Looking for "old" DVF wrap dress

Looking for a specific DVF wrap dress that the owner has described as "many years old" (my wife and I estimate 1990's or thereabouts), but for which I have no additional information. Some points:

• Dress is perhaps 2-3" below the knee, but not calf length.
• Long sleeves, with cuffs (not visible in these photos).
  
• There are flap adornments on both sides of the chest and just below the waist, but they do not appear to be actual pockets. Flaps have narrow satin stripes at the top.
  
• Dress hangs straight, but in motion appears to flow.
• Belts in the photos are not part of the dress; the dress has conventional ties.
• Overlap in front is considerably narrower than normal both inside and outside.

Photos have been lightened to better show detail. Size 12-14 preferred.

 

DVF has been unable to find any record of this dress. They indicate that it may be a "made-for-outlet" item, in which case they would definitely have no record.

It appears to have some elements in common with the dress listed here. Specifically, this listing has two pockets with flaps on the chest with pockets at the waist, while the dress in question has pocket flaps only. However, in most other ways they look quite different. It's possible that both dresses were made around the same time, if that helps anyone identify it. Unfortunately, while there is a tag on that item, it has faded to illegibility.

I'm suspecting that the only plausible route to getting a similar dress for my wife will be to have one made as best as can be done based on these shots and video clips demonstrating the behavior of the item when worn, but it's worth seeing whether anyone here knows about it.

 

Unfortunately, when we want a very specific vintage style it's often best to get it reproduced. Fashion in previous decades wasn't made in vast quantities, even by the larger companies like DVF and the odds of a particular style surviving, particularly when you add in preferred colour, fabric and size, can be very low.

I hope you find what you're looking for, but I would be seeking a reproduction.

Nicole

 

I'm increasingly convinced of this, and we are pursuing that route too. The difficult part is working out exactly how to make something that will behave (e. g. flow, even though it looks straight when standing still) in the same way when worn; if we can find this dress, even in the wrong color or size, it would help in the reproduction. But even that might well not be possible.

 

A good dressmaker can advise on fabric choice: show her whatever you have, especially good if you have footage of it in movement.

Good luck!

Nicole

 

Thanks! That makes sense. Fortunately, I do have a good amount of video footage.

 

We're still working on the replica (which has been delayed for a number of reasons), but I've spotted a number of similar dresses which appear to all be based on the same overall platform. They aren't a usable size, and in any event the original noted above is preferable for a number of reasons, but they all apparently date to somewhere between 1999-2010 based on the tag:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/404824441883
https://www.ebay.com/itm/386813973389
https://www.ebay.com/itm/126329098058 (the wrap front looks the most similar)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204649321122

 

So, actually have two updates...success!!!

We've been working on the replica for a while; it has been delayed due to my wife's illness. Our dressmaker did a first cut at it last Thursday, and we'll be going back as soon as my wife feels better to do the final fitting and picking it up. Even incomplete, it looked very nice indeed.

On Saturday evening, I was browsing various listings, and rather to my shock, happened upon the actual dress, in what will be a useful size (it's a wrap, so "useful size" encompasses a range). We didn't realistically expect to ever find it, much less in a useful size. A few months ago I joked with my wife that it would be ironic if we got a dress made, only to then find the real one, but that's what has actually happened. It just arrived; my wife has not even had an opportunity to try it on. It is indeed a very nice dress. It was called Mandi Lynn (maybe whoever named it is a musician and liked the pun, mandolin?). I found a reference on dvfs.blogspot.com, which is the only reference I could find on it. That site appears to be moribund, but it dates it to late 2008 or thereabouts.

Since the dressmaker has already incurred expense on our behalf (time and materials), obviously we are going to see it through to completion.

 

I forgot to mention, it dates to late 2008, so a few years newer than I had thought based on the seemingly similar dresses we had found. It's 76% wool/21% nylon/3% spandex, so has good stretch to it. My wife tried it on; while it may be slightly small, with the stretch it fits perfectly and she's drop dead gorgeous in it.