Couture wedding dress has become one of the highlight look for any Haute Couture show in Paris. Since the late 40s and 50s, couture designers in Paris started showing a bridal look as the last look of every show. Lanvin-Castillo and Balmain usually closed with a presentation of a bride’s dress. In early 60s, Yves Saint Laurent presented his now-iconic cocoon bridal dress, which was inspired by Russian nesting dolls. This tradition is just moving and designers still continue to show the outlandish designs of wedding gown.

Nonetheless, duo couture designers Ralph & Russo closed their recent Fall Winter 2014 show with an extravagant wedding gown, which inspired by Massimo Listri’s interiors photography. This particular dress, which required 3,900 hours of hand embroidery, 40 different types of bead and 25 different types of Swarovski crystal. The underlayers are taffeta and hand-printed with a metallic Chantilly-lace effect, to give depth without weight, reflecting the magnificence yet ethereality of Listri’s work.

“Obviously, it’s the closing piece, so there’s a lot of emphasis on it – and it’s always one of the most in-demand pieces with clients. It needs to be representative of the rest of the collection,” said designer Tamara Ralph.

Tunisian model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem was selected to showcase this wonder dress, the seasoned model and Jean Paul Gaultier favourite. Hanaa’s natural beauty and strong look, who embodied the Ralph & Russon woman, was incredibly graceful and professional once she stepped onto the catwalk.