80s Dress Dramatic Vintage Wedding Guest Silk Kimono Sleeves Bold Graphic Print Women's Medium Sue Wong VFG
Such an amazing dress, designed and constructed with such attention to imaginative detail! The body is a drop-shoulder shift with plain rounded neckline, no darting for fit. There are side seam pockets below the waist. The dramatic red sleeves are Asian inspired with geometric details - the inner sleeves are batwing deep, narrowing slightly and then squaring off near the wrist cuffs. The cuffs use layers of the three different dress colors to create a striped effect. Narrower "stripes" of blue and black suggest a narrower sleeve. And then there is the third layer of sleeve, elbow length and quite deep - lined in the dark blue for additional drama. The dress comes alive on the body, and will invite you to strike dramatic poses using your arms. The dress is shown in some photos with its original shoulderpads tucked into place - a previous owner removed them but kept them with the dress. They are included with purchase, and if you want to use them, they can easily be stitched back into place. The dress is shown in some photos with a belt from my closet for inspiration - it is not included with purchase.
SIZE: Labeled size 8, but given the design details, I would say this is a One Size Fits Many - the hip measurement is probably most important.>
Measurements | Inches | Cm |
Approximate bust | 45" | 114.5 |
Dropped shoulders | 24" | 61 |
Sleeve length from dropped shoulder | 19.5" | 49.5 |
Approximate hips | 41.5" | 105.5 |
Dress length from shoulder seam | 40.5" | 103 |
Sweep | 39.5" | 100.5 |
FABRIC/COLORS: A bold and gorgeous print, using stylized tropical fern and leaf motifs in a rich dark teal with black against a dark red background. The fabric is light to medium weight silk, and tag recommends dry clean only. Accent fabrics match the dark teal and black.
TAGS: Cee Gee by Sue Wong, made in Hong Kong
CLOSURES: The dress slips on over the head, and closes with three red self-fabric covered buttons on the left shoulder. The cuffs also close with self-fabric buttons, black this time and two on each wrist.
CONDITION: On close inspection, I see two small darkish discolorations - the larger is on the bodice front and center near the neckline - see closeup. I found a similar but smaller spot on the right sleeve near the cuff. I have not tried to remove these, since I don't have a trusted dry cleaner in my community.
I measure the outside of garments, unless stated otherwise.
For menswear, the chest is measured at armpit level.
For womenswear, the bust is measured a little below armpit level, including the room created by darts or gathers.
Waist will be measured if there is one, and hips are measured about 9" below waist level. Sleeves are measured from shoulder seam or an approximation in the absence of a shoulder seam. Garment length is measured from the back of the neck, unless otherwise stated.
The measurement numbers refer to the garment, not the body inside. For best fit, measure a similar type of garment which fits you well and compare.
If the garment is shown on Josephine, my mannequin, her measurements are 31/24.5/34". Sometimes she wears a padded bra. My live models measurements vary depending on the day and year, and I don't ask them to share that.