A 1980s or early 1990s dress by Adolfo, a Cuban-born fashion designer who made exceptional clothes which retailed in the best of the best US department stores. Piano shawls were popularised in the early 20th century and influenced by Orientalism and Jazz Age fashion. This dress is made from one of these original period shawls from the late 1920s and is a great example of early textile recycling. Adolfo also loved to work with antique patchwork fabrics. Crafted from black silk to a mini-length with a wrap-around silhouette. It has a V-shaped neckline and cropped sleeves. Hand-knotted fringing elongates these sleeves and the bottom hem of the skirt to dramatic effect. The embroidery work across this dress is still in superb condition and the body is embellished all-over with incredibly detailed rainbow-hued birds, florals and vines. It closes with hidden tonal snap closures and an embroidered tie at the side of the waist, again finished with fringe. The dress is lined in black satin. Internally, it is beautifully made with many hand-sewn finishes.

In excellent vintage condition with no flaws to the embroidery or the fringing. It has no size or composition labels and the fabric has no stretch. We think it a best fit for sizes UK 8-10 or US 4-6.

Notes on Designer: Adolfo Sardina was renowned for creating beautiful, intricate garments to haute couture standards designed to be layered and worn together. He achieved international fashion fame as one of Nancy Reagan’s favourite designers during her years as first lady after being introduced by Betsy Bloomingdale. He started his career as a milliner and apprenticed under both Cristobel Balenciaga and Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. He dressed many of society’s most prominent women for almost three decades after he opened his own fashion house in 1962, including the Duchess of Windsor, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Babe Paley and Gloria Vanderbilt.

MEASUREMENTS

BUST - 34 in. (86 cm)

WAIST - 32 in. (81 cm)

HIP - 38 in. (97 cm)

LENGTH - 38 in. (97 cm)

SHOULDERS - 16 in. (41 cm)