Vintage 1950s Jacques Griffe Black Silk Dress with Jacket - L

From the 50s, here's an elegant cocktail dress ensemble in black silk. The dress is cut very simply at the front with thin straps at the shoulders.  The piping on the dress and jacket are  made of what I believe is a thin wool crepe fabirc. The back has a swag which extends below the hemline with a small bow at the top of the swag.  When you turn the dress inside out you will see seven lead weights on the opposite side of the swag  which are encased in a black silk organdy fabric.  There is also a petersham tape which is sewn onto a a silk rectangle below the waist which hooks to keep the hipline area in place.  The dress is hand sewn.  There is a long metal zipper on the right hand side of the dress. 

The jacket does up with six silk self covered buttons and two very tiny snaps at the neckline. Beautiful modern line to this jacket.  The buttonholes are beautifully constructed.  It has 3/4 inch styled sleeves.   Neither piece is lined, the swag of the dress is lined with a black cotton.

Please rely on the following measurements for fit, all given in inches.

Jacket:

Shoulders:              17

Sleeves:                 18

Bust:                       44    

Bottom:                   41

Overall Length:       17 1/2

Dress:        

Bust:                       42

Waist:                     36

Hips:                       42

Overall Length:       42

They are both in very good condition.  I did notice the hemline needs a few stitches in one area while I was listing.

From the Vintage Fashion Guild's label resource here's some information regarding the designer. 

Jacques Griffe (1917-1996) was one of the great French couturiers of the mid-20th Century. As a boy, Griffe was taught sewing, first by his seanstress mother and then by a local tailor. He then worked for and trained with Mirra, a couturier in Toulouse. In 1936 he went to Paris where he was employed by Vionnet. There he learned the art of draping and cutting the fabric the Vionnet way – using a small jointed mannequin.

After WWII Griffe worked briefly as an assistant to Molyneux and opened his own design establishment in 1946. Though his collections were small, he gained attention in the fashion press. In 1950 he took over the house of Molyneux, as Molyneaux was retiring. Besides his couture collections, Griffe also did a ready-to-wear line, “Evolution.”

Griffe was known for the cut and drape of his garments – a lasting effect of his years at Vionnet. He retired in 1968."

This is a wonderful 1950s example from Jacques Griffe.