Jacqueline de Ribes

Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes, born 1929 in Paris as Jacqueline de Beaumont, to Jean de Beaumont, comte Bonnin de la Bonninière de Beaumont, and his wife Paule de Rivaud de La Raffinière. French socialite and comtesse. She grew up in an atmosphere of French aristocratic wealth and elegance. In 1948, she married Edouard vicomte de Ribes, a rich and successful banker, who subsequently became comte de Ribes. They have two children, Elisabeth and Jean.

By the age of 25, she was appearing on the lists of best-dressed women, having consistently worn haute couture clothing all her life. She has been the muse of many designers such as Valentino and Guy Laroche. She was always on the International Best Dressed List and entered its Hall of Fame in 1962. She was also one of the guests who attended Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Rédé famous "Bal des Têtes" in 1957 and the "Oriental ball" in 1969, both at the Hôtel Lambert. She was also a guest at Truman Capote "Black and White Ball" in 1966.

She was considered one of the most elegant women in France, and in 1983 was voted the "Most Stylish Woman in the World" by the magazine Town and Country. Although she was interested in designing, her upbringing did not encourage women of her class to work. So her longing to have a salon of her own was not fulfilled until she was well into her 40's. Her first collection was shown in Paris and New York in 1983. Her aura of discreet grandeur and innate sense of good taste, ensured that the gowns she designed were greatly admired by the ladies of her society. She retired from designing in 1994 for health reasons.

In 1999 Jean-Paul Gaultier, the French designer, dedicated his collection to Jacqueline as the quintessence of Parisian elegance. She was very pleased about this.

Jacqueline de Ribes has been mentioned in several books about society and fashion. She lives now in Paris. She has one daughter and one son with Edouard de Ribes. Her granddaughter, Alix, got married to comte Pierre de La Rochefoucauld in 2004 at Versainville.