Vintage Couture: It’s Back!

As woman who loves flashy clothes, when EJ emailed me a photo of a 1980s “CD de Christian Dior Robes de Soir” ball gown, with huge shoulder pads and sixteen pounds of sequins, I bubbled over in joy. This article involves a favorite topic of mine, vintage couture.

What is vintage couture?

I laugh when fashionistas call 1980s and 90s styles “vintage.” When applied to furniture and decorative arts, vintage means an object 100 years old. An article of clothing reaches the category of vintage when:

1. Present day designers “borrow” a feature from the past, and create a “value” for that feature in the present marketplace, and also create value for that item made in the past.
2. A piece of clothing has significance by virtue of its designer, fabric, construction, and sometimes, historical relevance (meaning, who wore it).
   

Eva Peron, the First Lady of Argentina, wore a Dior ball gown in 1950, which Christian Dior created for her. This dress met all the requirements of great design, great designer, great fabric, and great construction. But the 1950’s strapless with nipped waist and huge tulle skirt fell out of fashion. That is, until period costume design consultants were hired to re-create 1950s looks for TV shows like Mad Men. Now the feature, the nipped waist, re-appears in recent fashion design. So Eva’s gown, now classic vintage, sold for $10,000 at auction.

Blast From the Past

Hard to believe for us women who wore the huge 1980s shoulder pads, the 1980s shoulder line, such as that we see on EJ’s gown, came back. We see in a Lady Gaga music video, Gaga in humongous shoulders and little else. Nicki Minaj also rocks those 80s shoulders. So this blast from the past entered a modern re-invention. I predict the value of vintage 1980s shoulder padded couture will skyrocket, but only the couture. Defined as an elite tier of fashion, individually made and fitted garments. Not the tacky oversized neon workout gear, worn with bunched up long gym socks and aerobic tennis shoes. Think Kim Basinger in 9 ½ Weeks.

CD de Christian Dior Robes du Soir

I found EJ’s gown especially interesting and valuable because, as well as made of the finest silk and hand-beaded, the label reads CD de Christian Dior Robes du Soir, New York. Yes, Mr. Dior opened a boutique in New York City in 1949, exporting designs from his Paris shop at 30 Avenue Montange. By 1950 Dior fashions made up seventy-five percent of all Paris’ fashion exports and five percent of France’s total export revenue. So EJ possesses a gown from the New York Boutique.

Also in the 1950s, Jacques Rouet, the general manager of Dior Ltd revolutionized the fashion world forever when he obtained a license to put the Dior name on not only elite clothing but on luxury goods like men’s ties, handbags, jewelry and perfume. The snooty French Chamber of Commerce considered gauche for the haute couture industry when the licensing was granted. But profits soared and a trend, the “designer label” took flight, on everything today from sunglasses to luggage.

EJ, your gown may sell at auction for approximately $2,000, judging by records from Skinner’s Auction in Boston and Freeman’s Auctions in Philadelphia. 1980s quality couture is indeed hot today. The Daily Mail of London reports two-piece lady’s suits with bold prints and nipped waists and shoulder pads a la 1980s made a comeback. According to retail sales at the London retailer Debenhams’, along with the de rigueur costume jewelry such as big crystal/pearl beaded necklaces, and – you won’t believe this – lady’s power pant suits.