John Anthony's business was all done on a made-to-order basis. That means that each piece is the only one that exists or in the very occasional circumstance that there are similar pieces only a very limited amount of pieces were made. And to make things even a little more special.... the pieces I have in the shop come directly from John's archive. He is one of the great American couturiers and he was known for his sharp tailoring and striking evening wear. He launched his atelier in 1971 and he quickly rose to fame, winning a Coty award in 1972 and then again in 1976. This dress is from his Fall 2012 collection and is the original sample from his archives. It is gorgeous. 

This dress is fantastic. The dress is pure simplicity and elegance and yet is still has a sense of drama. The dress combines a sleek fine black wool jersey for the upper bodice and then the skirt is a beautiful taupe coloured silk with a bit of a sheen to it. The bodice of the dress is done a sleek turtleneck that is gathered slightly around the neck and then it has his signature low dropped opening for the arm. I love this little detail as it adds an unexpected touch of skin at the sides but in a very elegant way. It skims over the upper bodice and slightly gathers around you as it drops down to the waist and is just easy to wear and feels easy on. A matching black tie belt that is extra long cinches in the waist and can be wrapped around you or left to trail down the length of the skirt. Underneath that the skirt flares out in a dramatic swirl of silk. If you were to lay this skirt out flat it is an actual fill circle skirt which I absolutely love. This gives it tremendous movement and volume as you move and it swishes and swirls as you walk and move. It is lined in a featherlight silk organza dyed to match and it is just beautiful to see on as it moves. Pockets are hidden on each side of the hips for that perfect quiet ease. The silk has just a touch of an iridescent quality to it and is beautiful in the light. It is very chic and minimalist. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

The bodice is made of a double layer of the jersey and the skirt is fully lined in silk organza. It zips to close with a hidden set zipper at the back. Comes with its original matching tie belt and has pockets along each hip. The top has some stretch. Hand finishes throughout. 

Bust: 14-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13-13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 20" from neck to waist but gathers up a bit once on the body
Total length: 69" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4561

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.