Circa 1980

France

Elegant black silk velvet Chasuble evening dress by Madame Grès Haute Couture (attributed to) dating from the 1980s. Minimalist Chasuble cut with two large triangular panels buttoned at one shoulder. The black cut silk velvet lined with matching Duchesse satin gives this chasuble impeccable fall and fluidity. Two black satin silk ribbons can be tied at the sides. No label but two bolducs from Madame Grès's sewing room, one of which is handwritten by Sandra. No flaws. Very good colour and condition.

Dimensions: One size fits all. Height 119 cm, shoulders 46 cm, waist 124 cm, hips 139 cm, bottom 191 cm.

"For a dress to survive from one era to the next, it must be extremely pure. This is the great secret of a creation's survival." Madame Grès

Germaine Krebs (1903-1993), known as Alix and later Madame Grès, began working in Paris's Faubourg Saint Honoré in 1934. From 1942 to 1988, she moved to 1, rue de la Paix under the name Grès. Her style was famous for its draping and pure lines. She created her first draped dresses from 1934, using the properties of an artificial silk jersey. Her compositions gave the models the appearance of Greek vestals. Asymmetrical dresses, draped in the antique style as if moulded onto the body, dresses of volume and fluidity, where the faille, the taffeta, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk, the silk.