Vintage Paco Rabanne

My father grew up in Paris and was friends with Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo, better known as Paco Rabanne. They went to school together and both studied at École des Beaux-Arts. My father went on to become an architect and artist in his own right while Paco exploded onto the fashion scene in the mid-60s and rose to prominence as an “enfant terrible” with his use of unconventional materials such as metal and plastic in his futuristic design elements.

About that time… my mother was attending Sorbonne Université when she met and fell in love with my father, and Paco hand-made and personally gave her two dresses including one where real flowers were meticulously pressed into rhodium discs.

These dresses are absolutely original, certainly vintage, and undoubtedly one of a kind. Here is a picture of my mother (with my father) wearing one of the dresses Paco gave her just as he was becoming famous, but before I was even born. Paco also designed and made her wedding dress.

My mother gave me the dresses after my father died hoping I might appreciate them, but they just sat in my closet for years because I really didn’t know what to do with them. I showed them to a friend with a unique style and fashion sense who immediately fell in love with them, agreed to a photo shoot, and totally crushed it.

Paco Rabanne died in 2023 which has since created a buzz and resurgence in popularity for his iconic dresses by celebrities, fashionistas, and collectors. I love that I have these and truly cherish their story and provenance. RjZ