Spring 1980 Mary McFadden Black & Ivory Cross Over Plunge Front & Back Pleated Dress designer-mollie-parnis especially the bias cut pieces

especially the bias cut pieces that he did

The waist has just a suggestion of shape and the skirt falls to the floor from there

The sides drape and cocoon down beautifully once one and there is a small opening on each side for your hand to slip through

I also took a shot of the dress laid out flat so you can see how the skirt is cut with extra fabric worked around each hip to give the skirt extra flare

Spring 1980 Mary McFadden Black & Ivory Cross Over Plunge Front & Back Pleated Dress designer-mollie-parnis especially the bias cut piecesMary McFadden patented her Fortuny inspired pleating technique just a couple of years after launching her label in 1973. By the eighties she had many licensing agreements and her dresses were being made on a larger scale. Earlier pieces like this one had much of the work in them finished by hand and were done in house. She called her pleated fabric 'marii' after her own name. She went around the world to source the fabric she wanted and her pieces