The world's most expensive dress ever made: Top 10 list (with prices)
High-end fashion designers across the globe are constantly working around the clock to come up with show-stopping couture designs. Their unique creations can cost millions of dollars, which is beyond the fashion budget of many. This article highlights the world's most expensive dresses ever made.
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Various things make a dress expensive, including the material quality, target clientele, exclusivity, detail level, and labour cost. Diamond-embellished ensembles are known to be costlier than other gemstone outfits. Some designs fetch high prices at auctions because of their iconic history.
What is the most expensive dress in the world's price?
The world's costliest dresses in the history of fashion are worth millions of dollars. High-end fashion enthusiasts have no problem parting with such a huge amount as long as haute couture is a masterpiece created to perfection. The following are the top 10 most expensive gowns.
10. Danasha Luxury and Jad Ghandour Luxury Dress- $1.5 million
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In 2010, Lebanese couturier Jad Ghandour and Danasha Luxury teamed up to design a sophisticated wedding gown. The $1.5 million fashion piece was embellished with 200g of 18-karat gold, 75 carat of Belgian diamonds, and other gemstones.
9. Vera Wang's Peacock Wedding Dress - $2 million
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American fashion designer Vera Wang is famous for white laced and ruffled gowns, but in 2009 she made a unique fashion piece. Her Peacock wedding gown was stitched by eight craftspeople and featured more than 2,000 peacock feathers. It was unveiled at the 2009 Wedding Expo in Nanjing, China.
8. Jennifer Lawrence's Oscars Gown - $4 million
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Actress Jennifer Lawrence wore the Raf Simmons couture gown designed for Christian Dior to the 2023 Oscars. The $4 million dress has hand-embroidered stitching with a voluminous train.
It is the costliest gown ever worn on the Oscars red carpet. Jennifer infamous tripped over the gown's train while climbing to the stage to accept the award for Best Actress for her in Silver Lining's Playbook.
7. William Travilla's Marilyn Monroe Subway Gown - $4.6 million
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Marlyn Monroe was the queen of fashion on and off the screen. She wore William Travilla's ivory rayon-acetate dress in the 1955 film, The Seven Year Itch. The gown was sold for $4.6 million at a Beverly Hills auction in 2011.
6. Marilyn Monroe's Happy Birthday Mr President Gown - $4.8 million
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Marilyn Monroe wore the gown during President John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday celebrations at a fundraising gala held at Madison Square on 19th May 1962. She famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr President during the gala.
The custom-made Jean Louis dress is made of sheer flesh-colouring marquisette fabric featuring over 2,500 rhinestones. It was bought by Ripley's Believe It or Not for $4.8 million at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles in 2016. It holds the Guinness World Record for being the most expensive dress ever sold at an auction.
5. Yumi Katsura White Gold Diamond Dress - $8.3 million
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Japanese fashion designer Yumi Katsura created the $8.3 million gown with 1,000 white pearls and precious gemstones in 2006. It was crafted using the Zari embroidery technique and features a 5-carat white gold diamond and an 8.8-carat green diamond propped onto the waist of the gown.
4. Queen Letizia's Royal Wedding Gown - $10.7 million
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Queen Letizia of Spain wore a £6 million ($10.7 million) gown on 22nd May 2004 during her wedding to future King Felipe VI. It made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive royal wedding dress ever made.
The long-sleeved silk gown was designed by royal couturier Manuel Pertegaz. It features a 4.5-meter-long train, hand-sewn floral patterns made of real gold threads, and a high-standing collar.
3. Hany El Behairy Wedding Dress - $15 million
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Hany El Behairy is a renowned Egyptian designer known for his exquisite wedding gowns. He unveiled the $15 million dress at his annual fashion show in Cairo in December 2019. The dress is made of ivory tulle and silk organza, featuring a high-low skirt, a long train and a star-patterned veil embellished with hundreds of diamonds and other gemstones.
2. Martin Katz and Renée Strauss Diamond Wedding Gown - $16.2 million
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Celebrity jeweller Martin Katz and renowned bridal stylist Renée stylist teamed up in 2006 to create a wedding gown masterpiece with 150 carats of sparkling diamonds scattered across the bodice. The silk gown was unveiled at the Ritz-Carlton in California.
1. The Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur - $30 million
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The Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur is the world's most expensive dress ever made. The red gown was created by Malaysian fashion designer Faisol Abdullah of the Jandela fashion house.
It was unveiled by Indian actress Kavita Sidhu who wore it at the STYLO Fashion Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur in April 2009. Designer Faisol revealed that the masterpiece was inspired by a poem called The Rose and the Nightingale by the 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz.
Why is the Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur so expensive?
The distinctive red gown is made from silk and taffeta material and features 750 diamond stones (over 1,000 carats). The bodice centrepiece featured a 70-carat pear-cut Belgian diamond made by jeweller Mouawad and topped off with a train of sparkling diamonds.
What is the most expensive dress ever sold?
Most of the costliest gowns are on display in fashion houses. The most expensive outfit that has ever been sold was Marlyn Monroe's Happy Birthday Mr President dress, bought by Ripley's Believe It or Not at a 2016 auction for $4.8 million.
Who has the most expensive dress at the Met Gala?
American reality TV star Kim Kardashian had the most expensive dress at the Met Gala in 2022. She wore the Marlyn Monroe Happy Birthday Mr President gown that was auctioned for $4.8 million in 2016.
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Why was Queen Letizia's wedding dress so expensive?
The dress had a 4.5-meter-long train, hand-sewn floral patterns made of real gold threads, and a high-standing collar. The silk material used to make the outfit was imported from Switzerland. The $10.7 million gown was custom-designed for the Queen by Spanish couturier Manuel Pertegaz.
Which country wears the best clothes?
According to a survey by US News, Italy is the most fashionable country in the world. The county’s capital Milan is home to several influential fashion houses. France follows it in second place and Spain in third place.
What are the top 10 worldwide fashion brands?
Fashion enthusiasts constantly search for the best high-end fashion. The top ten best brands in the world include Gucci, Nike, Dior, Moncler, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Off-White, and Chanel.
The most expensive dresses in the world are mostly wedding gowns that were created with brides in mind. Their unique features are designed to make a fashion statement and leave a memorable mark.
READ ALSO: Top 10 most expensive steak in the world and their prices (2023)
Briefly.co.za highlighted the world's most expensive steak. The costly meal has a rich and precise balance of flavours, intense marbling, and tender texture.
The highest-quality steak is sourced from cattle that are selectively bred under controlled environmental conditions with special food and care. The most expensive grade, like the Japanese A4 Wagyu beef, is also rare due to low supply.
Source: Briefly News
