An afternoon dress and 3/4 length coat that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco have been discovered in a marvellous state of preservation. Read about them and see very good pictures from the San Francisco Chronicle at sfgate.com. There is a slide show which includes more pictures than the newspaper article I read at breakfast.
The ensemble was to be worn to an opera matinee on the day of the quake. When the owner fled her home in the early morning, she wrapped these garments in a curtain and took them with her. Somehow they survived weeks of camping out and a century in storage. The cream silk coat has beautiful Art Noveau passementerie trim. The black dress is a lacy confection, but it has survived for 108 years.
witness2fashion 
What an incredible story! She must have really wanted to wear that dress.