CHANEL Vintage Spring 1998 Little Black Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 34 in (86.36 cm)Marked Size: 44 (EU)Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Georgetown, ME
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3602219483662
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
More than a mere tastemaker, Karl Lagerfeld devoted himself to the continual pursuit of chic. “My life and my job,” the designer once said, “is to forget myself.” From his first collection at Chanel — after joining the brand in the early 1980s — he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel handbags, evening dresses, coats, jewelry and other clothing and accessories riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment.
During his five-decade career as a designer for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times. An outsize, instantly recognizable personality — his ponytail powdered like an 18th-century viscount, his eyes perpetually shielded by dark glasses, wearing fistfuls of chunky silver jewels — Lagerfeld was, above all, an avatar of style.
Born in Hamburg (in 1933, ’35, or ’38 by varying accounts), Karl Lagerfeld packed his bags for Paris in 1954. His design for a coat won him the International Wool Secretariat and landed him a job with the celebrated couturier Pierre Balmain.
Lagerfeld went on to become the designer of Jean Patou, eventually realizing that his seemingly endless ideas could fuel a career as a designer-for-hire. As such, he lent his vision to everyone from Loewe and Max Mara to Krizia and Charles Jourdan, nimbly moving among a diverse range of styles. It was an unprecedented way of working in the days when freelance was still a dirty word.
During the late ’60s and ’70s, Lagerfeld refashioned Chloé to reflect the free spirit of the day and, beginning in 1965, joined forces with the Fendi family, taking it from sleepy furrier to fashion’s haute-est stratum. Because of his track record for reviving and reimagining brands that had grown stagnant, in 1983 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday.
Lagerfeld’s collections for the brand displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. From Watteau (Spring/Summer 1985 couture) and Serge Roche (Spring/Summer 1990 ready-to-wear) to hip-hop fly girls (Fall/Winter 1991 ready-to-wear), surfers (Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear) and ancient Egypt (Pre-Fall 2019), he used each season’s inspiration to conceive Chanel’s signatures anew.
Lagerfeld revived the house's ballet flats and thoroughly embraced the classic logo's interlocking CCs, which became a common and immediately recognizable feature of Chanel flap bags. Many of the rare Chanel bags much sought after today — and Chanel bags of the 1990s, generally — are objects of pure fantasy conjured up by the late couturier.
Despite producing eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as four to five for Fendi, Lagerfeld never faltered in proposing new ideas each time he put pencil to paper.
Find vintage Karl Lagerfeld Chanel day dresses, jackets, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Georgetown, ME
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- KRIZIA Vintage 80's Polar Bear DressBy Krizia MagliaLocated in Georgetown, MERare Vintage 80's KRIZIA Polar Bear Dress. My love affair with Vintage Krizia animal knitwear continues! Cozy and Krizia! Designer: Krizia Condition: Excellent Size: 42, fit...Category
1980s Casual Dresses
- 1970's Vintage Tri Color Floral DressBy I Magnin and CoLocated in Georgetown, MEVintage 70's Tri Color Floral Halter Dress! I am obsessed with this dress, it is perfect in every way. Designer: unknown has the Joseph Magnin Department Store Label Size: fi...Category
1970s Maxi Dresses
- GIRASOL Deadstock Vintage 70's Mexican DressLocated in Georgetown, MEDeadstock Vintage 70's GIRASOL Striped Cotton Mexican Dress. This dress is deadstock (new with tags) and so cute! Designer: Girasol Condition: Excell...Category
1970s Mexican Sheath Dresses
- S/S 2000 Vintage VERSACE Couture DressBy Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Georgetown, MERare Vintage S/S 2000 VERSACE Couture silk dress! Designer: Versace Condition: Excellent Size: 42, fits like a small-medium Length: 40 inches including Bust: 17.5 inches ar...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shift Dresses
- CHANEL Vintage Spring 1988 DressBy Chanel Boutique, ChanelLocated in Georgetown, MEVintage CHANEL S/S 1988 Runway Lace & Floral Dress! This incredible Dress is so hard to find. I love the petticoat which gives the skirt a bit of vo...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- VALENTINO Vintage 80's Silk Corset DressBy ValentinoLocated in Georgetown, MEVintage 80's VALENTINO Boutique Silk Corset Dress. This dress is so flirty and fun. I'm in love. With a built in corset. It was a little small fo...Category
1980s European Cocktail Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 1999 Cutout Sheer Mesh Bodycon Black Maxi DressBy Jean Paul Gaultier SoleilLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 1999 Cutout Sheer Mesh Bodycon Black Maxi Dress Size XS/M Please note size tag has been removed, due to stretch in the mesh material this dress will fi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Versace F/W 2012 Runway Unworn Gothic Cross Embroidered Leather Velvet DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace F/W 2012 Runway Unworn Gothic Cross Embroidered Leather Velvet Black Dress IT 44 Look 2 from the Spring 2012 Collection. New with TagsCategory
2010s Day Dresses
- 1980s Escada Green Pink Blue & Orange Plaid 2 pc Dress w/ Skirt & Linen TopBy EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThis is a beautiful ensemble from the 1980's designed by Margaretha Ley for Escada. The outfit has a pleated midi length skirt that buttons down the front. It is made of linen in an ...Category
1980s German Day Dresses
- 1970s Clovis Ruffin Black Keyhole DressBy Clovis Ruffin RuffinwearLocated in Toronto, Ontario1970s Clovis Ruffin "Ruffinwear" polyester black jersey dress with keyhole tie at neckline. The dress has a gathered neckline with cape style short sleeves and a tie at the top of th...Category
1970s American Casual Dresses
- S/S 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford G Buckle Purple Knit Sleeveless Cutout DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting two-in-one, this dress can be worn with either an exposed back or a plunging neckline. Sexy and versatile, this dress represents one of Tom Ford's most popular and iconic ...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford Leather Strap Black Knit Runway DressBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a form-fitting knit Gucci dress, designed by Tom Ford. This dress debuted on the Spring/Summer 1998 runway as look 5. Constructed of black knit viscose, this long sleeve d...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How the Chanel Jacket Forever Changed What Women Wear
The classic tweed garment has been a wardrobe staple of chic women around the world since the 1950s.
Remembering Fashion Designer, Collector and Supreme Tastemaker Karl Lagerfeld
The creative force behind brands like Chanel, Fendi and Chloé was as exacting in his interiors as he was in his clothing designs.