Sold for $1,000

Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium

Lot Description

Halston "Single Seam" Black Dress, 1976

In the early 1950s, while attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Roy Halston Frowick (American, 1932-1990) began a business designing and making women's hats. He gained a well-known clientele designing for the Chicago elite. He later became the head milliner for high-end New York City department store Bergdorf Goodman. His fame rose when he designed the pill-box hat that Jacqueline Kennedy wore to the inauguration of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, in 1961. In the late 1960s, Halston made the transition to women's clothing, opening a boutique on Madison Avenue in New York, and started a ready-to-wear line eventually rising to international fame in the 1970s with countless licensing agreements.

This dress is constructed following the concept of a "single seam", a technique which Halston used in 1974, after finding inspiration in Anglo-American fashion designer Charles James (1906-78), who Halston collaborated with and who had also experimented with the use of a "single seam" as a design/construction concept. The following year, the New York Times celebrated this design with the headline “Halston Finds Road to Chic Paved With a Single Seam”, writing, “It's the story of a seam up at Halston's place—a seam that slants or spirals around the body and makes everything look neat and slim.” Fashion editor Carrie Donovan was photographed wearing an example of this dress in 1976, reprinted in Halston, ed. Steven Bluttal (Phaidon Press, 2001), p. 298.

Black knit crepe dress with an asymmetrical v-neckline, long sleeves, with loops around the neckline to hold matching crepe scarf.
Label: Halston
Size Label: 6

Approximate Measurements:
DRESS
Shoulders: 15"
Chest: 40"
Waist: 37.5"
Hips: 38.75"
Length (high shoulder point to hem): 46"
Sleeve (center back neck to hem): 32"

SCARF
Length: 69.5"
Width: 10.5"

Property from the Estate of Bud and Donna O. Wilkinson

Condition Report

Condition:

The overall condition is good. On the interior of the dress, there are small holes throughout the lining primarily along the back of the neckline, the center back, and along the hems of the sleeves. On the right sleeve, there is a burn hole about mid way down that has been patched up. On the inside of the left sleeve, towards the shoulder, there is a faint white mark as well as holes in both of the armscyes. The seam attaching the lining to the hem is becoming undone.

Everything is sold 'As Is’. The stated overall condition of the lot is based on the assumption that the wear is consistent with age and use. The absence of any reference to the condition of a lot does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. All other condition issues are stated above. To request additional working condition photos, please email us with the lot number. Condition is a matter of opinion of the evaluator and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Clients must review and agree to the Conditions of Sale before participating in an auction.

The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Hindman staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.

The absence of a posted condition report on the Hindman website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Hindman.

Please email couturecr@hindmanauctions.com for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.