The Shrimpton Couture Archives

• The twin of this dress was Look 36 for the Spring 2008 Nina Ricci presentation
• Made under the creative direction of Olivier Theyskens
  
• The dress is highly documented and was the dress chosen for the ad campaign that year. It was photoed for Vogue and it's twin resides in the Met museum's permanent archives. 
  
• The strapless ball gown is something that is a signature of Olivier, and that combined with this striking metal mix fabric in its deep metallic gold colour, make this a stand out of the collection. It was the second to last look of the finale.
• The dress is made out of a fabric that has actual metal thread in it and this gives it a very unique appearance and feel. It actually has a slightly cool temperature to it when you touch it, which is fascinating. In person it has perhaps slightly more bronze tone then the gold shown here.
• This fabric choice is really what allowed him to manipulate and create the sculptural seams that the dress has.
• The strapless bodice is meant to be fitted and there is a full built-in inner corset that holds the dress in place around you. The fabric is gathered over to one side where there is a little half bow sewn into place and then it's tails sweep down and become part of the dress as they drape over the skirt and are sewn into place at the back of the skirt.
• It skims over the hips and the skirt has elaborate draping to create the feel that you see in the photos. You can imagine that for this one he personally placed in each drape by hand to get the shape that he wished it to have.
• The front skirt is set on a bit of a curve and the fabric gives it a soft slightly ruffled feel. This then curves around and becomes the offset tot he side train at the back that is very long and ends in a point.
• There is a high slit on the same side as the train and this lets the dress have extra movement when you move.
• This is a phenomenal piece from his tenure at the Nina Ricci label and is extremely rare. I would be shocked if there are more than one or two examples other than this one and the one at the Met that exist. The amount of hand work in the dress tells me that this was definitely a custom-made piece and made-to-order. It verges on Couture.
• It has a full structural inner corset that is cut and boned with an inner waist stay that hooks to close. The rest of the bodice down to the upper hip area is lined in a black muslin. The skirt is back with a black silk netting and then there is an deep green grey silk chiffon that follows the full length of the train.
• It closes with a back zipper. I see a few repairs on the silk chiffon inner skirt. There is slight fraying around the edge of the bodice which I feel is unavoidable with this metal fabric. If I am being picky I would say there is some slight stress to some of the seams here and there and again this is a result of the metal fabric that it is made out of. Hand finishes throughout.
• The dress has no size tag so please go by the listed measurements below.
• Excellent overall condition

Bust: 17-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 21.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: approx 10.5" from top of bodice to waist
Total length: 57" from top of bodice to shortest part of the front hem and then the back another 39" past that
Slit: 33" from front hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: MED-LRG

Reference Photos/Video: (1-3) Spring 2008 Nina Ricci, Look 36. Model Kasia Struss.  /  (4) Karlie Kloss for the Spring 2008 Nina Ricci Ad Campaign photographed by Mario Sorrenti .  /  (5) Natalia Vodianova in Nina Ricci photographed by Steven Meisel for Vogue, 2008.  /  (6) Spring 2008 Nina Ricci dress in the MET Collection.  /  (7) From the book "She walks in beauty" by Rizzoli Electa.

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