Hippie Chic

Boho is never far from a designers inspiration board and it is because we all want a bit of that hippie feeling especially during the summer months when nothing looks prettier or sexier then a floaty vintage dress.

Kenzo is well known for his arty ethnicity and RARE is feeling the vibe with these two free spirit pieces from Kenzo. The first is a 1970s ensemble from -gulp - Kenzo Jap. Okay, it is his label, not ours! Things got a little messy with the naming of his stores Jungle Jap but as this is a blog about new acquisitions for RARE and not the Huffington Post we will focus on the fashion.

The top is done in two tiers of tiny knife pleats in turquoise, bright red and purple. It is loosely tied on the sides and is meant to be worn slightly open. The skirt is one long piece of fabric with knife pleats in the middle and sits low on the hips. The pleated panel in the front seems reminiscent of Japanese armor. Size 6.

Our other piece is an easy, soft red hippie chic dress. A very nice detail is that the dress is slightly longer in the back. Would be perfect with gold sandals. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Sheer Delight

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche always looks effortless, chic and elegant. No doubt inspired by the rich peasant collection of 1976 this early 1990s ensemble is great to wear in the city with black strappy heels and to pack for a summer holiday with a gold or colorful sandal. Yves Saint Laurent has always played with the notion of transparency and with carefully placed ruffles there is sheerness but a reasonable amount of modesty as well. Size 4/6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Gypsy

Set free your inner gypsy in this glamorous, handkerchief hemmed late 1970s Guy Laroche gown.

The slightly loose, bright coral bodice is scooped deep in the front and back and is covered in clear sequins. The silk skirt has an abstract white print that seems inspired by the cut-out paper collages of Matisse. An attached belt wraps around the waist. With its saturated color and glossy sequins it has the suggestive feel of a dress that could have been worn by one of the beautiful women in a Guy Bourdin photograph. Sold with original matching scarf. Size 6/8.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Soft, Romantic and Pretty

New York is warm and all of the magnolia and cherry trees are in full blossom. We were thinking that this mid 1970s Liberty print Cacharel dress would be just the right thing to throw on. It is sweet and very sexy with a plunging neckline in the front and the back and full skirt. And at RARE vintage we are big proponents of the dress that can give you different looks. Be sweet during the day with flats and be sensuous in the evening with strappy sandals. No one ever minds a little more bang for their buck!
Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

The Herve Leger Haute Couture Bandage Dress

Herve Leger created an extraordinary legacy from strips of fabric that had been destined for the garbage. The horizontal bands of elasticized fabric require little more than a great body (is that all?!) and have been worn and collected by celebrities and supermodels. This early Herve Leger Couture black bandage dress is a tour de force of technique and seductiveness. Size 6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

A Lighter Shade of Pale

This dress is more the dominatrix gets tamed then it fetish and fantasy. No chains, no pvc, no "motorcycle" bustier in this pale lilac Thierry Mugler gown. Just a very pretty, precisely tailored dress with a curved silhouette and a sculpted cut in the top of the dress. Shows a nice amount of leg as well. Size 4/6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Love and Happiness

The dress beautiful. Romance, drama, haute hippiedom, covered, uncovered, nature and artifice are all here in this silk chiffon gown from Galanos. In swirling shades of pink, purple, orange and yellow the dress drapes itself around and hints seductively at the body underneath its transparent layers. Galanos is well known and well respected amongst his peers for his couture level workmanship and fabrics. The extraordinary jeweled butterfly alone is reason to covet this wildly pretty gown. Size 6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Gucci Girl

Gucci's heritage is legendary and was celebrated in a beautiful book, Gucci by Gucci. RARE is very excited to bring you a rare, pristine example of an iconic and recently reinterpreted 1960s web print with seashells in a breezy, sexy midriff top and flowing silk skirt. Think of Rome, Capri, Portofino, Ursula Andress and Britt Eckland and you will have an idea of the feel and look. Throw on a pair of K Jacques sandals in gold and you can have your bag packed and ready for Sardegna, the Hamptons or the South of France. Size 6.

A few days ago we mentioned the upcoming Superheroes show at the Met and we will be posting shortly more super options for the Party of the Year!

