Dressed to Kill

This lavish volume invites the reader into the glamorous fashions of the 1920s. Virginia, a renowned antique clothing shop in London, has been a go-to for fashion designers, models, stylists, and fashionistas for years. With its carefully curated selection of perfectly preserved heirloom dresses, coats, lingerie, and accessories, Virginia’s rare clothing is collected by designers for inspiration and by serious clothing collectors (both museum curators as well as celebrities). This stunning volume highlights the best of the collection, scaling the heights of Jazz Age fashion with chapters on sequined dresses, cocktail wear, bridge coats, opera coats, evening jackets, and house coats. Through sumptuous still-life photographs of the clothes and opulent film-set interiors, Dressed to Kill invites readers into a magical world. The rare and precious beaded dresses, feathered capes, and silky kimonos are beautifully documented, highlighting the craftsmanship and ornamentation of the pieces. Historical information is accompanied by guidelines for the care of antique clothing.With essays by leading fashion authorities, this is a must-have book for collectors, connoisseurs, and those who believe in evening style.

Virginia Bates was an actress before opening her eponymous shop in 1972. She writes a regular blog for Vogue.com UK. Daisy Bates is an actress and Virginia’s daughter. Suzy Menkes is fashion editor for the International Herald Tribune. Stephen Jones is a haute couture milliner. Daphne Guinness is a fashion writer, muse, and collector of haute couture. Naomi Campbell is a model and collector of haute couture. Malcolm Venville is a photographer and director.