Madame Gres vintage black lace dress
I believe this dress is by Madame Gres. Tag reads Gres Paris. I have researched her line and this dress seems unlike most of her pieces which were much simpler and had silk draping. I believe this dress is also silk but is covered with rosette’s possibly hand made. Can you help date this piece and verify it is Madame Gres? Also I would be intron knowing value of item. It is in flawless condition and really looks unworn.
Flea Market
Yes
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
Vintage Madame Grès Floral Rosette Applique Silk Gown
Circa 1960s
CONDITION: Appears to be in good condition commensurate to age and use.
PROVENANCE: The client acquired from a flea market
FAIR MARKET VALUE: $800-$1,000*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
COMPARISON AUCTION RESULTS:
Not able to find any auction comparison with the label attached
MORE INFORMATION ON OUR RESEARCH:
There is a Madame Grès on 1st Dibs with a similar label: https://www.1stdibs.com/fashion/clothing/evening-dresses/madame-gres-demi-couture-black-velvet-keyhole-evening-gown-ca-1960/id-v_2274933/
According to https://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/gres/ this is not a known label for the designer, and we are not able to find this label on any additional search.
The above is a conditional appraisal because we can not guarantee authenticity based on our research. The client has reached out to the family of Madame Grès to see the history of the dress and label. No other information on this dress is known at this time as we have exhausted all our research sources.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, and thank you again for using Mearto
Hi Sarah,
I see the listing on 1st Dibs - https://www.1stdibs.com/fashion/clothing/evening-dresses/madame-gres-demi-couture-black-velvet-keyhole-evening-gown-ca-1960/id-v_2274933/
The seller is a Recognized Seller so I would assume it might be authentic, I just never have seen this label for Madame Grès. Give me time to do more research to give you an estimated date and fair market value.
Thank you,
Michelle
Thank you Michelle. I really appreciate it. I just would love to know the history of it and how it got here from Paris if I’m fact it did . As I mentioned I picked it up second hand and I sort of envisioned an older auntie or grandma passing on and the relatives just swooped up the clothing and donated it to charity not giving it another thought. Would love to know who wore it and why but of course never will. 🙂
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Hi Michelle! I uploaded some additional photos. Zipper is on left hand side of dress with tag Gres sewn in. Zipper reads eclair I believe. What perplexes me with this dress from my research is I know she is known for her Grecian style dresses with draping but I believe there was a short period of time she deviated from that in the late 70’s and early 80’s and did a few more intricate designs. I saw another black lace dress on 1st Dibs.l believe with an identical label and font but label was white. I also think her medium was silk and this dress although not marked feels as if it is silk including the rosettes which I believe are individually hand made and sewn on. I tried to get a picture of the stitches which are gorgeous but do appear hand sewn. The heft and weight and quality of the dress feels unlike anything I’ve seen which made me pick it up to begin with because I thought it was special somehow. I’m wondering if it’s possible she did one of a kind dresses for people and the black label speaks to that? I can see how you may think it’s not authentic and there is always that chance but the workmanship makes me think otherwise. I also think she’s not a well known designer here in the US so it seems possible but less likely someone would go to the trouble to design a replica or knock off the dress like they would for say Gucci or Prada. Just my thoughts. It’s such a fun mystery I’m anxious to learn more and hear your thoughts. I found Madame Gres’ family has an instagram page and many photos of her collection. I’ve also reached out to them to see if they could kindly share any insights but have heard nothing back as of yet.