once upon a time

Fantabulous 30's style drop dead gorgeous dress!

2012-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

The wedding of Tanya and Jim was the most truly fabulous event. The pictures, so beautifully crafted by Pippa Mackenzie http://www.pippamackenzie.com/ say it al really. The dramatic staircase and sweeping thirties style Champagne coloured heavy crepe satin dress were a match made in wedding heaven. The location being Dartmouth House in Mayfair,

Wow!!

I am very proud of the intricate cut I achieved with this dress, combining the bias draping without the "bagginess" that also accompany such a cut. It was good to have such a challenge and to stretch my cutting skills.

I feel that over the time of making Tanyas' dress I made a new friend. The fact that we kept bumping into each other as we live near each other added to this. I made a rare foray into making flower girl dresses for Tanya and Jims' irresistible girls. I adore how this wedding was so glamorous and sophisticated yet so very family friendly and fun too.

I had these perfect original thirties rather special dress clips to add to the dress.

I fortunately found the perfect modern vintage brooch. This was from a bridal supplier and looks very substantial while being very light in fact. We needed to find something light so as to not drag on the sash.

Tanya made all of these fine personal pieces.

Anyone for a slice of cheese!

Kim and Chris a heartfelt wedding

2011-11-13T00:58:00.000-08:00

Kim and Chris's wedding pictures have me in raptures of happiness. What a joyful day captured so amazingly by http://www.browns-photography.co.uk/index2.php?v=v1#/home/ Joanna Brown

The dress ahh! the dress. Kims' dress was a real joy to make. The chiffon was hand dyed to a very delicate 30's shade of pale blush. The lace painstakingly cut out and appliqued. We went for an heirloom vintage feel, soft to the touch something new that looked like a vintage find. I have to say I adored making this dress.

Pretty tiny pearl buttons to fasten the sleeves

Such gorgeous textures.

The back of the dress detail, love it!

Just adore how the softness of the silk chiffon is captured here.

Hey!Rock n Roll ( or maybe a jig?)The groom and his groomsmen were once in a band.

These shots were taken in a rustic barn at the venue.

This really captures the texture and colour of Kims' dress.

What a perfect portrait of such a beautiful bride. I just love my job!

Summer Love

2011-09-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Maria and Peyrouz. Surrey. 21st May 2011

Maria and Peyrouz. Surrey. 21st May 2011 Photography by http://www.mariadefaci.com/
I could not be more thrilled these pictures, featuring one of my dresses, are quite simply beautiful.This wedding is my idea of heaven!! Lovely, genuine, relaxed, fun filled on a perfect summer day in rural Surrey.
There are so many wonderful shots I just had to add more and more!

Marias' dress was actually a rather strong gold colour duchess with an Ivory silk organza overlay.

Shoes by irregular choice

Maria had a detachable bow on a dropped waist classic boat neck/cap sleeved fifties style dress.

I simply adore this picture!

I sourced these vintage pieces for Maria

So idyllic

cute, cute, cute!

Kirsty & Dave Summer in Italy wedding

2011-09-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

Kirst and Dave married this July in Italy, between Tuscany and Umbria at the Villa San Cripoloto http://www.sancrispolto.it/ The fabulous pictures were taken by Matt Tyler http://www.matttylerphotography.com/

Kirsty lives local to me, which meant meeting for fittings was not too stressful a journey. It was a real pleasure getting to know Kirsty and sharing her excitement. The dress was a cute fifties style using the spot French lace that I have used before but in a pure snowy white over white duchess lightweight satin. Perfect for the bright sunlight of her wedding in Italy.

Kirsty had a silver and purple theme for accessories. The shoes........ oh! the shoooooooes!
I made Kirsty the cute little birdcage, making the purple flower myself as we could not find the right shade of purple ready made. I added a bit of vintage bling to the birdcage and to the belt of the dress to complete the silver theme.

I think that this is one of my favourite shots of the dress . Kirsty was not a tall girl and this picture show how a perfectly proportioned fifties dress works for all. So cute.

Congratulations xxx

Love My Dress soiree china blue dress

2011-08-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of planning the design of a dress for Annabel Beaforth, of Love My Dress Blog fame. This dress was to be worn at what eventually turned out to be the most incredible social/networking mind boggling, beautiful and sassy event. So no pressure there then.

