Early 1970s Bill Blass Couture Hand Beaded Lion Print Dress w Elaborate Feather Collar z-archive-1920s The lace there is backed

The lace there is backed with an extra layer of silk chiffon so that you can wear it without being completely see-through

curve creating wiggle style

The shawl or portrait collar is expansive and covers the entire shoulder - in notes for other shawled collared dress The Met comments "A full skirt balances a nipped waist or a portrait collar counteracts a fitted bodice in numerous examples of Dior's work"

The front has a pretty squared off neckline and notched front

Plus they needed to be versatile so many of the pieces serve double or triple duty with a quick change of a shoe or bag

Early 1970s Bill Blass Couture Hand Beaded Lion Print Dress w Elaborate Feather Collar z-archive-1920s The lace there is backedBill Blass launched his label in 1970 when he bought out the Maurice Rentner label and re launched it under his own name. This has a similar feel to a dress I had in the shop a few years back that dated to 1971 and I suspect that this is from that same time period. Blass was arguably one of the most famous of the American designers. His forte was the ability to mix simple styles with unexpected materials in way that was very flattering to the wearer.