Vintage Victor Costa 1980s does 1940s black silk velvet semi peplum flaps evening dress shoulder pads puff mutton Made USA knee length
 
This is a divine Victor Costa silk velvet dress, which appears to have a peplum waist but they are actually more like wing side pieces, which were popular in the 1940s. And the 1980s was in some respects a recreation of 1940s glamour, so this has great shoulder pads too. It's a great 'femme fatale' dress for sure very elegant and classy for a smart evening event. It is cut around the knee length and slightly pencil shape enhanced by those wing flaps, so very figure flattering hourglass figure look with the shoulder pads. I mean I have a bit of a tummy my my waist looks stellar in this!
 
The sleeves are ong but  'glove cut' or 'bracelet cut' which means they are ideal to wear with over wrist gloves or gorgeous amulet type bracelets which were popular in the 1980s.
 
I have a bevy of gorgeous 1980s designer dresses atm so used the theme of 'Addicted to Love' in my video ! Check out my other listings on the theme. I also have a few other gorgeous Victor Costa dresses listed separately.
 
I would say this dress would be suitable for a UK 8 or 10 ; but may also be ok for a larger size UK 6  Send me your measurements and I will see if it is likely to fit I would rather do it that way round, but will give you the measurements of course too.  
It is of course Made in USA, and Costa was known as the 'copycat king' for reproducing gowns by the likes of Dior (who he often purchased the designs from), and with difficult to tell apart quality wise,  it is often remarked on. Very fine workmanship.

[Along with Lacroix (his favourite designer), Costa was a] :
"significant contributor to the current vogue for flamboyant, super-feminine dresses that bare the shoulders, hug the waistline and billow and swirl over the hips" (New York Times 1987)

The 1980s was a time where people dressed UP, not down. Yes, gowns like this were for charity balls, New Year's Eve, terraces of exclusive holiday resorts, cruises and smart wedding receptions; but you were just as likely to spot one in your local wine bar, smart restaurant, nightclub or casino on a weekend. 
Sadly, we are now in an age where the wealthy have rejected glamour and purple v necks t shirts and jeans are the billionaire lifestyle it's almost as if they dress down we think they are like us. Errr ....no. And millions of ordinary women yearn for the glamour we once had even if it was just the one dress we had for special occasions we got to wear. If you are anything like me, I resent spending my low income hard earned money in a spartan restaurant with wood benches eating bog standard food off a tin tray drinking cocktails from a jam jar, or dance with people tipping beer over me, looking shabby. I want on the few times a year I can afford, to go somewhere lovely have a little luxury and see beautiful dresses again & glam up myself. To me quality Fashion is Art; and sneering at it you sneer at the makers of it: highly skilled working class people & their livelihoods. I worked 25 yrs in fashion retail myself in a dept. store yes I'm a working class girl and proud of it....and saw the declining quality the corporate buyers pushed, each year worse quality: I know a con when I see one.  They can manage our expectations some other way we are done with mass produced polyester fast casual fashion. Or, at least if you are looking here, you are, as I am.
 
Costa himself in fact was from a working class family growing up in post depression era America. His mother though would take him to smart dept stores and while she couldn't afford, they would appreciate the beautiful gowns they saw. By his teens, also inspired by Hollywood glamour, (especially Joan Crawford who later would become a customer), he was making prom dresses for his classmates. Soon he would be the classmate of Yves St Laurent studying in Paris, and eventually be the chief designer at that wonderful vintage New York label Suzy Perette.
But it was the 1980s where he made a name in his own right that went world famous, gave women the glamour and elegance they craved for a fraction of couture prices, and put Texas on the map of Fashion.