An interesting 1950s cocktail dress from a Beverly Hills designer I have never heard of...

Maxwell Shieff? Its a superb dress in pure silk and the rather fabulous idea of appliqueing material to the skirt for s pattern. I am tempted to keep it, but my collection could easily become entirely made up of interesting 1950s cocktail dresses!

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that is gorgeous! I am seeing records and piano keys on the bottom. Isn't that just <b>the</b> perfect dress for a lounge!

 

records and piano keys.......lounge Wonderful analogy
Pauline!

Jonathan, have never heard of this designer but yowsa
on the dress, that skirt treatment is fabulous.

Sue

 

Very Art-deco design on the skirt. But WOW!:P

 

Movies he designed for:

Mother Goose a Go-Go (1966) ... Costume Design

D.i., The (1957) ... Costume Design

Dress on a website:$300.00, another one sold for $285.0

googled

Gayle

 

That's a really cute dress!

 

That is the best bias fabric treatment I have ever seen on a 50s dress. Make that on almost any 20th Century dress.

Hollis

 

Jonathan, that is THE most fantastic 50s dress I've ever seen. You MUSt keep it....there will never be another one that fabulous. Of course, there may be...that's what the fun of the hunt is all about :D
GREAT DRESS
camelbackcat/joey

 

Soooooo! Cute! I LOve It, that's a keeper!!

 

That is stunning Jonathan. The satin looks pristine too!! Definitely an art deco hottie you have there!

 

I never think to google!

I looked up the movie on the IMDB resource and that movie he did the costumes for sounds REALLY wacky!
"A young couple's honeymoon is disrupted by the groom's childhood obsession with Mother Goose. Unable to consummate the marriage, they head off to the psychiatrist, where the fun really begins (LSD as a treatment!?!)."

 

Well, if you knew about my rack of 1950s cocktail dresses you would understand, I can't keep them all!
Since its a 50 cent listing day I decided to try it on ebay for a hefty price - what the hell eh?

 

Oh wow - that's beauty. Love the records, piano keys, lounge angle. You are so creative Pauline, I swear! You should write short stories or novels!

 

I know Justine - Pauline is good. I never even thought of records and piano keys.

Deb

 

Thank you! I am blushing, But thought of something else.

This designer had this vision in his head when he was designing this dress. He thought about a very posh gal, depressed and lonely, standing in front of a jukebox in a seedy lounge. Dime or nickel with a cigarette in one hand the other is a vodka on the rocks. The vodka spilling out as she sways to the music by her self. Guys at the bar watching her as she puts in the money to play some sad tune. Tears welling up in her eyes. Shes getting kinda sloppy drunk in his vision and he stops thinking about it and VIOLA comes up with the idea for a dress with a jukebox. ( records and keys)

 

I am not sure if that is going to help sell the dress though...

GREEN SATIN DRESS FOR WEARING TO THE BAR WHEN YOU HAVE JUST BEEN DUMPED.

 

Hey theres lotsa gals out there that have been dumped that would love to wear this dress!! It would make finding a new guy a lot easier.