I got to know designer Natalie Gladman at Madeline Isaac James a couple of years ago from bumping into her at various bridal trade shows, and had the opportunity to get to know her even better after she commissioned us to do her new website (which is of course a thing of beauty… *modest cough*). Seriously though, we’re pretty proud of it – it has cool effects and uses some of the latest in web technology. Anyway, that is NOT the point of this post, for those of you whose eyes are now glazing over.
When I think of fashion designers, I tend to imagine slightly frosty, uber-fashionably dressed, look-you-up-and-down divas who can shrivel your brain back into infancy with a stare. So I’ve always been of two minds about whether I wanted fashion designers as web design customers – the sleepless nights and weeks of counselling didn’t really seem worth it. BUT WAS I WRONG OR WHAT. I’ve since dealt with two bridal fashion designers, one of whom was Natalie, and both experiences have been so pleasant, they’ve set the bar as Clients-Who-You-Normally-Only-Dream-Of. The second designer is a bit under wraps at the moment, but I’ll talk about them in a few weeks once their new site is launched.
Natalie told me a story about one of her MIJ brides that sums up how beautiful her gowns are. This particular bride, (due to be getting married within the month) was driving past the Madeline Isaac James Farnborough boutique when she spotted one of Natalie’s designs in the shop window. Screeching to a stop, she ran into the shop and breathlessly insisted on trying on the sample in the window, which she fell instantly in love with. She’d already bought her wedding dress, but ended up buying the MIJ dress to wear instead…!
Below are a few of my favourite MIJ designs. View Madeline Isaac James website for more. Natalie’s also on Twitter – you can follow her here.
I’ve commented previously about Spanish designers – there are a plethora of formidably good fashionistas from Spain who I am quite sure flourish from consistently good weather, amazing scenery and a diet of extremely yummy food. Yes, Spain is on my list of favourite holiday destinations!
Anyway, that is completely beside the point. I’ve just stumbled across some extremely lovely wedding dresses that are targeted at a slightly lower budget (around £1,000) from Two by Rosa Clara. Now what’s got me really excited is that the same fashion house also does tops to go over your gown to give it a completely different look, so you can switch it up during the big day and really confuse your guests. I actually prefer the look of the gowns with the tops on, but anyway, here’s a taster. Make sure you take a proper look through their website – I can’t really do it all justice on here.
There’s a trend you may have seen that’s been around a while in the bridal fashion world. Gowns are designed with material flowers placed in various places for maximum effect. While I’ve seen this overdone outrageously on occasion (and I’ll be the first to admit that my tastes tend toward less fussy lines), I do love how pretty some of the designs are. So, eye candy for both you and me to enjoy:
1. Ian Stuart, 2. Lyn Ashworth, 3. Charlotte Balbier
4. Alan Hannah 5. Kula Tsurdiu 6. Suzanne Ermann
7. Linea Raffaelli 8. Jesus Peiro 9. Benjamin Roberts 10. Two by Rosa Clara
I had a very brief chat with Sharon Bowen at last years wholesale bridal show – she was an incredibly nice, decent person. I have a confession to make – I sometimes get majorly intimidated by highfalutin wedding fashion designers (which may well say more about me than about them… insecure etc etc. OK, shut up already.) But there are some in the industry that have a knack for putting people at ease – worries about having spinach stuck in your teeth, or frumpy hair, or being so downright ordinary in the face of glamour fade into the background whilst in their company!
So basically, Sharon Bowen is nice. And extraordinarily talented – her dresses are very very classy. Check out her website for more eye-candy.
I’ve stumbled across Veromia a few times in my travels, thought they had very pretty gowns but nothing that really inspired me to blog, but my word, Jason Jennings has come up trumps with this lovely vision of a wedding dress – absolutely exquisite. This would be an inspired choice for any bride who doesn’t want white, and the combination of brown and pink (which sounds really quite foul – “Yes, I’m getting married in brown and pink”…!, but in this dress is simply gorgeous) would suit a lot of different complexions.
View the Veromia website »
I avoid posting about US designers simply because this blog is really for UK readers, and it seems a bit pointless waxing lyrical over designers who are fairly inaccessible to Brit brides, unless they’re into jetting off overseas for the sake of their big day.
Carolina Herrera is one of those US designers who I’ve heaved wistful sighs over – she has utterly gorgeous wedding gowns that make me drool on every perusal. So after another idle glance through her website this morning, I discovered (to my delight) that Browns Bridal is the sole stockist in the UK, so if you too were longing for a Carolina Herrera gown, you’re now officially in luck, and you’ll only need to go as far as London.
I was excited to see that Charlotte Balbier has posted on her blog some images (admittedly small, but I’m guessing things are still a little under wraps until the official launch) of her 2010 collction – looks fabulously girlishly pink. You can follow her on Twitter too.
David Fielden is at the very top end of his field for wedding gown design, and his designs are jaw-droppingly lovely. I imagine they have a jaw-dropping price tag, though don’t take my word for it – they just LOOK expensive. He’s easily in the “top designers in the world” category and on a par with Vera Wang, so if you’re looking for an unbelieveably stunning gown and have a big budget, take a look at his website. (Shame his website is so awful…! I really really REALLy hate it when people have music on their website and don’t have a mute button, meaning you have to mute your computer. STOP IT ALREADY. )
View David Fielden Stockists »
I went to a lovely wedding exhibition celebrating 100 years of the wedding gown hosted by Kula Tsurdiu in Nottingham (it’s on until the 5th of June – if you’re in the area, it’s well worth checking out), and was excited to find out that Kula Tsurdiu are branching out into wholesaling, so if you love their gowns, hopefully they’ll be coming available in your area. I’ve been a huge fan since seeing their wedding dresses at the NEC bridal show. They’re gorgeous – beautifully made, with top quality materials.
If you know of any top end bridal shops who are looking for designers, mention Kula Tsurdiu.
Johanna Hehir only sell directly to the public, so if you’re interested in their gowns, a trip to London is in order. It might well be worth your time – there are some really beautiful wedding dresses, if you have the budget. If you’re happy to buy online without having the dress fitted, it works out cheaper, though you’re limited on the styles you can buy.
I’ve fallen madly in love with the dress on the left which is a copy of Audrey Hepburn’s first wedding dress. The boatneck gown in the middle is very pretty, and pleats is a new trend that’s caught my eye, and really is lovely.
Check out the Johanna Hehir website »
