.. This dress is serial marked as one of Michael Casey's private archive pieces. If you are unfamiliar with Michael Casey, its because he produced only couture, and in very small amounts, distributed to high end retailers like Bergdorf and Saks, and they would sell out the few pieces they were lucky enough to get immediately. A Casey collector I met told me women from all over the world would come to San Francisco to be sure they could get a gown from Michael Casey.

When Casey closed his fashion house a few years ago, several of his pieces showed up in a local consignment shop. I bought as many as I could afford, and sold most right away. This one was the favorite of the collection, and I put it away for a rainy day. It is made from the most wonderful "burn out" silk velvet. The leaf pattern is actually woven into the fabric with shiny black threads. The burnt out areas show a sheer olive chiffon.

.. The detail at the neckline is amazingly, hand made beaded fringe, that hangs 9" at each point. The beads are cut glass, and every strand of fringe ends with a lovely, faceted crystal. The trim is also accented with crystals, as well as gold and bronze beads. Between the glow of the silk velvet, and the shimmer of the beads, this dress is almost hypnotic

.. The dress was beautifully made to fit close to the body without being tight.  It has a built in corset (with a slightly padded bra), and a hidden back zipper. The back has a simple pleat at the end of the zipper for a bit of fullness. It is fully lined in black silk. This is actual couture, and I believe it is a one of a kind.