The twin of this dress in white walked the runway for Look 76 for the Spring 2004 show. During this period Mr. Valentino was still in charge and designing for his self named label. I love that I have tons of photos and the video of it so you can see just how fantastic this dress is on the body. It is a killer dress. The show was a huge success and the Vogue review for this collection stated in part; "When the fashion chat is all about the "new ladylike," it's not hard to give in to the methods of seduction Valentino has perfected. He's had "lady" down pat for years—for the genuine ones of the yacht-owning class, that is. His Spring collection covers the waterfront for that society, and those who aspire to it.... It all looked romantically pretty in the just-so mode that his clients adore." And what's not to love? The dress moves beautifully, is elegant and chic, and yet with that open side feels insanely sexy. This is the magic of original Valentino and this one is just tremendous.

We have also added to the modern provenance of this dress with Marlo Kelly wearing this dress for this year's Emmy's.

This is such a gorgeous dress. Its simplicity combined with that almost shocking open side add up to an incredible piece. The dress is made of a beautiful black silk crepe that gives it its sleek sculpted feel. The dress is very sexy and shows off some skin but still feels very elegant and refined. The fabric has just a touch of a bias cut to it through the body so its very comfortable to wear.  I love the way that it curves up and over your shoulders and scoops at the neckline. It skims over the bust and then starts to widen out and skim over the waist and hips. The skirt falls to the floor under that and it is all cut on the bias. By the time it reaches the hem it has widened out into that beautiful sweeping line that you see. A high slit up one leg gives it additional movement. The bias cut and that slit make the hem of the skirt move and float around you at your slightest movement. The open side is on the same side as the slit. The silk of the dress has been gathered up and around the cut out on the one side. The opening of the cut out is finished with a piped fabric and then more of the piping is used to created a laced webbed feel that sits inside the circle. This gives you a touch of coverage but still lets your skin show through. Extending out from that opening are long ties that trail down the side. These give the illusion of being able to tighten and adjust the lace. It is absolutely gorgeous. Excellent condition with a minor note below

Unlined and closes with a side hidden set zipper. We see a couple of teeny nicks to the fabric on one spot near the hem of the back. The fabric is bias cut so does have some movement. We have put the comfortable range of measurements below.

Bust: 15-17" flat across from side to side with no true side seams
Waist: 12-14" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 59" from top of shoulder to front hem, 62" to the back hem
Slit: 28" from hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD4886

Reference Photos/Video: (1-6) Spring 2004 Valentino, Look 76.  /  (7) Portia de Rossi in Valentino at The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards, January 2004.  /  (8-9) Marlo Kelly in this dress for Emmys weekend, 2024.

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