In 1952, Givenchy founded his namesake house on Rue Alfred de Vigny in Paris and quickly rose to fame as one of the grand couturiers. 16 years later for the 1968-69 season, he added a ready-to-wear line of clothing and accessories called 'Givenchy Nouvelle Boutique'. The line was initially sold in the United States exclusively through Bergdorf Goodman stores and was eventually available at other retailers as well. The line was high end and extremely well made. He launched this line to expand his customer base and it made to appeal specifically to his non-couture clients. This label continued until 1992. This particular dress has the added provenance of coming from the estate of Phyllis McGuire. She was of course the lead singer and youngest of the 'The McGuire Sisters' trio. Many of the garments she had were customs made for her or tailored for her. 

This dress is fantastic and a wonderful example of the work being done for this label during this time period. It is made from a black silk jersey that allows it to drape beautifully on the body. The dress is cut to drape and skim over the you but in a very loose and easy way. It can be worn unbelted for an almost caftan like feel through the body or belted to give it shape. I added a ribbon at the waist to show you how it can be worn belted and I will send the ribbon seen here with the dress to its new owner. The dress completely covers you but the fabric choice gives it a bit of sensuality that I love. The sleeves are cut to be very long and once on they will pouf out above the elastic cuffs. The neckline is cut wide with a ruffled detail. Under the ruffle it is gathered and ruched for subtle detailing. The dress falls from there and skims over the body in loose and easy way. It falls to the floor in a beautiful drape of inky black silk jersey. Around the bottom above the hem there is another gathered and ruched detailing that brings the lower skirt in just a touch. It is an easy dress to wear that you just throw on and go and it feels great. Plus the provenance of it adds a fun second layer of intrigue. Excellent condition

Unlined and slips on to wear. Elastic at the cuffs. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Hand finished. The fabric does have stretch so it should fit a range of sizes. The measurements below give you the comfortable range the fabric has when lying flat.

Sleeves: approx 28" and will come up when on
Shoulders: no defined seams
Bust: 17-24" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist- hips: 17-24" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 58" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-LRG

Item# DD3872

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