GUEST: So, this dress belonged to my mother.

She lived in Philadelphia and somewhere, I think, around when she was 18, 19, 20, she would be a runway model for the Nan Duskin department store.

And I know the dress came from Nan Duskin, but I don't know how my mom acquired it.

I believe she wore it once.

And I know that I wore it once, (chuckling): if you can believe it.

Um... but I always thought it was extraordinary, and just... wild.

And who makes a dress like this?

APPRAISER: So, what you have here is a black silk taffeta evening gown... GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...made by Gilbert Adrian, and it's for his 1948 collection.

He was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, in 1903.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: A very, very, uh, artistic and precocious drawer and creative young man.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: He went to Parsons in New York, and they quickly said, "We have no more to teach you, go to our Parsons school in France."

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: So he started in Paris in 1920.

GUEST: Cool.

APPRAISER: And he then meets up with Irving Berlin, he is invited at the age of 19 to go back to America... GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...and he designed costumes on stage for Irving Berlin and Broadway.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: He then goes to Hollywood, and in 1928, he starts to work for MGM.

GUEST: MGM, okay.

APPRAISER: So he becomes the MGM head costume designer from 1928 to 1941.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: One of the things that Adrian is most well-known for... GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...is he designed all the costumes for "Wizard of Oz."

GUEST: I just heard that recently.

(chuckles) Yeah, I didn't-- I had no idea.

Yeah.

So, so cool.

APPRAISER: In 1941, he says he's leaving MGM and he's gonna start his own label.

1942, he has his very first collection.

He had two different labels under his name.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: One was called Adrian Originals... GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...which is what this is.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: And there's a label in the back.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: Along with the Nan Duskin label... GUEST: Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

APPRAISER: ...which was the retailer in Philadelphia.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: The top of the top in, in Philly.

He also had Adrian Customs, and those were the couture.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: So if you can believe, this was a ready-to-wear.

His ready-to-wear went from the very low sort of bread and butter... GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: ...$69 suits up to $395 gowns.

GUEST: Gotcha.

APPRAISER: Which is the height of, again, that lower end.

GUEST: Yeah, right, right.

And in today's money, it's about $5,000 for, for this.

APPRAISER: Had you thought about... the value at all?

GUEST: I was sort of in the $1,000 to $3,000, hoping for $3,000...ish, plus.

Just because it seems so extraordinary.

APPRAISER: I would put an auction estimate of $1,500 to $2,000 on this.

GUEST: Okay, okay.

APPRAISER: For insurance purposes... GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: ...I would have an insurance value of $8,000.

GUEST: Oh, my gosh, wow.

Okay.

Very, very cool.

Um, I'm so happy to know more about it.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

APPRAISER: Well, absolutely, my pleasure.

GUEST: Yeah.