Dress of Princess Irina STROZZI

Light blue cocktail dress fashioned from delicate pleated tulle over a polyester satin foundation. The sleeveless garment features wide shoulder straps and a deep, rounded scoop neckline. The empire waist is accentuated at the centre front by a flat decorative bow with a floral ornament attached at its centre. The fitted bodice transitions into a fluid, knee-length skirt composed of a lightweight, sheer tulle overlay arranged in fine vertical pleats, creating a soft, airy silhouette. The layered construction allows the translucent outer fabric to contrast with the opaque satin beneath. The back features a hand-stitched zip fastening extending along the central rear seam through both the sheer overlay and the lined layers. The interior is fully lined with smooth, opaque polyester satin in a matching light blue shade.

The aforementioned dress was previously owned by Irina REINE, later Irina STROZZI MAJORCA RENZI GUICCIARDINI (born Paris 1943), born in Paris to Russian émigré parents. Having met her future husband during her studies in Geneva, she married Girolamo STROZZI MAJORCA RENZI GUICCIARDINI, a descendant of one of the great noble houses of Renaissance Florence: the STROZZI, rivals of the MEDICI and celebrated patrons of the arts, whose most enduring legacy is the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (begun 1489), and whose later alliances included the GUICCIARDINI, the family of the Renaissance historian Francesco GUICCIARDINI. The couple had two daughters: Natalia Costanza STROZZI MAJORCA RENZI GUICCIARDINI (born 1980), who trained at the Vaganova Academy in Saint Petersburg and danced at the Mariinsky Theatre, and Irina STROZZI MAJORCA RENZI GUICCIARDINI, who remained in Italy.