This dress was owned by a 103 year old lady in our church who passed away three years ago, it was made in the early 1960's I believe. At her estate sale we bought it for auction at $5000 dollars, which was low end for what it probably cost. It was tailored to fit her, so I had to shrink quite a bit to not have any alterations, in addition to waist training with a corset for the big day. I don't think alterations would be difficult to size down, but sizing up due to the beading might be difficult. Unfortunately I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that the beading is hand sewn onto raw silk (according to my seamstress). The dress is completely raw silk with a beautiful bustle that about 12 inches of beading at the bottom. The bodice of the dress is beaded as is the last 12 inches of the bottom of the dress in addition to being scalloped. The dress is an absolutely beautiful and stunning if you are wanting a vintage elegance for the special day. This dress looks great on and I wore my great-grandmother's 1950's shoes to go with, it was a perfect match! The dress is white, but it is just slightly off-white, not cream but not white either. If you have any questions please let me know!