This is just an incredibly stunning gown! The gown just stands out and is remarkable for the intricacy and embellishments it features. The dress overall is simple in silhouette with the iconic 20s drop waist and falls to just past the knee in length. The standout part of this dress is the lace that makes up the shoulders, sleeves, trims, and the wrap style top down to the waist. The skirt also features a side swag of the embellished lace for added drama. The lace is so intricate, made of a cotton bobbinet, with the lovely floral details tambour along with the pearl beads that follow that pattern. There are also hundreds of tiny rhinestones, hand-sewn on, that are mixed in with pearls to offset the lace. The lace is all done in insertion style so it is all see-through, which gives this dress a true movie star appeal and a seductive elegance. The long sleeves of this dress are divine. They are fitted to the arm and at the wrist, they flare out into little bell sleeves that fall whimsically over the hand. The sleeves have two glass pearl buttons at the cuff to fit the wrist. They close up like a glove, which is just such a wonderful little detail to this stunning dress. The dress does have a wrap-style top that wraps at the drop waist. If you wanted, the dress can be worn quite scandalously. There is a snap just above the bust to close the edges together, much more appropriate for a church setting. The train on this dress is also just show-stopping and so art deco it's fantastic. The train is attached at the back below the shoulder like a capelet. It is gathered at the waist to keep the drop waist silhouette on the back. The train then fans out and falls a good few feet on the floor behind you in an asymmetrically diagonal cut. The look is just stunning as you walk.

Condition:

This dress is in stunning condition and I would say close to mint with only a few small flaws. The most notable flaw is that there is some slight staining to the train where it would sweep the floor. There are scattered marks, the most noticeable is at the point of the train. They are hard to see as they are pale and in the sheen of the fabric and do blend in well. There was also a small hole in the bobbinet at the wrist on the right side. It has been repaired with a matching bobbinet from my personal stash. Other than that, the dress is perfect. I did secure some pulled beads and I did not find any spots of bead loss. The dress is still strong and if done carefully could still be worn. The lace is delicate, just by nature.

The dress is also a wonderful look into the fun simplicity of 20s sewing as it is only made of 3 pieces of fabric, the longest being the train. The top is just a tube that is not even sewn together because of the wrap style. There are only two machined seams in this dress. One, a hidden side seam in the skirt that joins the panels together. The second is the main waist seam. Then it is adjusted with a hand-sewn seam. Everything else is done by hand, mostly in simple running stitches that are just insane. I love how easy they made this look but yet also so complex and stunning!

Measurements

Shoulders: 14"

Bust: up to 40"

Drop Waist: up to 36"

Hips: Free

Length:

(shoulder to hem): 44"

(waist to hem): 21"

Train: 104"

This item is sold from an excellent, highly rated vintage seller in Pittsburgh, Pa.