Just in at RARE vintage: The Architect: Gianfranco Ferré

An architect, imagines and creates.  He builds a place to house our dreams, to fulfill our fantasies.  He builds something practical but often luxurious.  He takes raw materials and transforms them into something extraordinary.  Gianfranco Ferré (1944-2007) was known simply as "L'architetto" in Italy. Hs chosen materials were thread and cloth...

It's all about the coat:

I love this new piece from 1990 by Gianfranco Ferre just in at RARE vintage: an embroidered brocade coat with suggestions of a dual nature: restraint and opulence.  It is a journey to Italy and to India.  It is extravagant and practical.  It is delicate and strong.  It is beautiful.

1990 Fall/Winter Gianfranco Ferre Embroidered coat available for purchase at RARE vintage.
Please email info@rarevintage.com or phone 212.581.7273 for more information.

love, kisses and vintage, Juliana

A Grand Sweep: Gianfranco Ferre

Every girl and woman yearns for a gown with a train.  Maybe it is the feeling of epic grandeur or the feeling of surrendering yourself to something that is the symbol of femininity that beckons us.  Or maybe it is that particular transportive feeling you have when you put on a gown with a train.  Are you Tolstoy's  Kitty or Anna Karenina with your dress sweeping across the room?  (I personally have always fancied Anna Karenina with her slightly unruly curls and her black gowns looking extraordinary and never quite like anyone else)

We are pleased to offer an extraordinary Gianfranco Ferre gazar (LOVE gazar!) gown in black with a vivid fuschia trim.

The fuchsia bow has an almost lightly Japanese obi look on the back of the gown.

The front is sleek and simple.  

 The gown actually wraps sarong-style and is made from triple layers of single pieces of gazar.  Very beautiful.  Very extraordinary.  Very lush.  The very thing to wear when you don't want to look like anyone else.

 Gianfranco Ferre gazar gown.

PURCHASE

INQUIRY

The Name Dropper

I am going to be a total name dropper.  These are the names that I will drop into your holiday weekend to tantalize you with.   And while you are eating your lobsters or burgers on the beach, you can be thinking about just what might be attached to those names...

Happy Fourth of July everyone!  RARE vintage will be back on Tuesday the 6th!

Christian Dior haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace couture, Atelier Gianni Versace,  (okay so here I will drop a word, Oroton - if you don't know what it means, look it up and then you will know what I mean and just how good that word means!!  What is the plural of Oroton?   Orotons?   Hmmm...) Gianfranco Ferre, Valentino haute couture and Chanel...

Chocolate Love or Sometimes All You Need is a Shirt

This early 1990s silk taffeta shirtdress from Gianfranco Ferre is sporty, elegant and precisely cut. Ferre's training as an architect is always evident in his fashion designs and this asymmetrically buttoned shirtdress with drop waist and a slight train is no exception. The color is a beautiful chocolate, almost like a red devil cupcake - which looks as delicious and as tempting as a cupcake. Just a whole lot less fattening! This dress would be perfect for any occasion where you want to stand out, feel comfortable and look beautiful.

1990s Gianfranco Ferre silk taffetta shirtdress. Size 6/8.

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

Do Some Dior

"Do some Dior" were the words Gianfranco Ferre heard when he first came to design for the house of Christian Dior.

His beautifully crafted and opulent eveningwear is the true legacy of his time at Dior. Collections had names like Rendez-vous d'amour, Dans le secret d'un hiver vénitien and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Like Gianfranco Ferre, RARE vintage believes in the dream and fantasy of fashion. The transformative power of slipping into a beautiful dress is that for a few hours you can magically feel a part of a magnificent ball at the Venetian Palazzo Labia of Charles de Bestegui. And what happens when you take off the dress? Does the magic go away? No you just need to peek into your closet and see the dress waiting to remind you of its mystery.