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Courreges

One of the wonderful things about selling vintage is the surprise of the unexpected. You never know what you are going to find next. It is also one of the wonderful things about wearing vintage. If exclusivity is having something that not everyone else can have, then vintage is truly having the exclusive. No waiting list ever!

Here is a remarkable and classic late 1960s midnight blue Courreges with midnight blue sequins done like tiny flowers on the bodice and a sequined belt. The color in these photos appears black but it is a true midnight blue when you actually see it. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

The Goddess Goes 80s

Vicky Tiel's couture 1980s cocktail dresses are great fun and look perfect now. RARE had a classic Vicky Tiel wiggle dress, a poufy dress that would have done Scarlet O'Hara proud if she was living in the 1980s instead of the 1860s and now we have a dress that incorporates the classical Goddess dress into the classic 80s dress. Size 6. And FYI: Don't think about this tomorrow because it may be gone!

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

The Cold Shoulder

The cold shoulder is what you will want to give all of the other LBDs in your closet when you see this Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche early 1980s matelasse cocktail dress with enormous bow. Killer heels, great legs, a sexy shoulder and this beautifully tailored, extremely French, very chic dress will make you belle de jour. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Azzaro in Chains

Are you craving a silver crocheted sweater adorned with fine micro silver chains? Then RARE has exactly what you are looking for! Sexy opulence would be a good description for this Loris Azzaro circa 1975 piece. It is slinky and for a girl who is very comfortable with her body. (If you are feeling shy, this may not be the right choice.) The sleeves are beautifully done with the chains having a slightly draped bohemian look. Size 4/6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Animal Instinct

RARE has so many new pieces to be excited about but we have to confess that this is one of our favorites. It is a Jean Louis Scherrer boutique dress from the 1980s in a very beautiful silk - you will love the way this feels against your skin! with a draped panel in the front. It is sexy without being obvious. And the leopard print is more abstract then what we usually see but just as alluring. All this and it will take you from day to evening! Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Metallica

This is an ultraluxe 1970s Loris Azzaro sparkling gold dress. The face framing cowl-neck has micro gold chains which pearls, milky crystal and amber beads dangle from so no jewellery needed! Simple gold sandals and you will be dazzling!

And might we suggest that this would be a super choice to wear to the upcoming 'superheroes Fashion and Fantasy' show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit on May 5th! Of course, the Nan Kempner YSL would not be bad either! Decisions, decisions! Size 6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

It's an Haute Couture Rampage! (more from Nan Kempner)

We have so many goodies for our RARE vintage readers that we did not even quite realize just how good some of the goodies are! We promised you more from style icon Nan Kempner's personal wardrobe and here is a divinely beautiful Yves Saint Laurent black silk chiffon haute couture gown with large silk ribbon that sits seductively below the behind. The lower part of the dress ends in a gauzy transparency. Nan Kempner's style has been celebrated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the de Young Museum and at the Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent. In fact, Yves Saint Laurent called Nan Kempner, "la plus chic du monde"!

If this dress looks familiar it is because Kate Beckinsale wore this in February to the De Grisogno Domino Party. So, if you are feeling a bit like a fashion icon, like Nan Kempner, and as hot as Kate Beckinsale, here is the perfect opportunity! Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Extravagantly Glamorous

There are endless polemics about the validity of the haute couture and we can not understand why anyone would want to see an end to the creativity, to the fantasy that is so essential to fashion and an end to the very few remaining artists, the petites mains and the fournisseurs, who do the handwork that defines the haute couture. Haute couture is more than satisfying basic needs, it is about dreams, beauty, craft and extraordinary creations that can you leave breathless and amazed. It is expensive but most art is not inexpensive - anyone for a Damien Hirst 'Love of God' diamond skull?!

But at RARE we aim to please and we are happy to be able offer haute couture pieces that are wearable, collectible and much kinder to your American Express card - whether it is green, gold , platinum or black.

We are head over heels in love with our new Jean Louis Scherrer haute couture cocktail dress from the late 1980s with embroidery by Lesage. It is THE sexiest dress with a beautifully beaded embellishment in the front and a draped trailing panel in the back. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273