this!
The fabric is luscious...a dull peau de soie or very heavy silk taffeta in a subtle mauve. It is totally, absolutely totally lined with a very heavy pellon that gives and holds the perfect shape to the princess lines. The incredible part comes with an inset in the left side seam...a group of 6 pleats that give an added fullness and sweep to the dress without adding bulk. The fabric there was cut in two adjoining pieces that were pleated flat and lie beautifully into the skirt. How the seamstresses did this with all that pellon was a magnificent accomplishment!
The only embellishment is a delicate pattern of matching mauve iridescent sequins across the bodice and onto that left panel...curving leaves and tendrils accented with large mobe style faux pearls. It doesn't need anything else!
There is no size tag inside; as a matter of fact, I almost didn't find the Domb label! It measures about 34" across the well-shaped bustlne, about 24" through the waist. Total length is about 48-1/2". Long metal back zipper makes dressing easier.
We photographed this with a hoop (not included) to show the sweep of the skirt.
The gown is in perfect wearable shape, but a couple of conditions should be addressed. There are 2 minor spots on the dress (can send pix if you like) that I'm sure can be removed by a good dry cleaners. I would do that here, but I haven't found a cleaners in our area that I can trust vintage garments to!
Also the bottom edge has swept the floor (of course!) and there are some scuff marks and some wear on the edge of the hem which does not show when looking at the dress. The cleaning will address part of this; perhaps a judicious hem alteration (1/2" or less) would save further wear...depending on the wearer's height! All in all, the dress is in splendid shape.
If you have dreamed of wearing the most elegant ball gown ever, this one can certainly be the answer. It will make a breath-taking entrance anywhere, anytime...even Audrey would have loved this!