1950s black Coco Chanel dress

Kim Kandler

Kim Kandler

Registered Guest
A vintage shop I teamed up with has a few high-end designer/bespoke dresses, like for example a 50s black Chanel (size US 12 - see image), a 50s floral Dior from the late Grace Kelly, or a red Maison Margiela dress from Sophia Loren. These dresses are all well-preserved, and most of them are size US 8-10. The Chanel dress is from a former Chanel employee. Given that most of them were acquired at auctions (Monaco, Milan, Paris, London), would it be realistic to assume that there is demand for such items on secondhand designer clothing websites? Or would it be more appropriate for an auction?

PS. We’re looking to sign up the shop as a VFBS member. Just found out about VFG recently ;-)

LVI.P230017-02.jpg
LVI.P230017-07.jpg
LVI.P230017-05.jpg
LVI.P230017-12 copy.jpg
LVI.P230017-13.jpg
 

Attachments

  • LVI.P230017-12.jpg
    LVI.P230017-12.jpg
    45.9 KB · Views: 80
Last edited:
I'm not sure how to word this, but the Chanel attribution to this dress is highly suspect in my eyes. I'm not saying it isn't a Chanel but there are several issues I see. Firstly that label is poorly printed and off-centre and sewn into a seam, which is odd. Secondy, although the finishing looks French, or at least continental European, the style doesn't match anything Chanel was really known for, and finally, Chanel wasn't producing between 1940 and 1953, and this dress looks late 40s to me in style.
 
Hi Kim, and welcome to the forums. I concur with Jonathan re: the Chanel. The label looks printed, on a piece of raw-edged petersham ribbon, and not sewn the usual way for this label. You can see examples of Chanel labels here. I agree the dress appears to date from a time when Chanel was not producing garments.

If it is an authentic Chanel, it is worth offering to a specialist auctioneer like Kerry Taylor in the UK or Augusta Auctions in the USA. They will be able to authenticate.
 
Last edited:
I agree with Jonathan about the label. The letters don't look like the Chanel I have from 1957.
I would suggest Hindman Auctions in Chicago. Timothy Long is the person to contact.
If you want to post some photos of the seam and hem finishes and how the zipper is sewn, we can consider whether it is ready-to-wear or couture.
 
Kim, just because I don't think it is Chanel that doesn't mean that it doesn't have value. If you want to post other items from the group, my expertise is how it was made--the seams, hem, and zippers are starters--sometimes edge finishes. I look for hand finishing, no pinking.
Welcome, this is a great group with many different areas of expertise.

If the garment has a size label, generally it is not couture. That said, in the time before the couture house made pret-a-porter, they made garments for their Boutiques and for stores to sell. Many of these include many couture techniques and size labels; however, they might also include some shortcuts.

One of the good things about VFG is that your will get an educated, honest answer. Sadly, it isn't always what you want to hear.
 
Last edited:
Jonathan, thank you for pointing out these issues. I appreciate all the feedback here, as it helps me get on the right track. Regarding the label and the other issues, I understand now that there are a few questions which need to be figured out. However, considering the possibility of a post-war dress from the late 40s or early 50s when Chanel's production seems to have been non-existent or inconsistent, there could be various explanations. Checking with the auction houses you suggested or seeking authentication would be a good idea. Thanks again for the valuable input.
 
Jonathan said:
I vaguely recall a former member Daniel Milford-Cottam found a business that used the name Chanel in the UK in the 1940s/50s...
Click to expand...

There are a couple of Australian companies trading off the name in the '40s-50s too. Maybe they saw an opportunity after Gabrielle closed in the war?

One of the Aus labels is in the label resource, it says 'Chanel gowns' with a Kings Cross (Sydney) address and an accent over the 'e'.
I've also had some with a label 'Channel'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top