$30,000 for a dress? That’s nothing for some vintage fashion fans

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Plenty of designer vintage clothing commands respectable prices, but few compare to the rarest of the rare – runway designer pieces that are often only found in galleries and museums.

Occasionally, some of these fashion items turn up on the secondary market and when they do, command serious dosh, often north of $30,000 – and that’s just for one piece. These designs were pivotal moments in fashion’s history and widely recorded in the press.

A selection of dresses at dot COMME’s vintage boutique, including Rei Kawakubo’s dress from the “lumps and bumps” collection in 1997 (second from the right).

Take, for example, Martin Margiela’s “Bodice”, part of the Belgian designer’s Autumn/Winter collection of 1997, made from linen is individually numbered and lettered and references the traditional dressmaker’s form – with the words “Semi-Couture” printed on the edge.

The elongated waistcoat was recently worn by American model Paloma Elsesser and also by Jeremy Pope, an American actor and singer at the Met Gala this year, surprisingly fitting both body shapes.

A moment in fashion’s archival history, this waistcoat was an epiphany when first seen on the catwalk. Those wanting to own one of these bodice designs would need to splash out well over $30,000 today.

Those visiting the MoMu fashion museum in Antwerp will see this Margiela design taking centre stage in its permanent collection. “The ‘Bodice’ brings to life an inanimate object that was based on a Stockman’s dressmaker’s mannequin,” says Roger Leong, senior curator at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. “The design speaks to the fundamental craft of dressmaking and tailoring.”

A few years earlier, in 1990, a similar moment in fashion was seen when the late Vivienne Westwood presented her Portrait Collection as part of autumn/winter. One of the pivotal pieces was the corset that was based on a 1743 painting of Daphnis and Chloe (Shepherd Watching a Sleeping Shepherdess) by French Rococo artist Francois Boucher.

Rather than the traditional boning of 18th century corsets, Westwood used gold lycra to keep the wearer in shape. There was one such bustier sold at Christie’s Auctions for £6,000 ($12,300), and that was already four years ago.

Those who would struggle to part with £6,000 would feel even more uncomfortable handing over £14,000 for the Westwood Let it Rock Venus T-shirt circa 1975 (a price quoted by Cara Mia Vintage) – at the height of the punk fashion movement.

Liz Hurley’s Versace dress, held together with oversized gold safety pins.

Many would also recall the fashion moment when English actress and model Elizabeth Hurley wore a clingy black Versace dress, often referred to as ‘THAT Dress’. In 1994, she accompanied actor Hugh Grant to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The dress was simply held together with oversized gold safety pins. A shorter version of the design can be seen online for $18,000, so one can only imagine what the full-length dress, worn by Hurley, would now demand.

Dot COMME, which has two vintage boutiques – one in Melbourne and the other, recently opened in Paris – has some of the most valuable vintage items worldwide.

Owner Otto La Rosa, singles out the red and white gingham dress designed by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo as something that even money can’t buy. In La Rosa’s archive that he purchased 10 years ago from a collector in Japan, is one of the dresses that was first shown for Comme des Garcon’s Spring Summer Collection in 1997.

“I wouldn’t sell it, but if you are looking at a price, it’s upwards of $30,000,” says La Rosa. Part of its value, according to La Rosa, is that this design, with all its lumps and bumps, was a commercial failure.

“You might occasionally see the design on a red-carpet event, but even that’s extremely rare,” says La Rosa. It certainly wouldn’t be the type of dress that would easily lend itself to sitting down in.

While it’s easy to say with hindsight “I nearly bought a bodice by Martin Margiela or a bustier from Vivienne Westwood” the reality is that few of us have the foresight to purchase these archival fashion gems, except for perhaps museums and galleries.

These highly valuable fashion items are unlikely to simply turn up at the local vintage store. And given, in many cases, their distinct silhouettes, those in the know will surely pounce on them as soon as they see the light.