.. A dress like only the great Balenciaga could create. Done is a remarkable petrol blue silk, the design is nothing short of remarkable. It is a cross-over wrap style, but instead of being slinky and fitted, it is sculptural, with a single button closure (and a few well placed hooks & eyes) and a built in waist corset to keep everything in perfect alignment.

.. The perfectly gathered area in the mid-section leads down to a carefully curved hem. There is also a remarkable projected pleat running horizontally across the derriere. It gives the impression of the back of a jacket. It is something I have never seen on a dress before.... quite astonishing, and very, very beautiful.

.. This incredible dress was imported to the USA by I. Magnin's, sold in the Hollywood shop for a small fortune in the very early 1960s. The couture number is on the back of the Balenciaga label.