PIERRE BALMAIN HAUTE COUTURE

This gown is more or less a guarantee to get you on the Best Dressed List at Monday Night's Party of the Year gala benefiting the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pierre Balmain Haute Couture designs a home run of a strapless bodice sheath gown composed of a pink satin band with a bow attached to a scrumptious dress of gold and silver metallic lace embroidered with pearl, metallic ribbon, and satin forming floral shapes. The gown has a corset so when your hands raise your dress won't fall to your ankles. It's nothing short of a triumph of French Haute Couture in a perfectly modern silhouette. Our Balmain Haute Couture always sells so fast, so grab this this quickly!

Pierre Balmain Haute Couture exceptional embroidered pink strapless gown, c. late 1950s. Modern 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

IF RED IS THE NEW BLACK, THEN RUBY IS THE NEW DIAMOND

Oh Mr. Galanos, you are so talented at taking faux diamonds and rubies and making them look better than the real thing. This mid 60s ruby wool crepe gown has a rectangular insert of Swarovski crystal embellished daisies that also make the straps that criss-cross in the back and create a border for the pyramid-shaped keyhole at the back. You can't tell from the photos, but this dress has hidden pockets at the hips which always solve the problem of "what do I do with my hands?" The solution is simple: buy ME!

James Galanos for I. Magnin ruby wool crepe gown with Swarovski diamond and ruby embroidery, c. mid 1960s. Modern 2 to 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

FLAP YOUR TROUBLES AWAY

Feelin' blue? Throw on this fabulous flapper dress of black jet and paillettes on a light black net and flap those troubles away. Flappers had fun and so should you! This pointed hem and revealing sides makes this a dress for celebrating. It would be perfect for the Girl on the Go attending Monday night's Costume Institute Gala as The Flapper is one of the archetypes of the show and the savvy shopper will take this nearly 100 year old dress and make it look modern and stylish with a pair of very current runway shoes, perhaps by Balenciaga. The juxtaposition of old and new insures that the American Woman and her style will never go out of style.

Anonymous black jet and paillettes on net flapper dress, c. 1920s. Modern 2 to 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

AMERICAN WOMAN

Hello friends of Decades who are attending the Costume Institute Gala on May 3rd and are trying to find a gown, please note that the theme is NOT American Designers, but rather the American Woman and the archetypes of fashionable women from 1890 to 1940 such as The Gibson Girl, The Heiress, and The Flapper, for example. Sure it is nice to wear something American, but the majority of the clothing in the exhibit is French from Jean Patou, Coco Chanel, and Madeliene Vionnet. Only a few American Couturiers existed at this time and they include, Elizabeth Hawes, Charles James, and Valentina. You are not expected to wear American or early 20th Century fashion, rather we encourage you to find something amazing that celebrates great style of any era by any designer of any nationality. We have so many options and anything from DECADES is good enough for the MET gala!

A PEONY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

Anna May Wong owned this very same and perhaps this actual dress as we just found a photo of the legendary Chinese-American movie star of the 1920s and 1930s on this website that support a recent documentary about the life of times of the ground-breaking star and icon. This black bias cut satin gown with cowl neckline, reveal back, and dramatic train has peony embroidery elegantly added on the shoulders and back. Anna May Wong is one of the subjects of the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's forthcoming exhibition titled American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity and designs by Travis Beaton for Ms. Wong are included in the exhibition. We are hoping to learn more of this gown, but wouldn't it be an ideal option to wear to next Monday's gala? Paying homage to a subject of the exhibition in a dress that Ms. Wong owned (again, we can not confirm this was her dress, but we can confirm she owned the same dress!).

Anna May Wong bias cut gown with peony embroidery, c. 1935. Modern size 0 to 2 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

DIVINE DOLMAN

We always love a great Norman Norell mermaid even if not everyone understands the brilliance of a jersey second skin with perfect paillettes hand-applied with patience and diligence. If you desire a little air between your mermaid and you then this is the mermaid for you! A red jersey knee length dress with a mock neck and wonderful wide dolman sleeves covered in fuchsia sequins. Just because there's a little room to breathe doesn't mean this dress is generous. The waist is super tight and the jersey clings to your hips and back (which is why we didn't shoot the back of the dress from the waist up as we couldn't zip it up our size four mannequin). The magic of a mermaid is that it celebrate curves without exploiting them. The cinched waist and tight skirt can give the boy-ish figure curves that would make Mad Men go numb in ecstasy. About the waist, you will certainly notice some sequins missing and we can't do anything about it as our amazing embroidery resource researched these sequins for nearly a year and could not find the perfect match so our suggestion is the next owner should shorten the dress a wee-bit and show off her legs and use the discarded paillettes to fill in the missing area. A solution that seems sensible for our dress that is sensational.

Norman Norell dolman sleeve sleeve mermaid dress of red jersey with fuchsia paillettes. Runway sample. Modern size 2. (waist section as found and repairable)

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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

GOOD CARB

It has been said that Pucci dresses are the bread-and-butter of vintage stores worldwide. That may have been the case when DECADES opened way back when in 1997, but fortunately the vintage consumer has expanded her repertoire and so many designers from the past are desirable. However, what's wrong with bread-and-butter other than the carbs? We felt it was time to celebrate the reliability of Pucci and certainly this sophisticated palate of brown jersey with white and black print is cause to break some bread! Kimono sleeves, an empire waist, and a self-sash makes this floor-length Pucci very distinctive from the rest of the pack. As with all things Decades, we love everything that isn't part of the pack.

