A 27 year old James Galanos launched his label in 1951. In 1954 he won both the  Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award. His clothing ranged in price from $200 to $3000 which for the time was an astronomical price. He made things to order to couture standards and his work was on par with the French. Grace Kelly was a huge fan and his work is held in all of the major museums around the world. He is one of my personal favourites and this dress is a stunning example of his work. It is one of those dresses that really needs to be on an actual body to come to life but once it is on a body it is even better than what you see here.

This dress is spectacular. For the skirt he used an incredible four layers of silk chiffon that are perfectly stacked on top of each. The sleeves are two layers and then the bodice is backed in a  more opaque black silk. This dress is also interesting, because the way that the skirt is set into the back uses the same technique as this Met museum held 1957 dress I that I have had in the shop before. In the Vogue's description at the time the skirt was described as being; 'narrow in outline, but with beautiful easy folds from the waist, falling in self contained spirals'. The skirt is cut so that it gathers up and into the middle of the dress at the back. This gives it that lovely draping you see as it flows tot he floor and then extends out a touch past the hem. A high slit is hidden in that draping so when you walk you get a flash of bare leg. The bodice is cut to skim and blouse over the body to the waist and the waist is cut with a more generous feel. You could add a belt if you wanted to cinch that in more and give it more shape. It is so well made that I think that you could actually wear the dress either way. The sleeves are spectacular and each one is cut wide and full above the ruffled wrist. The d Picking up on that ruffle on each sleeve is the detachable ruffle that hooks into place around the neck. I love how this gives you two very different looks. Without the ruffle it feels more minimalist. With the ruffle it has that extra bit of glamour. Excellent condition

Both pieces are fully lined in a black silk chiffon as described above. It closes with a low painted metal zipper at the waist and then has a row of buttons above that. Hand finishes. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.

Sleeves: 27"
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: 19-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 13.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 20" from neck to waist
Total length: 69" from neck to front hem, 73" to the back hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4611

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