10:40am Saturday 3rd March 2012
By Heather Harris
A CELEBRITY dress designer from Amersham is currently making the world’s most expensive black diamond dress.
Valued at £3.5million, this ultimate ‘little black number’ is all the work of 30 year old Debbie Wingham.
It will be revealed at a high profile, charity fashion show at The Dorchester Hotel on May 12 before going on ‘tour’ by private plane to The Monaco Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival then back to Harrods. Just a few years ago, Debbie was living in Los Angeles and had red carpet clients such as Kate Winslet and Hilary Swank in her order book. But after meeting her future husband she moved back to England and her career took second place to motherhood.
“Now Scarlet is nine months old, I feel ready to get back into the fashion world,” said Debbie. “The actual design and where I am working on it is top secret. “It will feature 50 of these rare two carat stones with a large five carat as the centre piece, which are housed in a safe.” Debbie added.
This whole project has taken three years to plan and is designed to raise money for SportAid – a charity which supports young athletes. As a self taught seamstress with no formal training, Yorkshire born Debbie can identify with these youngsters, “I started in the fashion business at 11 years old selling clothes to the sixth form girls at my school. I never had any financial backing so know what a struggle it is to follow your dream.”
She actually got her big break at 19 years old when one of her dresses was worn at that year’s BAFTAs and was singled out by the media.
“Suddenly everyone was asking who I was and where I had trained!” she laughed. Vogue Magazine has the exclusive rights to photograph the multi-million pound dress but Debbie’s work has also graced the covers of all the top glossy magazines.
“I treat every customer as a celebrity and love giving ladies a touch of red carpet glamour by making them the perfect dress,” she said explaining that she now has clients from all over Buckinghamshire as well as back in America.
“They send their drivers to collect their dress and fly back with it.” Each unique, hand finished dress can cost upwards of £500.
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