Maria Nielli, better known as Nina Ricci, was born in the baroque , rococo, neo-classical, art neuveau, french themed and edified in the classical style of Versailles, city of Turin, Italy. A major city with a flourishing industrious and cultural center in northern Italy, it is the capital of the Piedmont Region and is surrounded by the Alpines. Home to the house of Savoy, known as Italy's Royal Family, this city was the country's first capital in 1861.
Nicknamed "Nina" she spent impressionable and formative years in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy and in Paris, France where upon her arrival she began her apprenticeship in dressmaking. She continued her pursuit of fashion, nurturing her growing passion throughout her teenage years. She later married famous Parisian jeweler Luigi Ricci in 1904 and was then known as Madame Nina Ricci. She spent the next 20 years growing her family and working as a partner with the Paris fashion House of Raffin.
In 1932, at the age of 49, the House of Nina Ricci was born as a co-founded venture with her business partner and son Robert Ricci. Ricci's fashions released for the House of Nina Ricci shared a national stage when displayed along side other famous Parisian couturiers as they toured famous cities in Europe and the USA begining as an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris.
In 1948 came the launch of infamous 'L'air du Temps' the easily recognizable perfum packaged in the now emblematic, Rene Lalique, famous crystal maker, designed and manufactured bottle with the relief sand blasted doves. The House of Ricci reached such heights of noteriety that the boutique's window displays were at one point designed by Andy Warhol.
The most recent good news for the House of Ricci came in 2010 when the now parent company, Barcelona based, PUIG, pursued and hired former Louis Vuitton designer Peter Copping. The result is a re-newel of the House of Ricci and revival of the popularity and exclusivity it once enjoyed.
The Paris Match January 1978 issue front cover, featured a similarly fashioned Nina Ricci sunglass worn by the Iconic Jackie Kennedy Onassis. This piece shown here, available for purchase at the CATEYE SPECTACLES boutique (only one in stock), is an authentic vintage sunglass from the emblematic collecition hand made in Paris, France and which was so admired and elegantly worn by the icon herself, Jackie Onassis.