This is the tale of the developement of a beautiful pale blue dress. This sketch was the one I used to keep in mind what I wanted to achieve. The look was to be glamorous but feminine and a little bit ethereal. I knew that I would be collaborating with Kat Swank katswank@me.com

from California. Kat makes the most beautiful hair pieces for the like of Courtney Love for one. The whole look was a little bit vampy ( not vampire more 1920/30's vamp)

I could not source the right colour (as is often the case) for the tulle so set about hand dying it.

This was an earlier sketch although it was pretty much the same design but with a halterneck strap, the sketch did not convey the right feel for the look I wanted for Annabel.

The gorgeous detailing under the bust inspired Kat Swank ( I had emailed her the sketch and this picture) to use the same motif for the hair piece that she was to design for Annabel.

I wanted the hem to look a bit raggedy and irregular, to give it a floaty feel. Finally ready to post everything off deadline looming, many bride deadlines at the same time and a short holiday to organise!! Mad busy time.

What can I say, this hairpiece is quite stunning! I could not wait to see the results. The photographs of the party were such a pleasure to see, I am so sorry to have not been able to attend myself.

There are many many more pictures of this fantastic event on theLove My dress Blog. Summer Soiree. http://www.lovemydress.net/blog/2011/08/the-love-my-dress-summer-soiree-official-photographs-part-3-night-falls-and-party-time.html http://www.lovemydress.net/blog/2011/08/love-my-dress-summer-soiree-official-photographs-part-1.html

Official photographers /www.helenrussellphotography.co.uk/ and /www.katylunsford.com/

Floaty chiffon boho dress

2011-08-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

This adorable dress is an example of combining soft floaty chiffon and crepe/satin with delicate hand cut applique lace. The detail is very fine. I do love to add hand finished embellishment like this, it makes for a very unique dress. We added a lace shrug to give more of a vintage boho lace look.

Anita was a bit of a moving target as I made this dress, what with being five months pregnant on the wedding day. This is always a challenge but a very pleasurable one.

The dress was actually a lovely cream shade of chiffon over a champagne crepe/satin but appears a little lighter in colour in the pictures here.

I adore this very lovely picture. So affectionate.

Plus you can see the detail of the dress!

Love to see a groom in white.

The flower and feather detail sets of the vintage floaty look perfectly I think.

Covered buttons and a tiny lace shrug for more lace detail.

Love the way this silk floats gently in the early summer breeze.

Creamy coloured spot dress. One of my favourites!

2011-06-26T00:44:00.000-07:00

I have been so looking foreword to this gorgeous wedding and seeing the photos. Photography by the fabulous Chloe at http://caughtthelight.com/

Jo simply looked delightful delicious and delectable I just adore the colours and textures, all captured so beautifully. This dress was made using a cream lightweight duchess satin, unusual in its very light density for a duchess. The over lay is in fact a pretty special french lace. The spot is not embroidered or laid over but is an integral part of the fabric as is all lace. This gives the lovely soft vintage feel, and texture to the design.
This little jacket is proving a very popular item with brides too.

These two picture were taken on the day by friends, what a perfect sunny morning.

Frothy cream petti, I do prefer the petti to be raw at the edges with some designs, this could not be more perfect, almost edible, layers of ice cream?

A few shots of the dress during its journey to become Jo's perfect dress.

Vintage railway shoot by Sarah Vivienne

2011-06-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am really happy to have received these lovely creative shots taken by Sarah Vivienne at Rothley Vintage train station museum. When Sarah contacted me to invite me to get involved by supplying dresses for the shoot I knew immediately that I would love to offer these two sweet dresses.

Such fabulous atmosphere and drama, steam engines are just so well...dramatic.

Hand dyed tulle with delicate embellishments.

Organza and lace applique and sculpted silk flowers.

PhPhotography by http://www.sarahvivienne.co.uk/

Fairy art

2011-05-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

After dashing off a watercolour sketch last night, I remembered these.I so love painting in watercolour. These girls have a bit of a Fairy Fashion thing going on I think.

