S/S 1998 Runway Giorgio Armani Beaded Chinoiserie Slip Dress

This mesmerising dress was created by Giorgio Armani for his spring / summer 1998 collection and is the exact dress which walked the runway for his high-end Black Label. It was also featured in the campaign shots modelled by Shalom Harlow and lensed by Paolo Roversi. Armani occasion wear came to define red carpet dressing in the ‘90s and the beaded dresses from these runway collections were as exquisite as French and Italian couture. Giorgio would later produce these dresses for the Armani Prive line when he became a corresponding member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture after his first Couture collection in 2005.

Tailored from seafoam blue-grey sheer silk with a hand-painted abstract finish, it is detailed in chinoiserie style using heavy, highly intricate beading. Iridescent beads in silver, pale grey and deeper grey-blue sit against foliage created from olive green embroidery. Covering the entirety of the dress, this beadwork is a testament to Armani’s attention-to-detail and the skill of the brand’s in-house team during the 1990s. The delicate straps are also crafted from silk and are finished with lines of silver beads. There is a dramatic slit in the left-hand side of the skirt which allows for ease of movement.

This dress is in very good to excellent archival vintage condition with no flaws to the beadwork. We noted a few areas in and around the side slit where the silk seams are very slightly stretched but this is not apparent at all when worn. The dress has also undergone minor adjustments; the side slit appears to have been closed up an inch or two – easily reversable. The shoulder straps have also been raised but the full length remains and these can be reinstated to the original length or adjusted to fit by the new owner. There is no composition or size label, so it is best to check our below measurements below and the fabric has no stretch. Our model (5ft 4in / 163cm) is a UK 6-8 and this dress had room to spare, we estimate it would fit up to sizes UK 10 or US 6.

MEASUREMENTS

BUST - 36 in. (91 cm)

WAIST - 30 in. (76 cm)

HIP - 40 in. (102 cm)

LENGTH - 53 in. (135 cm)