Vintage 1950s Designer Dress - Unbelievably Pretty Lingerie-Inspo Karen Stark Silk Tea-Length Dress Size S

♛Details

SERIOUSLY the most beautiful Karen Stark for Harvey Berin designer vintage 1950s tea-length silk dress with lingerie inspo touches…just…scroll through the images and see what I mean! Four layers of carefully-tailored fabric (chiffon, chiffon, netting, pale taffeta), a boned strapless bodice with sheer "illusion" overlay, glorious floral details. Mildly wounded, which keeps the price down appreciably.

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•Closures: rear metal zipper 

•Designer/Labels: Karen Stark for Harvey Berin

All accessories (belts, jewelry, crinolines, pins, etc.) are for style inspiration only unless indicated.

♛Measurements

About a modern size S; please allow room for ease and the kind of fit you prefer. Plentiful interior fabric darts + allowances allow tailoring larger or smaller. Very slight give to fabric when pulled tight where indicated.

Bust (underarm area measured flat across front, then doubled) to 36"/37" tight

Waist (measured across front seam and doubled) 25"/taut 26" unbelted

Hips full

Center shoulder to waist seam about 16 1/4"

Shoulder to hem about 47" 

Armhole circumference about 13"/tight 14"

♛Condition

Very good vintage shape with some signs of wear and age factored into pricing. 70+ years old.

See images -- there are 3-4 tiny (match-head or smaller) holes or scrapes in the fabric near underarm, and a tiny detached edge/fray to armhole. These can be mended by needle, by reinforcement, or by restyling the straps slightly to be more narrow and removing this area altogether. The bustier layer is the part doing the "heavy lifting," after all -- the straps are mainly for show.

There's a short, clean tear in the second-in layer of black chiffon at side skirt near waist seam. Not easy to see due to the quadruple-layering of skirt; can be left alone, but a mend would be nearly invisible.

I remember seeing 1-2 pinholes in the skirting that turned up during steaming that I now can't locate. It's understandable; there are lavish amounts of fabric used here. 

I've priced it to account for any pro-level mending it might need.

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Minor signs of previous use and age are normal and expected for all true vintage pieces. Flaws and issues are carefully noted/photographed, and our detailed photos give you a good idea of the look of each garment. We're happy to answer any questions you might have to help you with online purchasing.