• The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 1996 Nina Ricci Haute Couture show
• It was made under the creative direction of Gerard Pipart.
• The Nina Ricci brand was founded in 1932 at 20 Rue de Capucines in Paris. In 1964 Gérard Pipart succeeded Jules-François Crahay, Nina Ricci's former designer assistant, as head of the brand. Pipart, who had previously worked for Balmain, Fath, and Patou, brought a wide range of experience in all aspects of fashion to the brand. 
• Over the following three decades, Pipart's couture vision 'celebrated a flamboyant woman and his ready-to-wear found a loyal following among the most stylish women of the day.' He headed the Couture division until 1998.
• This is an incredible and very beautiful piece of Haute Couture and would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• This dress is a masterpiece and really showcases how beautiful a piece of true couture can be. Everything about its construction is done at a master level.
• The bodice is strapless and curves down at the front beautifully to dip between the breasts. It does the same at the back but with a slightly less deep dip.
• The entire bodice is covered with an elaborate design that blends hand embroidery with metallic silver thread, tiny seed beads in black, and gold tube beads. This would have all been completely done by hand and I would not be surprised to learn that this was by Lesage. It is absolutely magnificent.
• That outer embellished layer tops an inner bodice that is boned and shaped around you. You can actually lift the exterior bottom of the bodice and see some of the work underneath and it is just incredible to see the detail that has gone into this. I have added a photo of that for you to see. It really showcases the attention to detail this dress was made with.
• Under that the skirt is made out of a soft pewter silk that is a very high-quality. It has a slight silver grey feel to it that is lovely. The way that the skirt falls is just extra extraordinary. It is so full and voluminous as it curves outward and down to the floor. To achieve that shape there is an elaborate built-in underskirt that is all hidden. It is made out of a stiffened net that you can feel through the inner silk lining. It is set in those beautiful rounded pleats that you see on the outer skirt and gives the support needed to hold those shapes. We have not added any crinolines under the skirt. All of that volume is created because of the brilliant infrastructure underneath.
• The back of the skirt is cut slightly longer then the front for a beautiful sweeping feel behind you.
• It is fully lined in a handset silk and closes with a side set zipper. An inner waist stay hooks to close. There is hidden boning through the bodice and structure through the hips as described above. I see evidence that some of the seams around the inner waist were let out at some point.
• The proper Haute Couture label is present.
• There is no size tag so please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12.5-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: approx 8" from top of bodice to inner waist
Total length: 52.5" from top of bodice to front hem and the back extends another 5.5" beyond that. There is an extremely deep hem.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5550

Reference Photos: Fall 1996 Nina Ricci Haute Couture.

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