The wonderful royal wedding dress

2011-05-01T02:13:00.000-07:00

I have gathered together some of my favourite shots of, in my opinion, the most beautiful of wedding dresses. The subtleties of design and creation are something I have been taking in for the last day or so. This dress is a masterpiece. Sarah Burton, for Alexander Mc Queen, has created a dress to be admired for generations to come, a truly iconic dress for our time.The gentle on the eye look belies how complex a creation this dress is. From the fabrics, the cut, the hand made lace and most importantly how it was so very much just the perfect dress for the bride.
The brides' personality shone through this dress so much that it was very apparent that the designer really listened and took in every wish her very special client wanted. So proud of my industry right now.

Much has been said of the original design source, only goes to show what great taste the girl has!

That hand made lace!!

I love how the dress has weight but a look of lightness .

Love this shot, really showing off that delightful silk tulle veil.

Maid of honour dress will probably set off a flurry of brides wanting something similar. Really elegant.I love the shapes of the bridal party together, the balance of the dresses shows how a brilliant designer will be aware of all angles.

Perfect flower girl dresses by Nicky MacFarlane

Yum!

One of my lace dresses showing that beautiful quality lace can be used in a fun way too.

My Royal wedding look alike silk tulle lace edged veil over a fishtail lace dress.

Notting Hill wedding Becky and Michael

2011-04-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the warmest heartfelt set of pictures. Taken by the fabulous Emma Case, capturing an intimate and fun wedding. The Notting Hill location with its town houses and quirky shops lent a contemporary urban setting.
Becky married early this year when the weather was still cold. This fabulous new jacket design certainly worked both looking great and keeping the chill air at bay. Becky's dress was a pretty voluminous affair, apparently nearly taking out a table as she swirled ! We went for a forties sweetheart neckline shape, fairly structured, with a huge tulle and silk skirt propped up by layers of red net petticoat. It was a real pleasure getting to know Becky and her Mum over the months that we met. The couple left for 10 months!! of travel shortly after the wedding, how wonderful.

WWedding Planning by http://www.london-bride.com/

Photography http://emmacasephotography.blogspot.com/

Wedding planning http://www.london-bride.com/

Kim and Alvins Las Vegas wedding.

2011-03-06T00:16:00.000-08:00

Kim always had a strong vision of how wedding would be styled. Being a graphic designer her choices and eye for quirky details have really shown through. Kim created her own props for the second part of her wedding shoot.

The ceremony took place at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The cermony pictures were by Cashman photography.

Kim's dress is definitely one of my favourites. Frothy and feminine but super cool too.I used a different lace from previous dresses. This lace is a corded version of the French Levers lace, a more textured version.
In fact it is the combination of textures that I particularly love about Kim's dress and customised hair piece/birdcage veil.
I always consider elements in dress design that may not be considered normally. I love textures, the tactile feel of fabrics ( dont' we touch every garment in a line when shopping?) and also the sound! I love it when a wedding dress has a satisfying " rustle" as it moves.

Kim's gorgeous shoes were from //www.rachelsimpsonshoes.co.uk

Fantastic pictures by http://www.tslphotography.com/kim-and-alvins-vintage-fremont-street-trash-the-dress/

Snow White Creative shoot.

2011-02-27T00:16:00.000-08:00

This wonderful creative shoot was so exciting. Annabel Beaforth at Love My Dress Blog brought together the team. I feel so privileged to have worked with such a creative group of people.
Links at the bottom of this post.
Once Tiffany Grant Riley of Vintage Planner agreed to be the stylist everything took off! Tiffany fell in love with my cat and I think we all fell a little bit in love with Tiffany!
Alex Beadon took the gorgeous pictures, she was a ball of energy darting around in the woods on the shoot.
Hair by the incredibly talented Severin Hubert of the Hepburn Collection. The couple of hours or so that we spent getting ready was such fun with everyone buzzing with excitement. When the flowers arrived, and what flowers!!! Wildabout Flower created the bouquets, wonderful hair pieces and wrist corsage. Opening the door to receive these beautiful creative pieces someone said that it was beginning to feel like a real wedding!!

The immaculate and dramatic make up by Mariam Jensen.Watching Mariam use an air-brush technique was a revelation.

