"You can exaggerate"

Celebrities shine at the Opera Ball in Salzburg gowns

Marlene Mayer sewed 30 meters of dyed ostrich feathers onto the dress, in the photo she is only at the beginning of the skirt.

(Bild: Kolarik Andreas)

The Salzburg dress maker Marlene Mayer dressed the wife of a media mogul in her creation for today's Opera Ball. The custom-made dream gown cost a five-figure sum.

See and be seen is the name of the game again tonight at the ball in the Vienna State Opera. For the ladies in particular, this means weeks of preparation in terms of outfit planning. A woman from Salzburg also has a finger in the pie: dressmaker Marlene Mayer has been outfitting ladies of high society with exquisite couture gowns from her atelier for the glittering Viennese ball nights for years.

Ball gowns are the dressmaker's specialty.

(Bild: Kolarik Andreas)

This year, a very special creation will make its grand entrance: "The dress, which consists of a bodysuit and a skirt, took around 100 hours to make. Three of us worked on it," says Mayer. The golden-brown creation required a delicate touch.

One meter of French lace costs 600 euros
30 meters of ostrich feathers were sewn onto the skirt in panels. The body is made of French haute couture lace with sequins. One meter costs around 600 euros. "The fit of the bodysuit was challenging. We needed around six fittings," says Mayer about the creation process. The gown was finished in around three months. It cost the customer a five-figure sum - incidentally, she is the wife of an international film distribution manager.

"I'm totally honored when people like that come to my 'Das Kleid' atelier in Salzburg and don't go to a big brand." The important thing with the perfect opera ball dress is to stand out and demonstrate a sense of style. "It can be a bit over the top. Otherwise you'll get lost in the crowd." According to the couturière, the only thing you can't argue about is the length of the dresses: It has to be floor-length, at least ankle-length.