This early 1990s slim evening gown is elegantly restrained. Ferre's architectural training is clearly evident in the skillful tailoring and lines of the dress. The tiny paillettes that cover the bows on the bodice and the line running down the front alternate rows of the front and underside of the paillette with overstitching. It is an extremely subtle detail but this thoughtful attention is work of a great designer. There is also a sexiness in the little bit of cut out beneath the bows. A perfectly glamorous dress for the red carpet or a black tie event.

Early 1990s Gianfranco Fere for Christian Dior evening dress. Size 4/6.

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

Long and Lean

Gianfranco Ferre was an innovator. He dreamed of transforming fabric into something glamorous, elegant and never before seen. This unique interpretation of the "smoking" suit manages to be sparse and dramatic. The narrowly cut jacket has a sculptural sleeve that can pull down to show a bare shoulder. The pants are a great cut: narrow through the hips and thighs and then gradually increasing into a wide leg with a cuff.

Getting dressed up was never so comfortable and so chic!

Circa 1994 Gianfranco Ferre smoking tuxedo. Size 4/6.

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

The Gold And The Beautiful

Just in time for the holidays we are posting a crazy, sexy, beautiful Christian Dior Haute Couture cocktail dress from the 1980s. Designed for the house by Gianfranco Ferre it is made of an extraordinary gold lace with layers of apricot and gold chiffon underneath. It is heavily embroidered with beads, sequins and metal gold thread - all that you need to make you feel like Marie Antoinette in a mini with an appropriately deep decolleté. So, you can have your cake and eat it too! Size 4 (with a larger bosom)

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

Two Anniversaries and a Funeral

RARE Vintage's first "Our New Clothes" acquisition blog is dedicated to three of the most talented and recognized Italian designers: Gianfranco Ferre, Gianni Versace and Valentino.

We were very sad to hear of Gianfranco Ferre's death on Sunday June 17th. We have always admired his clothes which are outrageously feminine with volume, ruffles and pleats, but it is a rigorous form of femininity - no Mary Kay pink Cadillacs here!

Gianfranco Ferre was born in 1944 in northern Italy. He received a degree in architecture in 1969, but went on to design accessories, menswear and then couture. In 1989 he became the head designer for Christian Dior and he stayed there until 1997.

He became well known for his incredible white shirts.

RARE Vintage has an iconic example of one of his white shirts from his time at Christian Dior circa 1991. We were told it is a mini dress, but think it is a shirt. On the right girl it could be worn as a dress. It has all of the trademarks of a typical Ferre design: full sleeves, jeweled buttons, a tiny pleated chiffon collar. The fabric is a beautiful, opulent white organza. Size 4/6.
For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

















It has been ten years since the brutal death of Gianni Versace in Miami on July 15th 1997. On the anniversary of his death, the city of Milan is planning a series of events in his memory. We are celebrating Gianni by posting one of his greatest pieces on "Our New Clothes" acquisition blog. This is Gianni Versace at his most celebrated and most brilliant.
Remember (and who does not) Elizabeth Hurley in that safety pin dress - how many dresses have made a career? This is circa 1992/1993 from one of the most memorable Versace collections. This vest can be worn alone, if you've got it... or to look beautiful and bad at the same time can be worn over a simple white shirt. Or just pop it into a frame and hang it on the wall! Fetish and couture: a happy combination!
The bondage-inspired black leather and wool vest with gold jeweled Medusa's. Size 6. Please note that there is one Medusa medallion missing on the lower back of this vest. As an added bonus we have black patent leather booties with gold Medusas available, we will be posting them later in the week!
For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273




Next month is the the three day extravaganza to celebrate Valentino's forty-five year career in Rome. What do you wear?
That is a lot of pressure!
You want to wear something special, something extraordinary, something that will let you stand out and make you feel like a goddess (why not?) at the same time. Sound impossible? Well, look at the dress on the side. There is NOTHING else to wear to the party.
A Valentino Haute Couture from circa 1973. Very Rare. Silk jersey hand pleated in two shades of blue with grey. Guaranteed to have Mr. Valentino come running (well, maybe not running) up to you! Size 4/6.

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