This beautiful dress and jacket set by Malcolm Starr is a pretty choice for spring. It was designed by Elinor Simmons, who was a young designer that Malcolm brought in to the company to design a higher end line for him in 1965. She eventually left in 1972 which giving us a window within to date this set. Everything about this dress suggest the late 1960s to me.
Both the dress & jacket have been made out of a heavier silk finished in the palest pink. The fabric choice gives it structure so that the shape you see is held once it is on the body. It is made up of two parts. There is the inner shift dress and then it has a matching jacket that goes over that. The dress has a very simple and easy to wear cut that is classic Malcolm Starr in feel. The bodice is kept very simple with little capped sleeves. It is cut to skim over the bust and waist. The skirt under that flares out slightly as it reaches the hem. The matching jacket is equally well cut with long sleeves and a box cut that ends exactly at the waist. It has a row of metal buttons down the front and a high ad neat little collar. I love that the entire upper neckline of the dress is finished with embroidered butterflies. These sit on a nude netting that wraps up and around your neck and then the butterflies are hand embroidered onto that. It is so pretty. When worn together the lines are lovely. The set is very well made with pretty details. It comes with a matching belt that can be worn to cinch in the waist of the dress or over the jacket as I have shown here. This is also a pretty decently sized set which is nice to find with vintage. The dress is in excellent condition and the jacket has some small flaws as described below. It is priced at a great price as a result.
Both pieces are fully lined in a pale pink silk. The dress closes with a back painted metal zipper and the jacket buttons to close as shown. The jacket has slight fading on both sleeves that carries up a tiny bit across the top of the shoulders. Some tiny faint marks here and there. The very back seam of the dress has been over-pressed at some point and there is a slight line on either of that seam. Minor but mentioned for accuracy. The jacket is wearable as is - at first glance it just looks like how the light is catching it. The belt shows some grubbiness. Please see the photos after the label shot
Dress
Bust: 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 22" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 40" from neck to hem
Jacket
Sleeves: 24"
Shoulders: 15.5"
Bust: 20.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hem at bottom: 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 19.5" from neck to hem
Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG
Item# DD3658
This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.
