Circa 1970. France

Rare ‘Little Black Dress’ by Gabrielle Chanel Haute Couture in black wool jersey, dating from Mademoiselle Chanel's final years before 1971. labelled and numbered 39634, it comes from the haute couture collections between 1969 and 1971. It is a great classic, named the Ford of Chanel in the 1920s by President Henry Ford. Here, this classic model plays on feminine ease and codes borrowed from the male wardrobe with the tuxedo and black and white. A simple, straight dress, crossed at the front with a zip and hooks at the shoulder, long sleeves and cuffs in white silk ottoman highlighted with four knitted-style gold brass buttons. Vertical topstitching unfolds into pleats in the skirt from the hips down. A matching low-waisted belt with loops, lined with grosgrain, and a buckle engraved on the reverse with the SGDG, Sertissage patent. Black silk taffeta lining for the skirt and CHANEL label sewn on one side of the bust with a cotton ribbon on the front bearing the number 39634. No flaws to note apart from two or three tiny moth holes that have been stabilised. Very good colour and condition. This dress is wearable given its condition, but above all it is a collector's item!

Dimensions: Equivalent to French size 38/40. Length 111 cm, shoulders 39 cm, waist 92 cm, bust 96 cm, hips 100 cm, sleeves 63 cm.

Iconography: Model similar to the Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York – circa 1927, number 1984.28a–c. Model similar to Man Ray's photograph immortalising Coco Chanel in 1935.

The ‘little black dress’, one of Chanel's most popular and enduring contributions to women's fashion. In all its layered details, a simple fabric, wool jersey, becomes elegant thanks to superior sewing techniques. Couture details such as visible seams, carefully arranged pleats, the finely finished hem of the skirt and the hand-sewn belt make this ensemble an example of Chanel's characteristic “luxury poverty”, an expensive interpretation of a simple design made from modest materials. Chanel appropriated sewing details from riding outfits, menswear, and service uniforms in her quest to reduce and refine women's clothing to its simplest and most elegant expression.