Emilio Pucci kimono sleeve jersey empire waist long dress. c. 1960s. Marked size 12, modern size 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service

FROM THE RUNWAY TO ?

Here is another gorgeous archival Rochas by Olivier Theyskens. This strapless gown in the lightest shade of turquoise is textured silk with black trim detailing the bust. The dramatic back features innerwear as outerwear revealing corset bands and the skirt of the dress has a beautiful train. This is the runway sample originally presented in the Spring/Summer collection of 2005. Destined to be a major vintage collectible in the next decade, we say, get a head start and purchase a definitive dress of the first half of the first decade of the 21st Century!

Rochas by Olivier Theyskens archival light turquoise strapless runway gown, S/S 2005. Model's sample size 2 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

THEY SPEAK

A panel on vintage at home and on the runway moderated by Elle Decor Editor-in-Chief Margaret Russell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Legends of La Cienega: CELEBRATE HOLLYWOOD.
Hosted by La Cienega Design Quarter (LCDQ) and ELLE DECOR, the second annual
event commemorates interior and production design in Hollywood with dozens of
engaging window displays re-creating favorite movie sets, as well as fascinating panel
discussions and presentations by interior design’s A-list. Proceeds benefit Habitat for
Humanity Greater Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, CA April 13, 2010- La Cienega Design Quarter (LCDQ) presents the
second annual design event slated for Friday, May 7–Saturday, May 8, benefiting
Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA). A collaboration between ELLE
DECOR and LCDQ, the event will honor design on the silver screen and television, and
the creative talents that have made Hollywood the capital of the entertainment industry.
On May 7 and 8, the exciting lineup of programs hosted at LCDQ showrooms for
designers and the general public will include:
• Inspiring window vignettes created by top interior designers and production designers
such as: David Phoenix, Tim Corrigan, Peter Dunham, Mark Cutler, Richard Hallberg,
Oliver Furth, Philip Nimmo, Woodson & Rummerfield, Katie McGloin, Jane Hallworth,
Kathleen Clements, and Katie Leede.
• Panel discussions and presentations featuring: celebrity stylist Estee Stanley,
Madison Hildebrand from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, fashion and textile designer
Trina Turk, Creative Director of Missoni Home Wanda Jelmini, Bravo’s Top Chef
Masters chef Susan Feniger, textile designers Irving & Fine, fashion journalist Merle
Ginsberg, founder of Spacecraft Kristofer Keith, fashion designer Catherine
Malandrino, designer of Soho House Waldo Fernandez, and Decades founder
Cameron Silver.
• Presentations on: HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR (Defining the look of Hollywood
opulence); VINTAGE LINEAGE (Classic designs with modern applications for the home,
red carpet, and the runway); IT’S A MOD WORLD (‘60s design in today’s pop culture);
DELICIOUS DESIGN (Imaginative restaurant design in L.A.); and LA DOLCE VITA (The
sweet life of design with color in the home, film, and fashion), to name a few.
• An invitation to meet leaders of the design, fashion, and entertainment communities at
luncheons, teas, cocktail parties, fashion events, and book signings. For more
information on Legends of La Cienega and the La Cienega Design Quarter, please visit:
lcdqla.com or elledecor.com/legends2010.
About LCDQ
The La Cienega Design Quarter was formed in 2007 by 40 interior-design merchants to
promote and create further awareness for the La Cienega/Melrose/Melrose Place
neighborhood as a venue for design and decorative-arts shopping.
About ELLE DECOR
Month after month since 1989, ELLE DECOR has been delivering what you can’t live
without—chic houses, fascinating people, elegant furnishings, cool objects, smart ideas,
inspiring entertaining tips, and must-see destinations. Our viewpoint is fresh, our vision
is international, and our philosophy is simple: to inspire our 2.5 million readers to make
their world more beautiful, one room at a time. As the leading edition in a worldwide
network of 25 ELLE DECO publications, ELLE DECOR has an influence that extends to
26 countries on five continents. ELLE DECOR (www.elledecor.com) is published by
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (www.hfmus.com), a company of Lagardère Active.
###
For more information please contact:
Penelope Francis & Co.
323 655-44424
info@penelopefrancis.com

RUDI LIME AID

Fresh from our fabulous cleaners is the third in our menage a trois of Rudi Gernreich jersey baby doll dresses. This one is in the perfect shade of electric lime and ready for action, following the success of the hot pink and classic black versions of this very wearable dress. It's all you will need this summer when hitting the Hamptons. Throw it on with a great Kara Ross necklace and beautiful sandals and you may end up in your very own menage a trois, too!

Rudi Gernreich lime jersey elastic scoop mini dress c. late 1960s Modern 4 to 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

HOW BAZAAR

Many of you have have emailed inquiring about the divine feather gown pictured on our post featuring images from the runway show we presented at the DADA ball in St. Louis. Well you have good taste as we think it is one of the greatest gowns from the first decade of the 21st Century. Worn once before by Nicole Kidman on the November 2003 cover of Harper's Bazaar, this show stopping gown was a one-of-a-kind design by Olivier Theyskens for Rochas. The dramatic strapless evening gown features a voluminous skirt made of hand-painted feathers in an ombre pattern starting at black to the lightest ice blue. It weighs a ton so only the Pilates toned and narrow rib caged need apply to wear a gown that is not for sitting but best when worn on the cover of a magazine!

Rochas by Olivier Theyskens one-of-a-kind gown with enormous ombre feather skirt, November 2003. Modern size 2 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, so may offer you a high level of personal service.