1920s French Couture Gold + Silver Sequin Flapper Dress

Absolutely magnificent authentic 1920s flapper dress resplendent with thousands upon thousands of metallic gelatin sequins and hand cut glass beads that shine beautifully and reflect light like you have never seen before. This dress is an absolute work of art. It bears a "Made in France" tag, denoting that it was made in the couture work rooms in Paris, which were famous in the early 20th century for creating some of the most incredible hand embellished garments in the world. The technique used to create this masterpiece is called tambour embroidery, or point de Lunéville in French, which uses a delicate tool called a tambour hook to individually chainstitch each bead and sequin into complex patterns and designs. The surface of this dress is entirely covered with gold and silver gelatin sequins and glass micro seed beads arranged into art deco florals and botanicals, and would have taken hundreds of hours of highly skilled work to complete. An incredible survivor, the craftsmanship of this remarkable garment rivals that of even the most exclusive couturiers of today. A truly once in a lifetime piece, perfect for both the serious collector and lovers of all things that shine.

Professionally restored in house to pristine, ready to wear condition. When found, the gelatin sequins in the underarms of the dress had "melted" from perspiration, causing the sequins to become discolored and brittle. We removed all of the damaged sequins, replaced the damaged base cotton netting, and re sequined the entire area using extra sequins salvaged from interior seams of the dress to be sure of a perfect match. To protect the area for future wears, we have also added a cotton muslin facing around the armhole to both sides of the dress to prevent the damage from reoccurring. The facing has been carefully tacked in by hand so that it can be easily removed if desired, or for cleaning. 50+ hours of work went into the full restoration of the incredible piece, and it is now in perfect condition.

Please note that this dress should never be exposed to liquids, as it can cause the gelatin sequins to melt. For long term storage, it should be stored flat in tissue paper to prevent undue stress on the shoulders from the weight of the dress.

Measurements:

Bust 38 in

Dropped waist 40 in

Hips open

Shoulder 14 in

Shoulder to dropped waist 20 in

Armscye 9 in

Length 38 in

For reference, Scarlett measures 32/26/36 and is 5'6".