In 2007 I made a wedding dress & coat for a lovely couple, Michelle & Stuart (see my previous blog ‘A Celtic Twist’)
A few years later I asked to borrow these to show at a wedding fair. In payment Stuart asked for some pockets to be added to his coat. I was more than happy to oblige.
He didn’t want pocket flaps to spoil the line of the coat so instead I just added a ribbon tab and button to close the pocket & hopefully foil the pick pocket (or2).
This couple wanted to lift their elegant wedding outfits with a little subtle surface decoration. We settled on a simple Celtic knotwork design to enhance the deep cuffs of the groom’s coat and the neckline of the bride’s dress.
As a rainbow of course!
Wendy made the purple dress, 4th from left.
We used the same fabric for each outfit and linked them all together by using golden satin as a highlight on each, in the form of cummerbunds for the jumpsuits and elegant shrugs or wraps for the dresses.
As there were so many dresses to make, the work was divided amongst a number of dressmakers – I made the purple dress, fourth from left.
Together, we designed a delicate wedding dress in jade green silk, with a chiffon overlay in a very pale green. Inspired by the design of her favourite necklace, I hand-embroidered the bodice with silver thread and crystals.
In order to create a magical ‘reveal’, Tessa chose to wear a silver silk cloak over her dress. The fastener tab cleverly concealed the embroidery on her bodice until she removed the cloak during the service.
The cloak was cut to a classical shape, carefully draped to create a ‘hood’ at the back which I decorated with a piece of Chinese knotwork. The same crystals and silver thread which I used to embellish the dress bodice were scattered over the cloak to discreet effect.
White or ivory shades are traditional for wedding dresses, but it is possible to inject stronger colours to highlight the design and draw attention to your best features.
Dior-inspired 1950s style wedding dress in silk dupion
Christian Dior is one of my key design influences and I have always admired the cut and detail of his work, and that of his successors at the House of Dior. The work of so many skilled individuals goes into each couture piece, as this brilliant film shows. Don’t look away… you might miss something…
Rebecca really fancied the pirate look for her special day. Inspired by 18th century costume design in creating the overall look, I gave it a fantastical and contemporary twist in its styling.
Here is Rebecca at her final try-on. She wears a cutaway skirt over breeches, so she can show a saucy bit of ankle. We added red rosettes to her shoes to help bring the whole outfit together. Again, the chains are her own, we just attached them to the jacket. Luckily she loved the dress so much and happily played around for the camera!
I designed and made a dress for Rebecca’s bridesmaid that matched the pirate theme.
The dream wedding suit
Aurdene knew exactly what he wanted to wear for his wedding to Connie – this was it – he looks amazing.
He is wearing a silk habotai shirt with chiffon cuffs, silk dupion split fall breeches, silk dupion 17th century waistcoat with lace covered pocket flaps and lacing at the back (instead of a buckle) and a silk dupion 17th century coat with lace covered cuffs, lace covered pocket flaps, lace edging and nearly 40 diamante buttons!