Oleg Cassini described Jacqueline de Ribes as “elegant to the point of distraction.” She possessed a beauty that captivated the camera and left people searching for the right words. In 1956, Vogue wrote: “Vicomtesse de Ribes carries her own mark of beauty—vital fascination, plus the long slender neck, high cheekbones, the slanted dark-green eyes of an early polychrome Gothic figure.” She was called the “last queen of Paris.” Emilio Pucci nicknamed her “giraffina” (baby giraffe), and Truman Capote included her among his “swans.” Yet in many ways, she was more like a unicorn—the last remnant of a luxurious, leisurely world, richly captured in 1960s Vogue, that has since vanished.

“I think that I’m the last survivor of so many things now,” de Ribes said in a 2015 interview with Suzy Menkes, on the occasion of a Costume Institute exhibition celebrating her style. She reportedly died this week at 96. The exhibition featured pieces from her personal archive, costumes she created, and designs from her namesake label, which she ran from 1982 to 1995. (Five years earlier, she was honored as a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur by then French President Nicolas Sarkozy.)

Looking back, it seems fitting that de Ribes was born on Bastille Day in 1929. The daughter of Count and Countess Jean de Beaumont, her childhood was far from a carefree, rococo fantasy. Even during the war, when she was sent away for safety, the young Jacqueline found ways to experiment with style—a pursuit her distant mother considered frivolous. She married Vicomte Édouard de Ribes before turning 20.

Tall and slender with a classical profile, de Ribes truly came into her own in the 1950s. “She enchants couturiers by working with them closely on fabrics and colors, then plunges them into despair by allotting only ten minutes to a fitting,” Vogue noted in a 1959 profile. Though perpetually best-dressed, the countess was not content to be merely decorative. She was an avid skier and wrote a monthly column for Marie-Claire on “how to be chic on two francs,” among other pursuits.

De Ribes first visited New York in the early 1950s, around the same time she began customizing her own wardrobe and creating original designs. One of the people she enlisted to help was Valentino Garavani, who sketched for her. “The exact story is the following,” de Ribes told Menkes. “When I went on my first trip to America in 1952, I met Oleg Cassini. We discussed fashion and he liked the way I dressed. At that time I had only two or three haute couture pieces and the other things I’d done by myself. And he said, ‘Jacqueline, could you work for me in Paris?’ I said yes and transformed part of the attic into an atelier. But I had no money to buy the fabrics, so I did the dresses in muslin. I was only 22 or 23. I didn’t know how to sketch or to make a nice drawing, and at that time I used to dress partly at Jean Dessès. I told him my story about Oleg Cassini and he was very amused, and I said, ‘I don’t know how to draw what I create in a chic way.’ And he told me, ‘But I have an Italian illustrator who would be very happy to earn a little more money after working hours and do the drawings for you.’ And this was Valentino.”

De Ribes’s designs tended to be more austere than Garavani’s, yet they conveyed elegance and power rather than what we now call quiet luxury. According to British Vogue, she inspired Joan Collins’s Dynasty character, Alexis Colby—though the vicomtesse lived a life stranger and more wonderful than fiction could ever be. As Vogue put it in 1965: “The world of Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes…”Her spirit knew no boundaries. With boundless imagination and endless curiosity, she moved through life as the mood took her—restlessly and wonderfully. She could be a skier gliding effortlessly down the slopes of Megève, a dancer whirling gloriously at parties in Paris, or a storyteller, her eyes revealing the magical worlds she spun for her children. De Ribes inspired many in fashion, including Jean Paul Gaultier, who dedicated his spring 1999 couture collection to her grace. She was also a dear friend to Christian Dior’s Mathilde Favrier, who shared on Instagram: “She was more than a swan. She was beautiful, sensitive, original, sincere, wonderfully free, generous, and utterly refined… Her last words to me two weeks ago were: ‘Protect your heart, my dear.’”

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the passing of Jacqueline de Ribes designed to answer questions from those just learning about her to those familiar with her legacy

Basic Information
Q Who was Jacqueline de Ribes
A She was a French countess fashion designer style icon and philanthropist often called the last queen of Paris for her elegance and influence

Q When did Jacqueline de Ribes pass away
A She passed away on November 23 2024 at the age of 94

Q How old was she when she died
A She was 94 years old

Q What was she most famous for
A She was famous for her impeccable dramatic personal style her work as a haute couture designer in the 1980s and her lifelong status as a muse and icon in high society and fashion

Her Life and Legacy
Q Was she born into aristocracy
A Yes She was born Jacqueline de Ribes a countess from birth and later married Édouard de Ribes a viscount further solidifying her place in the French aristocracy

Q What was her connection to the fashion industry
A Beyond being a client and muse to designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino she launched her own successful haute couture and readytowear label in 1983 which she ran for over a decade

Q Why was she considered such a style icon
A She had an innate sense of drama and elegance mixing haute couture with personal flair and maintained a distinct regal silhouette throughout her life The Metropolitan Museum of Art held a solo exhibition of her style in 2015 cementing her iconic status

Q What did she do besides fashion
A She was a dedicated philanthropist and patron of the arts She produced television programs and documentaries was involved with the Paris Opera and supported numerous cultural and charitable causes

After Her Passing
Q Where can I see her fashions or learn more about her style
A The best resources are the catalog from The Mets 2015 exhibition Jacqueline de Ribes The Art of Style major fashion museum archives and documentaries on French television and culture