Blass from the Past

The great thing about a tee shirt is you can throw it on and run out the door. The same can be said about this amazing Bill Blass black chiffon tee-shirt dress. The dress is covered in small black paillettes that are sewn in a slight ombre pattern. The paillettes begin to fade at the knee and are completely absent from the bottom, revealing the black chiffon. It's cinched at the waist with a black satin bow, giving it a classically elegant shape. All you need to do is throw this on with a pair of great heels, possibly a miniaudiere clutch and an arm to guide you.

Bill Blass black chiffon dress with black paillette ombre pattern, c.1970. Contemporary size 6 to small 8. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

If it's good enough for Joan . . .

It is good enough for you! This dress is an Adrian. If you are not familiar with Adrian, click here. If you simply can't be bothered to do your fashion homework, the quick and dirty version is as follows: Adrian is as Hollywood as they come, he was a costume designer for MGM from the 20's to the 50's and designed for over 200 films. The most famous of these films was The Wizard of Oz. He is also credited with creating the Joan Crawford "Look." He inspired the exaggerated shoulder pad silhouette in the 40s that was reinterpreted in the 80s. Today the silhoutte is experiencing another renaissance and has been referenced in the Balenciaga collection.

Now that you have learned the history of Adrian, we will delve into discussing the dress at hand. It is made of ivory crepe, and has amazing iridescent beading in a floral pattern (very 40's). The neck is a halter top with a high V, and ruching around the top of the zipper. The bottom of the dress has a dropped bustle effect that is very unusual and absolutely gorgeous!

Adrian white crepe halter dress with iridescent embroidery, c.1940. Contemporary size 4. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

LIGHT AND LILAC

Calling all bride's maids! Lilac seems to be a perennially favorite color that brides choose for their bridesmaids and we gotcha covered in this Thierry Mugler crepe halter dress. The asymmetric halter features a platinum bugle bead trim that snakes around the neck. The silhouette may appear subtle, but like other Mugler designs the crepe is seamed seductively in curves to accentuate a woman's body. The back of the dress gives good back, which is nice when you are walking down the aisle, even if you are always the bridesmaid and never the bride! Who knows, you might attract...from the back!

Thierry Mugler lilac halter with platinum bugle embroidered asymmetric neck, c. 1980s. Modern 4. Label removed. SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

Hide and Seek

In the early 1980's Yves Saint Laurent hid a gem somewhere on this gorgeous Haute Couture gown. Can you spot the gem? We will give you a hint, "as the tail wags, the dress shall shine." Did you figure it out? Fine, the gem is hidden on the lower back; look at the last picture in this post. The gown is fashioned from aqua silk satin and has a crew neck, long sleeves, and a sultry drop waist. The pièce de résistance is the large slit down the back of the gown that reveals a single strand of crystals. Hanging from the center of the strand is a large clear gem, and what woman doesn't like being surprised with gems? This gown is perfect for one of those once-a-year extremely glamorous balls... Perhaps something like the Met Ball, which we believe is coming up rather soon!

Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture aqua silk satin dress with hidden gem, c. 1980

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

Pleasure DOME

The dress below is very reminiscent of a Norell Mermaid gown, but it is not a Norell. This is from the Pleasure Dome. We know what you are thinking, but the Pleasure Dome was a store on Sunset Blvd. in the 1970's that catered to the rocker/club set. The amazing dress below is electric purple, and no we did not make that up. Electric purple lies halfway between violet and magenta, and is the perfect color for a dress covered in paillettes. The material is a viscose jersey, obviously covered in paillettes. What makes this dress special is the uber cowl floating off of the low dipping back. This dress is for a woman that has an amazing back and loves to show it off. It features long sleeves, a seductive side slit, and a high, small boatneck.

Pleasure Dome electric purple paillettes and jersey uber cowl dress, c.1970's. Contemporary size 4. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

BRIDE WARS?

Could there be a war over who gets to wear this pleated and flawless early 80s Chanel dress by Karl Lagerfeld? A war between a bride and an attendee of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Party of The Year"? The dress is missing its label, but we had the dress once before in blue and purchased this gorgeous gown from a woman with AMAZING clothing. Plus, the dress still has it's Chanel hangtag attached, and hello, we are Decades...we know a Chanel when we see a Chanel! According to the fashionable previous owner, she never wore the dress; hence its spotless condition - quite an achievement for a cream dress. The dress pleats over the bust, cowls down the back, and has a defined waist. On each side of the hips are "faux" pocket slits that give this gown a very modern feel. Mid-leg, the dress gathers to create a fishtail effect that is quite subtle in an ode to old Hollywood glamour. This dress is worthy of a beautiful bride but not limited to nuptials. A cream gown always stands out in a sea of black and would look wonderful worn at a gala. The only exception to a white or cream gown is when you are attending a wedding -- and you are NOT the bride!

Chanel Boutique by Karl Lagerfeld cream crepe pleated evening gown with cowl back, c. early 1980s. Label missing, but Chanel hangtag attached. Unworn/deadstock. SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

Cheaper than Balmain

If you have been paying any attention to the looks coming out of Balmain, you know what we are talking about. The dress below is by Vicky Tiel. It is a ruched black and gold viscose tube dress with a sweetheart neckline. The neckline is an exaggerated deep sweetheart that has wiring all around to hold the structured shape. The entire dress is covered in gold paillettes and the interior is lined in black satin. Seriously, this could very well have been from this season's Balmain collection. We have a feeling when they were working on inspiration for the current collection, they may have taken a few tips from past Vicky Tiel and Fabrice designs.

Vicky Tiel black and gold tube dress with deep sweetheart neckline, c.1980. Marked size 38, contemporary size 4.
SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

The Queen of all Bags "JUMBO"

We know that "Jumbo" is not a name befitting a queen, and all we have to say is, "Hail Queen Jumbo!" This black patent leather 1980's Chanel bag is one of the most sought after items this season. We cannot tell you how many times clients come in asking us if we have any more Jumbo bags. Usually we say "NO", but at this moment we can finally say "YES, yes we do have a Jumbo!" Now run to those phones, fly to the store, or shoot us an email, because this is guaranteed to sell within the hour.

Chanel black patent Jumbo tote bag, c.1980.SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

A Chiffon Dream

Decades is proud to present an amazing 1960's Harvey Berin dress. This piece comes from the collection of Mrs. Berin, who you can imagine had the very best of her husbands collections. Berin was known creating very elegant and feminine styles for the American elite, including three First Ladies. One of the most famous looks Berin created was Pat Nixon's inaugural gown in 1969.

The dress below is made of rhinestone encrusted grey chiffon with cap sleeves, a round neck and a cinched waist. The dress also comes with a matching grey satin belt and a grey under-sheath.

Harvey Berin grey rhinestone encrusted dress with satin belt, c.1960. Contemporary size 4.SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

Last of the Blouses

Sadly, these two are the last of our Anne Klein blouse collection. The first blouse is a platinum color silk with a woven pattern. There is a ruffled front panel of fabric that can be wrapped around the neck for a more formal look. The second blouse is blue and white vertical stripes on a woven polka-dot pattern blouse. The blouse comes with a strip of fabric that can be used as a waist sash or tied around the neck.

Anne Klein platinum woven print silk blouse with front panel, c.1980. Contemporary size 4-6.

Anne Klein blue and white stripe woven polka-dot pattern silk blouse, c.1980. Contemporary size 4-6. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.