Visiting any High Street store in the UK at the moment is a traumatic experience for me. The clothes on sale can all be summarised with one word, cringing. What’s on offer is basically a pile of trendy poor quality party dresses. I shiver at seeing the cut of some of the supposedly glamorous garments in the shops, not to mention the fact that, though it’s Italians who are usually blamed for unnecessary over the top details and super-shiny fabrics, most of the stuff that’s on sale at the moment comes in extra glossy materials or taffeta-like fabrics in vivid shades of red and green, essential to achieve what I call “the Christmas tree look”.
Be honest with yourself, do you really need the umpteenth embarrassing frock? No, not really, in fact you can wear what you wore last Christmas or try to readapt it. Yet if you can afford it/you’re hitching to spend your hard-earned money despite financial Armageddon is out there or you just want to invest your wage into something unique, well, check out the vintage selection offered by Yoox.
The site’s fashion experts spent a long time sourcing a few interesting party dresses from all around the world and came up with a stunning selection that will be unveiled on 19th December. Among the designers chosen there are some big names such as Valentino and Fendi and the selection features floor-length gowns, cocktail numbers and little black dresses spanning various decades, from the 50s to the 80s.
Some of the dresses such as Zandra Rhodes Couture’s sapphire blue tunic embellished with glass beads and Yves Saint Laurent Couture’s silk dress with beaded floral motifs were purchased from Christie’s of New York. If you are looking for an investment, I would suggest either Yves Saint Laurent’s number or Mila Schön’s full-length black velvet evening dress: both the designers died this year, so while paying them homage, you would also be buying into something that has acquired more value in the last few months. If you fancy something shorter but equally chic try Fendi’s black short sleeved dress with crepe skirt or Valentino’s sheath dress with a square collar and jewel buttons at the wrist. Can’t really do without "the Christmas tree look”? Do it in style with London Town’s red velvet dress or All That Jazz’s green silk number.
Multi-brand fashion and design boutique Yoox has been selling vintage collectibles since 2001. Last year the site also organised a rather honourable initiative by putting on sale some of the finest and most precious garments produced by a famous Italian tailoring house, the Sartoria Tizzoni, allowing young people who had never heard about it to rediscover its historical designs.
If you can afford the dresses or have a very generous partner/friend/family member you want to stir towards the perfect present for you, you should remember that the pieces are unique, so you’d better get up very early on Friday morning.
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