• This is dated to 1971 by the reference photo that we have here.
• It was made under the creative direction of Pierre Cardin
• I had the twin of this many years ago and that one sold to a museum. It is a brilliantly important and beautiful dress and an amazing example of his work during this time period that perfectly illustrates how much of a range he had.
• The entire dress is made out of a printed silk organza. The colours are mixed together like a painting and are done in the prettiest jewel tones. 
• The neckline is scooped and edged with a handset piping in the same fabric. The bodice skims over you to the waist where it curves in slightly for shape and then curves back out over the top of the hips.
• The technical construction of the bodice and upper portion of the sleeve is an absolute master class. The silk has been flat pleated in vertical rows set side-by-side. They are each perfectly spaced apart and then manipulated to form the shape and structure of the dress. Given the fabric that the dress is made out of and the difficulty in working with this fabric the skill required to have this fall over the body so perfectly is not to be underestimated.
• The shoulders are soft and the flat seam work runs down the arm to just about the elbow. Each little pleat opens out and the silk is allowed to expand outwards to create the huge bell sleeve that you see. The immense volume of the fabric that the lower portion of the sleeve has is all from the opening up of those hand sewn flat pleats which gives you an idea of how much fabric was actually used to create this dress.
• The skirt is constructed in the same manner as the bell sleeves but on a larger scale. Its volume is all achieved by the opening out of the vertical pleats that extending down the length of the bodice. I have taken a close-ups of how they open out for you to see. The skirt falls to the floor from there and mimics the shape of the sleeve as it curves outwards to the hem.
• In the reference photo you can see that a solid colour sash was tied around the waist and if you wanted to add more shape you could easily re-create that feel.
• The silk organza for the fabric choice keeps the dress feather light and it is an amazing thing to see in person. It is well deserving of its museum status.
• The dress is fully lined in pale green silk and the bell of the sleeves is a double layer of the organza. It closes with a back zipper. Hand work throughout.
• There is no size tag present so please go by the listed measurements below
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 22" and are just under 12" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Total length: 55" from top of shoulder to hem with 4" turned under the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5215

Reference Photo: Jeanne Moreau and Pierre Cardin, June 1971.

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