Vintage Mr. Blackwell custom design evening dress

This dress was given to me by a very beautiful wealthy woman. I never wore it onstage as I was not really tall enough to pull off the drama of it. I didn’t want to shorten it and ruin any value attached to it. I’m guessing this dress is vintage late 1960s. The bodice is made of a rich jet black velvet. It’s a bit of an Empire waste, and below that is more black velvet with appliqué of gold braid and gold studs. Gorgeous. This dress is in excellent condition. I found no flaws on it. A zipper closes the back. 16 3/4 pit to pit (there are also darts for the breasts so the bust size is actually bigger, I just can’t measure it lying down-as they go flat) 34-36” bust About 46” long from bodice Waist is about: 28” Length from the top of the shoulders is 58” long to the ground I’d say the size of dress is 10 (i’m about a size 8 and it fit me except it was too long.) Mr. Blackwell launched his label in the late 1950s and even at that time his dresses sold for between $800 and $1000, which in modern dollars converts to up to $10,000 a dress. He dressed many of the big stars of the day including Jane Russell, Dorothy Lamour and Jayne Mansfield. His 'custom' label were the pieces that were made-to-order and were one-of-a-kind pieces that were fitted to a specific client in the couture tradition. You can probably resell this on eBay or a vintage site (or reposh!) for more than I’m charging…. Designer Custom Party Evening Velvet Unique Valuable