The Shrimpton Couture Archives

The cruise 2003 collection was shown at Café Marly in Paris. For this show, Carl paid homage to the elegance of French waiters and their traditional, black and white uniforms. The pieces were primarily black and white with grey tones. Once you realize the theme of the show, you can kind of see the reference to a long apron tied over this dress. It's not a literal reference by any means, but one that's been deconstructed and made thoroughly Chanel. 

I love the Chanel cashmere pieces. There is nothing in the world like the cashmere that Chanel uses. It's just exceptionally high end and to have this dress made from it is fantastic. The dress is in its original to the floor length and falls from the the neck in a long sheath that skims over the body. The dress ties behind the neck and the ties that hold it in place are exceptionally long. They trail down almost to the floor at the back, becoming a design detail themselves. I love how their ends change to black to pick up the change in colour on the body of the dress. The front is scooped and the fabric is brought in slightly at the waist and then curves out and around the hips. It comes back in by the bottom of the dress and there is a slit up one side to help you walk. A little rectangle sits at the top of one hip with the Chanel name on it. Excellent condition.

Unlined and slips on to wear with ties at the back of the neck. Made from 100% cashmere. The dress has some stretch and I have given the comfortable range of measurements while it is lying flat. Tagged a vintage Chanel 40.

Bust: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 14.5-17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18-21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: approx 60" from neck to hem with the length adjustable by how tight or loose you tie it behind the neck

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

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