Yes, it's that Mirror Mirror on the wall moment!

Vanilla Cake Shop provided us with the loveliest cakes ( we were rewarded with eating these after!) Samia was so lovely to bring these vibrant, and delicious, confections.

Pie made of moddeling clay but looking good enough to eat.

Styling by http://www.grantrileyweddings.co.uk/

Photography http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com/

Hair http://www.hepburncollection.com/

Make Up http://www.mariamjensen.com/

Cakes http://www.vanillacakeshop.co.uk/

Flowers http://www.wild-about.com/

Jenny and Mark....Fabulous cool Urban wedding.

2011-01-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

I have been looking foreword to receiving and sharing these wonderful pictures taken by Polly Alexandre.http://www.alexandreweddings/.

I also had the pleasure of making Jenny her big "Rock Chick" bouffant veil and her hair piece.

Gorgeous Hair and Make Up by Roxanne New http://www.roxannenew.com/
Jenny emailed me after her wedding to thank me for recommending Roxanne saying that she could not have wished for a more lovely person to spend her wedding morning getting ready with.

It was a real pleasure getting to know this wonderful Bride. Jenny came to me with her ideas for her wedding Dress. I just happened to have a piece of the spot lace ( nicer than embroidered or flocked tulle) which turned out to be just perfect. Choosing pure brilliant white instead of off-white or Ivory has given the dress a real crispness and graphic quality.

Love those buttons, big high-ball covered buttons.

I am in awe of this picture! The story was that the shaft of light just came in at the perfect moment and Polly was there ready to capture it....sheer magic.

Sophie. Another wonderful lace dress

2011-01-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

Sophie had a version of my lace dress design in a warm cream colourway. I love to see how having a bespoke dress comes into its own with a perfect fit, tailored to the body. I achieve the wonderful nipped in waist with a " secret ingredient" of structured support beneath the dress.

Every girl loves to twirl!

Such a great fit!

What fun, great suit and shirt!

Other than the Fifties too.

2010-12-30T02:20:00.000-08:00

This dress is HUGE! but still manages to look slinky , metres and metres of heavy silk crepe backed satin with a pretty French lace overlay on the bodice and winged sleeves.I also made the incredibly long silk tulle veil.I have had a little rummage through my archives and picked three weddings that illustrate some of the other eras that I work in. Just in case you were wondering, I am not exclusively a fifties dress designer. I so love working with bias cut or with floaty chiffon.

Floaty silk chiffon in Ivory over a blush light weight silk crepe backed satin, a real dancing dress! The bodice has lace appliques delicately beaded with crystals, pearls and sequins.

A beautiful bias cut dress. Simple but glamorous at the same time.Ivory silk double crepe.

Vintage style lace wedding dress. Wedding in North Wales.

2010-12-28T01:02:00.000-08:00

I thought I might add a short post on this wonderful wedding in Wales.
I am still working on the new design samples and am almost ready with the next design meanwhile...

Now that's what I call a petticoat. I have been told that Kates' huge red fifties petticoat stole the day.

Kate asked me to make her dress with only an eight week lead time in the middle of the busy summer season. Not one to be put off by a challenge and also because I found Kate to be the loveliest of people I agreed. Kate wanted a vintage style wedding dress in lace having seen some of my fifties dresses on my web site. When she told me where her wedding was to be held the wedding began to hold even more meaning for me. I have a real thing about North Wales despite not visiting for a while now I regard it as my spiritual home, plus my little dog Maddie came from very close to the wedding venue 15 years ago! yes she is still going strong, a bit daft and lame but happy.

Classic fifties style lace dress.

This has to be the most simple but true venue!

Pictured with their true best buddies!

That view those bays!

Kate married in the most inrcedible location. Right on the beach in the ancient St.Tanwyg's church Llandranwg Harlech North Wales. These fab. pictures are hot off of the photographer's blog, in case you are in doubt it is http://www.jonesandjonesphotography.co.uk/ I love the sensitivity of the pictures. Kates' dress, in lace, with the biggest whoosh of red Petti was made within a relatively short time line, I am really moved by these picture of what must have been a remarkable day.

Sample designs from new range.

