British Designer Is at it Again, Debuts $17.7 Million Diamond Dress

Debbie Wingham, who debuted her $5.7 million Little Black Dress last September, is back with a $17.7 million diamond creation

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Courtesy of Debbie Wingham

It looks like Debbie Wingham took the adage “diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” seriously.  The British designer debuted her latest creation: a red diamond-encrusted dress valued at a whopping $17.7 million (£11.7 million).

Dubbed the “Abaya,” the dress is a loose black gown inspired by traditional North African and Arabic attire worn by some women in parts of the Islamic world, NBC Today reported.

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The dress is simple, except that there’s 2,000 stones embellished on it.  One of which, at the center of the garment, is a rare and expensive red diamond, apparently worth $7.4 million. The dress also has 50 2-carat white diamonds, 50 2-carat black diamonds and 1,899 pointer diamonds, all of which are set in platinum.

But this blinged-out number isn’t the first from Wingham. Last September the designer debuted her $5.7 million Little Black Dress at Kiev Fashion Week, and launched a collection of diamond-studded jeans soon afterwards.

If you’re hoping to get your hands on the pricey Abaya, you’ll have to think again.  The designer told NBC Today that the red diamond is borrowed and because of its rarity she wouldn’t be able to get another one. “The dress will never be sold, it’s a show piece,” she said.

Wingham launched her Abaya collection on Wednesday at the Raffles Hotel in Dubai.

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