1970s Missoni Multicolored Silk Jersey Maxi Skirt Set

Name: 1970s Missoni Multicolored Silk Jersey Maxi Skirt Set
Brand: Missoni
Price: 1600 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Famed for their iconic kaleidoscopic knits, Missoni crafts jersey fabric into comfortable, creative clothing. Since the conception of the brand in the 1950s, Missoni has mastered the art of pattern mixing and combinations. As with this 1970s maxi skirt ensemble the geometric triangle and square pattern overlaid with diagonals creates depth and an implied texture. With rich, multicolored hues of red, peach, olive drab, violet, light blue, and black, the overall result is one of visual harmony. A wide neckline, seamless shoulders, and dolman style sleeves soften the shoulders and allow for a relaxed fit throughout the top. The full-length skirt has a wide yoke from which the skirt is precisely pleated the width-around. Near the waist a sash finishes the skirt to be tied at the front Size estimate: S/M Top: Bust: 35 inches Waist; 30 inches or smaller Length: 19 inches Skirt: Waist: 26 unstretched - 31 stretched Hips: free Length: 41 inches Unlined, both items can be slipped over the head. The skirt waist is outfitted with elastic for a proper fitting. Professionally cleaned and pressed, this silk jersey Missoni ensemble is in excellent condition. High-quality vintage pieces like this are yours to live in and love while increasing in value every year. It’s never too soon to start collecting them, as an investment in your wardrobe—and in yourself.

Designer:

Missoni

Brand:

Missoni

Dimensions:

Marked Size: Small/Medium (US)

Style:

dress (In the Style Of)

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1970-1979

Condition:

excellent.

Seller Location:

Boca Raton, FL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU73013323142

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Missoni

In 1953, Ottavio “Tai” Missoni (1921–2013) and Rosita Missoni (b. 1931) opened a small knitwear shop in Gallarate, Italy, paving the way for what would become an iconic style of colorful chevron knit.

Missoni began with a tracksuit, which featured zippers down the legs because, as Rosita recalls it, “Tai was too lazy to take off his shoes when putting them on.” The couple’s fashion really took off, though, once they discovered the Raschel knitting machine on a trip to a shawl factory. The machine enabled the Missonis to knit multiple colors in a zigzag pattern, a motif that would go on to become synonymous with the Missoni brand across everything from its alluring vintage day dresses and sweaters to its purses, seating and rugs.

Missoni held its first fashion show in Florence in 1967 and caused a bit of a sensation when the models’ Lurex dresses proved translucent under the lights at the Pitti Palace. Scandal aside, the show went down in history as a hit, and the Missonis soon made their debut in the United States with the help of legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who gave the variegated Missoni stripe the Vogue seal of approval, saying, “Who says a rainbow has seven colors? It has many shades.” (It was also Vreeland who reportedly introduced the Missonis to Neiman Marcus president Stanley Marcus, effectively shepherding the brand to the American market.)

Missoni’s many-shaded rainbow would soon become an emblem of the 1970s fashion scene, earning the brand a permanent place in the fashion canon. In 1973, the New York Times proclaimed: “Missoni’s weaved garments have ended up universal materialistic trifles, as Vuitton sacks and Gucci shoes.”

The brand branched into the home market in 1983, with Rosita overseeing this new venture, Missoni Home, which included furniture, textiles and accessories. Daughter Angela succeeded her mother at the helm of the brand, where she still serves as president and creative director today; her brother Luca is CEO, while her daughter Margherita is creative director of offshoot M Missoni.

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