PERFECTIONISTS NEED NOT APPLY

A gorgeous vintage dress can be pretty seductive.  Take this Starvropoulos Grecian goddess gown that was designed by an actual Greek.  For me, it was love at first site:  I was falling pretty hard for the marbleized chiffon print of azure and melon and digging the effortless toga silhouette when I noticed that the previous owner really had a good time in this gown by the remains of the day: stains.  The gowns went straight to Margaret's and just weren't going to go away, so I took the lemons and made lemonade!  Surrendering to its imperfect condition, I suggest that the second owner should be the type who likes to have too much fun and wants to have the proof of it decades from now.  This is the ideal summer gown for those who still "summer" and don't mind a little extra history with their wardrobe.  Trust me, the previous owner, the great opera star Shirley Verrett, probably gave the performance of her lifetime in this gown and celebrated like a rock star after.  Critics and fans called Ms. Verrett  "La Nera Callas."  Not bad to be compared to Callas, but Ms. Verrett had a talent all her own and an enviable style, too.












Stavropoulos goddess gown of marbleized chiffon print, c. 1970s.  Modern size 6.  Damaged as shown. SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

SHE-FON

Stavropoulos always knew how to layer the chiffon and make a dress look like it was floating on the wearer.  He certainly gets less attention than Halston who also manipulated chiffon beautifully, but Stav made it a bit more feminine and this coral chiffon dress with delicate spaghetti straps and cascades around the bust and tiers below the knee is as 70s as any Halston, but perhaps the softer side of the disco decade.  With the added scarf, considering wrapping the fabric around your neck or your shoulders and I wouldn't object to a pretty straw hat with this either!
-Cameron




Stavropoulos layered coral chiffon evening dress, c. 1970s.  Modern size 4 SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

GOOD MORNING, ANGELS

Famous for his use of soft fabrics and very feminine clothes, Stavropulous strikes again with this exciting jumpsuit. The halter top with crystal detail and the flared leg in a slinky jersey this piece embodies glamour girl with an attitude. You will feel like Charlie's angels attending a black tie event while on a secret mission. Looking good and kicking ass is a winning combination.

-Eri

Stavropoulos jumpsuit in black jersey with halter top with crystal details, c. 70's. Modern size 4 to 6.

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.

SUMMER OF THE CAFTAN

If it is summer then it is caftan time and we have you covered! Not just in any caftan, but in an unusual Stavropoulos chiffon print (think early 70s Hippie Couture -- the print could be tribal but the colors are more subtle LSD chic) with a signature Stav layered jersey slip dress of flame orange silk. Together, you are covered up in all the right places. Alone, the chiffon piece could be quite sexy over a bikini and why not wear the jersey slip solo. also? So many options, so little time. In no time it will be fall and you will be asking us for coats. So get in this caftan and get somewhere sunny like Greece. Stav would have approved!
-Cameron



Stavropoulos printed chiffon caftan over flame orange silk jersey layered slip dress, c. 1970s. Caftan free size; slip dress modern 4 to 6. From the collection of Mezzo Soprano Shirley Verrett

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 MelroseAvenue (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.

FIRE ENGINE RED

Leave it to a Greek born designer to figure out how to use strips of panne velvet on a fire engine red chiffon dress and make it look light and airy and perfect for a spring or summer al fresco fete. George Peter Stavropoulos opened his eponymous NYC House in 1961 when stiff and architectural fashion were the norm. It took fashion an entire decade to catch up with his unrestrained, fluid, and soft clothing that sensually draped over the body. In the 1970s demand for Stavropoulos layered chiffon dresses continued to grow as his aesthetic of minimalism was suddenly popular and his more famous contemporary Halston followed a similar aesthetic, originally heralded by "Stav". This spaghetti strap Stav is a red chiffon bias cut with beautiful slim strips of white panne velvet that give the dress a dimension and texture that is very pleasing to both the eye and the hand. The back of the dress has a wonderful swag panel of coordinating fabric that hits above the bum and is another flair enhancer. We say Go Greek and wear Stavropoulos

Stavropoulos fire engine red bias cut chiffon dress with white strips of panne velvet and optional chiffon necker-chief. c. 1970s. Modern size 4

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.

AT THE BALLET

George Peter Stavropoulos was born in Greece in 1920 and naturally his homeland influenced his designs during his successful career which began in Greece in 1949 and continued in New York in 1961 until the house was closed in 1990. He was all about ease and fluidity of design using layers of chiffon as his primary fabric of choice. This mid 70s forest green layered chiffon dress is bias cut with spaghetti ballerina straps and a scarf that can be worn either around the neck or at the waist, which was a style favorite of Stavropoulos. Certainly, the similarity to Halston is evident as they both worked in the "classic" style of toga and goddess dressing, but this Stavropoulos had an edge on Halston as his DNA was programmed for this style of design.

Stavropoulos multi layered bias cut ballerina spaghetti sleeve evening dress of forest green chiffon, c. mid 70s. 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 DO YOU DESCRIBE A DRESS LIKE THIS?

Where do we begin? The silk jacquard? Or the handpainted stripes and swirls? Shall we write of the oversized single dolman sleeve? Or celebrate the unexpected "strass" back? There is also the sophisticated ombre color story of grey, lilac, and merlot tones. And the unusual construction that defies explanation. Wait, did we just successfully describe this dress? We should add that is is designed by Stavropoulos, the great Greek designer who most often worked in chiffon and was inspired by the anciet statues of his homeland. Stavropoulos designed gowns for Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand Maria Callas (we could see her wearing this for entertaining at home and serving tape worms to her guests), and Lady Bird Johnson (clearly this is not a gown she would have worn to a State dinner!).

This is the type of dress that requires a sense of imagination and adventure. The dress may have a lot of ideas and is the antithesis of the Halston posted earlier today, yet it avoids looking like the kitchen sink of dressing. We simply can't describe this dress in one sentence other than to write that the wearer should expect people to be speechless when they see you wearing it! A dress that defies explanation and leaves the onlooker speechless!

Stavropoulos for Giorgio silk jacquard handpainted and beaded dolman sleeve one shoulder evening dress with crystal strap back, c. early 1970s. Modern size 4 (Very minor and repairable bead-loss, plus 2 small areas of ombre exaggeration) SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or phone our Los Angeles flagship on + 1 323 655 0223 (store hours are 11 30 am to 6 pm PST). For email requests, kindly reference the above description in addition to including your full name, phone number, City/State/Country from which you email, so we may offer you a high-level of personal service.