How one fashion designer rode a barely-there dress to internet cult fame

Marcelo Gaia, the founder of Mirror Palais, inside the brand’s studio in Manhattan. For many young women, famous and not, the brand Mirror Palais has become a go-to source of flirty frocks to wear on the town or for special occasions. Photo: The New York Times

“This dress changed our lives,” said Marcelo Gaia, founder of the brand Mirror Palais, as he held up a glittery frock. “It changed our business.”

It was a Thursday evening in early December, and Gaia, dressed in a white suit and a gauzy shirt unbuttoned to the navel, was addressing a crowd of people, many with champagne flutes in hand.