Looking Like a Million

The costliest dress of the 20th century was priced at £ 1 million - a high-waisted and embroidered white muslin evening gown decorated with 516 diamonds. An armored car took it from the makers, Schiaparelli, to the fashion show at the Ritz, Paris, in 1977. Shoes extravagant enough to match it could not be found, so the model wore it barefoot. The dress was eventually bought for an Arab princess whose identity has not been revealed; and, according to the makers, she still has it.