2010-12-07T03:26:00.000-08:00

A Huge thank to Annabel at Love my Dress http://www.lovemydress.net/ for the wonderful post on me and my dresses, thank you again I truly appreciate what you and your amazing blog does for small designers and businesses like mine.

Wonderful seasonal colourway! Great for winter weddings.This dropped waist collar and cuff detailed dress is in a Duchess silk satin. The winged cuffs do look so much better on a real person, so, I will have to get onto doing a proper photo shoot soon. I have teamed it with a huge red petti. for this version. It is available in other colourways. Lots of neutral sludgy/taupe colours as well as white, Ivory, red, pink etc. I can also offer a version with an overlaid layer of silk taffeta.This style is going to be called Charlene. I am choosing names that nudge a little to the sixties which is where I think I am going design wise with the shorter dresses.
     This time of year always gives me a little space to get inspired and muse about designs I would like to experiment with more. I have a love of all things 70's boho. I find it fascinating unravelling where the influences of this era came from. Many designer such as Ossie Clark and Biba were creating dresses that we now regard as iconic 70's looks but which were in turn influenced by the 30's and early 40's tea dresses, leaving us to look back at not only the original designs but also the 70's versions of the same. The other look I am quite interested in, from the 70's, is the Halston one shoulder chiffon creations draped and layered. This is such a good shape to design a wedding dress around.
              I recently bought an original late 70's Laura Ashley wedding dress from an antiques fair, just for inspiration. It is made of cotton seersucker and looks very hippy/victorian. Big sleeves, long cuffs high neck ruffles hmmmm... could be onto something here.
                What is quite interesting is that the 70's were when we all started buying up tons of vintage clothes and crockery etc. Originally it was the the more fluid, slinky, sparkly, tasselled pieces that were sought after. Around this time the amazingly flattering cut of the forties tea dress became a boho vintage staple especially if it was made of a rayon floral print, sound familiar?
         What is even more curious is that in the eighties there was a fifties revival, think drainpipe jeans, jackets with big shoulders rockabilly, quiffs and more. I found myself in Mishka, a Crouch End local vintage store, old school variety. I saw a fifties style dress and asked "is this fifties fifties or eighties fifties?"
        So design wise, I will definitely be revisiting my romantic roots but will still be playing with fifties/sixties styles.

This new year is going to be quite interesting for me! I am ,finally, offering a range of style to try on and chose from. Mostly I have narrowed down and refined shapes from experience to offer ,I hope, some cute and well cut shapes. I will be adding a few indulgent pieces too!

This bolero jacket is part of the new range.I can offer it in Cream, as in the picture, Ivory, Pale pink, White, Black, and Red.I will be making a version without the winged cuffs and collar. The idea being is to have a bolero jacket design that will work with more than fifties styles.

Cross over design with short sleeves, I have refined this pattern/shape and feel I now have a really well cut,flattering version of this style. This basic design is going to be called "Connie" Here it is overlaid in a white spot lace. I will be doing variations on this style, will have this version to try on in the range very shortly.

First sample of a range of dresses I will have available,as well as offering the full bespoke service as before.This is still a work in progress right now!Apologies for the ragged edges,not the immaculate smooth finish I normally pride myself on.
This design takes its inspiration from the clean cut cute slightly prissy prim Doris Day look.I have,for this reason,called this dress Doris.
There is the most enormous petticoat underneath, but can be supplied with a smaller version.The fabrics are all silks.I intend to make the elasticated straps detachable.These tiny little buttons are a vintage find on my travels around the haberdashery shops around Berwick Street/Soho area yesterday.I would use tiny highball velvet buttons as an alternative.Not for the faint hearted but wouldn't this look amazing with black petticoat?

Wedding in Covent Garden

2010-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have put this post up to share the wonderful photography of Chloe at Caught the Light http://caughtthelight.com/ Chloe has featured in Bridal magazines such as Cosmo Bride above.Lindsey's wedding looks so delightful when you see the whole sequence of events. I am also rather chuffed to have one of my dresses in Cosmo!
Apologies for the wonky scan below, still waiting for the PDF.

What wonderful shoes! Gold Dior mmmmm....

Lindsey and Tim live in Covent Garden and were able to marry in a church there then went on to have their reception at Browns.

