2004 Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Embroidered Dress with Leather Jacket

This extraordinary dress and leather jacket ensemble walked the runway as part of Zuhair Murad’s Fall 2004 Haute Couture collection in Paris. Dating from relatively early in Murad’s international couture career, it already displays many of the signatures for which the Lebanese designer would become renowned: intricate hand embroidery and sensual body-conscious silhouettes. This ensemble appears to correspond exactly to the version shown on the runway, with no obvious alterations or personalisation for the couture client. This is relatively unusual in haute couture, where garments ordered from a collection were frequently adapted in colour, fabrication, proportion or detailing for the individual customer. We have acquired several other couture pieces from the same client, do contact Circa if these are of interest.

The dress element is tailored from black and metallic-gold lace and cut closely through the body in the manner of an elaborate slip dress. Sequinned spaghetti straps frame a softly draped cowl neckline, while decadent gold embroidery and beadwork form stylised vines that wind around the body. Below the hips, panels of fine black silk tulle are knotted onto the dress around the thighs, opening into a playful handkerchief skirt with considerable movement. The hem is asymmetric, falling longer at the back than the front. Beneath the sheer and metallic surface, the dress is lined in matte black silk.

The original runway jacket provides a superb contrast. Cut from supple black leather, it reworks the classic biker jacket into a cropped silhouette designed to expose the waist and embroidery of the dress beneath. It has broad lapels, a bronze-tone front zip and a wide elasticated hem. One side of the jacket and one sleeve are lavishly worked with gold embroidery and sequins, punctuated by red embroidered butterflies, red sequins and beadwork which echo the decoration of the gown. The jacket is lined in rich red silk satin.

The dress and jacket are in excellent archival vintage condition with no issues of any note and do not appear to have been altered or adapted from their original runway configuration. Each piece has the designer's couture label attached but there are no other labels present. The dress has a small amount of stretch and we estimate the ensemble will fit up to approximately a UK 8–10 or US 4–6, although it is relatively slim through the hips. Please refer to the individual measurements below to ensure the best fit.

Notes on Designer: Zuhair Murad established his house in Beirut in 1997 and began presenting couture in Paris in 2001. His rise was rapid, built on a highly glamorous approach to couture that combines traditional atelier craftsmanship with elaborate embroidery, intricate beadwork, illusion lace and confidently feminine silhouettes.

His work has become a major presence on international red carpets and has been worn by Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and many other leading performers and actresses. Murad is particularly admired for the extraordinary handwork of his evening and couture collections, where embellishment is often integrated directly into the construction of the garment rather than applied simply as surface decoration.

Today the house produces haute couture, bridal and ready-to-wear from its ateliers in Beirut and Paris and remains one of the most prominent names in contemporary eveningwear and red-carpet couture.

MEASUREMENTS DRESS

BUST - 34 in. (86 cm)

WAIST - 28 in. (71 cm)

HIP - 38 in. (97 cm)

LENGTH - 48 in. (122 cm)

LENGTH BACK - 63 in. (160 cm)

MEASUREMENTS JACKET

BUST - 36 in. (91 cm)

WAIST - 36 in. (91 cm)

LENGTH - 16.5 in. (42 cm)

SHOULDERS - 17 in. (43 cm)