Chanel Haute Couture S/S 1960 Blush Pink Lace Wheat Dress

Exceptional Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1960 wheat dress, a rare lifetime Gabrielle Chanel piece and a remarkable example of the house’s late 1950s–early 1960s couture romanticism.

Executed in a delicate blush pink tone, the dress is crafted from sheer lace richly embroidered with wheat motifs, a symbol long associated with Gabrielle Chanel and her private world. The surface is beautifully worked with tonal embroidery and subtle iridescent threads, giving the dress a soft, luminous effect as it catches the light. The silhouette is classic early-1960s Chanel couture: sculpted bodice, elegant bateau neckline, softly extended shoulders, defined waist, and a full pleated skirt with a scalloped lace hem.

A gold variation of this wheat dress was featured in the landmark Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition, shown at major institutions including Palais Galliera and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The design is also closely associated with Jeanne Moreau, who wore a magnificent Chanel wheat gown to the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, where she accepted the Best Actress Award for Moderato Cantabile.

This blush pink version is an extraordinary collector’s piece, both ethereal and historically significant. The label is missing, as can be expected with some couture garments of this age, but the construction, fabric, embroidery, and documented design correspond to Chanel Haute Couture from Spring/Summer 1960.

Good condition for its age, with expected signs of aging and wear consistent with a couture garment over sixty years old. No major flaws noted. A museum-worthy piece of Gabrielle Chanel’s lifetime couture.

Credit:

Marie-Hélène Arnaud wearing a Chanel haute couture gown from the Spring-Summer 1960 collection. The photograph was taken by Luc Fournol in Coco Chanel's private apartment at 31 rue Cambon in Paris.

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition, V&A museum.

Jeanne Moreau in Chanel, 1960.