Emilio Schuberth and the Wicked Décolleté

Emilio Schuberth was an Italian designer known for his wicked décolletés.  His clients included women with famously wicked décolletés: Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren,  Brigitte Bardot and Ava Garnder.  

His clothes were molded to the body and ultra feminine.   Schuberth too was quite the dandy driving a Cadillac with a lace interior and full of fresh flowers.  He could be just as extravagant in his fashion designs: the tulle!  the lace!  the embroidery!  But his work could also be tailored and simple and architectural.

But tailored and simple the Italian way which was all about the Bella Figura and La Dolce Vita.  And the wicked décolleté.

I am very excited to be able to offer this extremely rare and beautiful 1950s Emilio Schuberth black jersey tailored to the body, with a weighted hem and black silk ribbon trim dress.  

1950s Emilio Schuberth cocktail dress.

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The Oscar Dress

If I went to the Academy Awards and won an Oscar, I would not yell, You like me, you really like me.  I would not send a Native American in my place to read a speech I wrote, I would not leap over chairs to get to the stage, I would not wear a swan (though I loved the swan on Bjork!) and I would not walk the red carpet after too many cocktails or too much of something else and try and kiss Jennifer Garner.

But what would I do is wear this tangerine Italian haute couture dress from the 1950s.  It is the ultimate red carpet dress!  Iconic, timeless, beautiful, flattering, it is in an amazing shade of tangerine and it is GLAMOROUS!

It even has its original little clutch!

The dress is fitted and has a beautifully draped back

I'd like to thank the Academy... (oh a girl can dream!!)

1950s Italian haute couture gown.. Size 4.
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Roman Holiday or Do Like Audrey and Wear Short to the Academy Awards!

My favorite Audrey Hepburn movie is Love in the Afternoon.  Well, I love Charade too.  And I confess I love them because I really love the clothes.  The films themselves are both wonderful but the clothes are amazing!  And really isn't that the most important thing☺!

This dress was love in the afternoon for me when I was shown it late in the day recently in Milan.  It belonged to an Italian Countess.  Una Contessa molto chic!  And we love those chic countess' at RARE vintage!

Audrey Hepburn won an Academy Award for Roman Holiday in 1953.  She was 24 years old and she opted to wear a short ivory dress from Givenchy.  Her dress had thin straps was fitted at the waist and with a full skirt.

Our alta moda dress was made and embroidered by hand in Italy.  It has thin straps embroidered with a gold metal thread, is fifties wasp-waisted and has a circle skirt.

The work on this dress is extraordinary.  It is sad to realize that it would probably be nearly impossible to do this kind of embroidery in Italy now. And the cost!  Mamma Mia!!

Unfortunately, the label has been removed so we do not know who it is by.  We do know that it is something special, with incredibly fine and detailed work and was part of a beautiful collection more of which is coming to the RARE blog this week!

I think this would be a very fresh, very ingenue dress to wear to the Academy Awards.  Unexpected but beautiful, youthful and timeless.  After all, just look at Audrey accepting her Oscar in 1954.  (There is a nice video on You Tube from the 1954 Academy Awards which I was not able to link too but you can search Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday Academy Awards.  She looks gorgeous -eyebrows are a little scary but otherwise perfection!)

1950s Italian unlabeled alta moda cream silk cocktail dress with gold thread embroidery.  Size 4.

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Our Little Amnesiac: Une Petite Robe Noire

Sometimes a dress comes to us with a case of amnesia.  It gives us little clues to who it might be and sometimes the mystery can be solved and sometimes we may never know who the dress is by.  This dress is certainly French.  It is certainly haute couture.  It is certainly from the 1950s and it is certainly small.  A true size 2.  I know, I feel your pain.  It won't fit me either.  Merde.  

It is from 'the Golden Age of Couture' when the post war exuberance manifested itself in fashion with  extremely feminine clothing.  Cinched waists, full skirts, it was a very glamorous and elegant time.  This dress is full of coquetry.  It dips seductively low in the back but there is sweetness with the trailing ribbons.  The dress in tulle has flounces full of shredded tulle.  The interior is as beautiful as the exterior with the seams all pinked.  We have so many clients who come into RARE and ooh and ahh because of the beauty of a piece and its incredible construction and inevitably they say, they just don't make dresses like this anymore. 

 French haute couture tulle cocktail dress.  Size 0/2

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