In 1951 a 27 year old James Galanos launched his first label called Galanos Originals. By 1954 he had won a Coty award and the Neiman Marcus award. By 1958 he was producing clothing that could range in price from $200 to $3000, an astronomical price for ready-to-wear for that time period. His ready-to-wear line was made close to couture standards and with a level of craftsmanship that was on par with the French couturiers. Galanos was a master cutter and draper and he used many couture techniques in his work. Grace Kelly was an early fan. He was truly one of the great American designers and his work is held in all of the major museums around the world. He is one of my personal favourites. The label in this one dates this to the 1963-1977 time period.

This dress is so bright and cheerful feeling. It has a sharp little rounded collar that sits at the neckline and no sleeves. The bodice is cut to skim over you and then the skirt is cut in a sleek little flare that skims over the hips and flares out with hidden flat inverted pleats set all the way around you for a touch of pretty volume. The shape that you see is all achieved by the way the dress has been seamed and shaped. The pleating technique that was used would have taken a lot of extra fabric to achieve and it is rare to see this done so well in modern production. It is very flattering once on the body. When you stand still the skirt lays flat and smooth but when you move you get an incredible burst of movement and volume. The fabric is a high end silk twill that has been treated to give it a crisp finish. It was then finished with that beautiful bright floral print in bright primary colours that covers the entire dress. It is chic and fresh feeling and I love the wonderful colours. And it has pockets. Excellent condition with a tiny note below

Fully lined in an ivory silk and closes with a back painted metal zipper. There is the tiniest bit of fraying under the arms and a tiny areas on the back shoulder. Please see the photos after the label shot

Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 41" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Item# DD4628

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.