Bill Gibb Blue Silk Satin and Silk Chiffon Beaded Dress, c. Early 1980s

An exceptional dress by Bill Gibb (1943–1988); a Scottish designer who grew up on a farm in Aberdeenshire before moving to London where he studied at Saint Martins, as well as the Royal College of Art where he’d been awarded a scholarship. Gibb is an incredibly important and influential British designer, inspiring the likes of Giles Deacon and John Galliano.  
In 2008, Galliano stated "British designers are storytellers, dreamers, and I think this was really the essence of Bill Gibb.”

Dreamy this piece is, crafted from royal blue silk satin with a silk chiffon overlay, adorned with hand beading and sequins, some with decorative stitching surrounding them. The dress secures at the side with a zip, and does up with pearl-effect buttons at the back (one of which is missing, and some are beginning to peel — only noticeable upon close inspection).
Gibb dressed many notable figures from the ‘70s era such as Twiggy and Elizabeth Taylor, and to me this piece is so Elizabeth Taylor. 

There is no size in this dress but please refer to measurements. Condition is good, though there are the tiniest couple of pinholes towards the hem that can only be seen when held to the light, there is what appears to be a cigarette burn to the silk chiffon on the left arm (but isn’t that so of its time!) and there is some minor peeling to the pearl-effect buttons.

Measurements
Waist: 38”
Bust: 38”
Length: 53”