The Oscar de La Renta boutique label first appeared in 1967 which makes this one from one of the very earliest collection for this line. His boutique label is important as is marked the first ready-to-wear line for a Seventh Avenue designer to be launched. These early pieces have lots of hand finishes and are just stunning example of his work during these early days of his career. I suspect that this dress is from either Spring 1970 or Spring 1972. Both those two spring collections used fabric similar to the one on this dress and had similar cut pieces. I just recently had another version of this dress in the shop that was more a calf length and I find it fascinating to see how many designers did several version of a dress during this time period.

The dress is made out of an easy to wear and travel with printed cotton mix. This fabric choice makes the dress so comfortable once on. It is travel friendly too. You can literally pull it out of a suitcase and pop it on and go. The colours hold so well on this type of fabric too making them feel as crisp and true as they would have been when it was produced. I love the brightness of the print that covers the entire dress. It is a pretty pop of bright turquoise with pinks. As it nears the hem the patterns gets more intricate and dozens of other colours are added into the mix of the print. The dress is cut into a chic halter at the front. It has a neat little collar and then the front plunges to the waist with two turquoise frog knots. The top one is more decorative and not intended to close. The next frog knot does close and holds the plunge in place. From there down there is a hidden panel behind the plunge to keep skin from showing and you could fold this back if you wanted to have that little slice of skin all the way down. At the back straps extend down from the shoulder and crisscross to leave the rest of the upper back bare. The dress closes down the front and the hooks are hidden behind that bit of a panel that runs in between the piping at the front. The waist is cinched and you could add a belt or ribbon if you wanted to cinch it in more. The skirt falls to the floor from there and widens out as it nears the floor. I love how the hem is also finished with that same turquoise piping as the other edges of the dress. The skirt has a pretty amount of fullness in it to give it a bright and happy feel. It is a gorgeous dress. Excellent condition

Fully lined in a black silk and closes with hook & eye at the front and a low painted metal zipper under the waist band. The bottom frog knot is functional and the top one decorative.

Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15.5" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 40" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4367

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.