.. The dress is unlabeled but the belt is stamped Leslie Fay and it clearly belongs to the dress. To be honest, I was surprised to see it's Fay. The 1950s - 70s LF pieces I see are really not all that exciting to me, but this 1940s dress is really quite something.

.. Its made of rich, black silk or rayon crepe fabric with a side metal zipper. The skirt has a nice fullness and a beautiful drape. The shoulders are severe, with stiff crescents sewn in to make an almost shelf like line. Best of all is the gorgeous beadwork where black glass beads were hand sewn individually to the dress. Its the kind of work you find in Parisian haute couture. There is a little 3-d knot at the neckline, from there the beads spray out like fireworks. The beads come up over the shoulders in strips, then end at the base of the neck in a little V formation. It is a really gorgeous piece.