This archival haute couture runway documented dress was designed by Raf Simons for Christian Dior Spring 2014 Couture (look 21/35). The collection was the result of Raf pondering what Christian Dior himself would have designed had he been at the helm of his business in the 1960s, whilst also bringing Raf’s modernist aesthetic to the fashion house. The reoccurring details across the collection were the cut-outs and slashes in the clothes, described by Vogue as “quite sexual, as concealment infused with the peekaboo promise of revelation often is”. This high-low dress was a stand-out piece on the runway. Crafted from a thick woven cloth in a dark inky navy, it has cut-outs across the breadth of the outer fabric, resulting in semi-circular holes - as though it has been hole-punched and the circle of the paper has been left half in place. The gown has a high-neckline and is sleeveless, falling around the body in a cocooning shape that is emphasised by the structured, thick hemline and triple-layered, draping of the back. The layer of navy mesh and layer of tulle, underneath the top fabric, form a bustle-like volume around the back of the gown. The hem is asymmetric, forming a 1960s mini-dress shape at the front and falling to a floor-sweeping length at the back. This dress is lined with polka-dot mesh throughout, It fastens at the rear with a hidden tonal zip and hook-and-eye clasp.
Modern haute couture with no design adaptions from the runway by one of the greatest fashion houses in the world is rare. The garment is in excellent condition with no flaws of any note. Due to being couture-made, it has no size or composition label. The fabric has no stretch. We believe the dress would fit up to a size UK 8, US 4 on account of the small bust. There is plenty of flexibility on sizing for the waist and hip measurements.
MEASUREMENTS
BUST - 33 in. (84 cm)
WAIST - 35 in. (89 cm)
HIP - 42 in. (107 cm)
LENGTH FRONT - 32 in. (81 cm)
LENGTH BACK - 66 in. (168 cm)