I have always felt that this dress looked best close up,so here you go!
Buttermilk coloured silk chiffon ruched onto a soft heavier silk. We debated as to the colour of the sash and whether to have a corsage. Lindsey chose an Ivory silk structured bow with sash,in the end, but here it is photographed looking gorgeous with a black velvet band and a hand dyed corsage that I constructed.The colour of the corsage came about as a brilliant accident. The colours of the green wrapping on the flower ran into the petals and ostrich feather giving it this distressed look.

Love these two pics, my favourite.

On the Dress Stand

2010-12-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

I have gathered together a selection of dresses pictured on the stand. Past samples or work in progress.I like to have a good close up view available of my work as the details and fabric textures are easier to see. This first dress is something I am currently working on.I am hoping to include vintage jewelry as part of the design on more dresses. I come across some gorgeous Deco buckles occasionally that would look great with a satin bias cut design. These dress clips are perfect for a thirties look.

White and Spotty!

2010-11-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

A seasonal theme, snowing now, but this fresh pure brilliant white dress will be amazing in the spring sunshine.This is a dress that I am currently working on. I Love this fabric! I have used this spot lace before and it is a pleasure to work with. The dress will have two sleeves. Good opportunity to see it as a sleeveless for now though.The bow(White lightweight Duchess silk satin) is a new slightly bigger more structured bow shape than I have made before. I think it works really well, a good balance against the shape of the dress.

Lace. Fifties style and other. A celebration of wonderful Lace dresses.

2010-11-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

Emma chose a cream tone lace and silk for her dress. The true colour is a little lost in the photography unfortunately, it has a wonderful antique/vintage feel to it in real life.I have gone for a lot of different textures as well as the rich colour here. Emma looks so sweet and demure here, a real Chantilly lace bride.I also made Emma her veil and silk flower covered hair band. I do believe I made her corsage on the sash come to think of it!

Charlottes' Marilyn moment!
This dress is in a very pale Ivory Lace overlaid onto a pale Ivory silk. I love the neatness of this dress, that and the fab sleeves showing the gorgeous rich design of the lace.I also made this birdcage veil veil worn in this picture.

This picture was taken at Charlotte's final fitting. I also made this big bouffant veil worn here although Charlotte finally chose a birdcage instead.

Fab shoes!

Charlotte ( another Charlotte!) married in Vegas The big feature,literally,of her dress was the huge black Minnie Bow on the back of her dress.The bow was quite structured,designed and made to fit separately onto to the narrow cummerbund rather than tied.This dress had lace overlaying the bodice only. I have recommended to Brides traveling overseas to use the beautiful keepsake travel boxes by The Empty Box Company. These boxes meet the size requirements for overhead luggage, are strong, very pretty and can be used to store your dress in the long term.

Beth also chose to have a pale Ivory dress. This commission started life as long sleeved slash neck design as above. Beth found that in fact this shape was not what she wanted after all. Having vowed not to have a strapless dress, decided that this,with a separate lace bolero,was the most flattering option. I am happy to oblige with changes like this where they are reasonably possible. I love the fit of dress,this is where bespoke couture made dresses come into their own, a perfect fit.

I love the way the textures of this dress are caught in this shot.Christine had a new Rose design Lace that I recently discovered.The beautiful swishy skirt is silk Organza over a soft silk heavy taffeta.The little ribbon trim near the hem of the skirt adds a touch of fifties prom authenticity I think. I,again, am particularly proud of the fab fit of this dress, showing the brides gorgeous curves off.I really think that this silhouette suits all shapes and sizes, it is just a matter of getting the proportions of the design right to suit each individual body shape/height etc. I also made Christine her veil and the vintage haircomb.

Janes' dress is so fluid and romantic,I have kept the underlay silk a little more fluid using a mixture of silk textures to build up an under dress that holds its shape without becoming too stiff.There is something so simple and clean about the lines of this dress. Jane had very strong ideas of how she wanted her dress. Keeping her look pared down and unfussy was important to her.I just love her gorgeous hair and make up!Really glamorous.

I just love this veil. I made the dress in a slinky but fluid shape, fishtail but not stiff. I also made the long silk tulle veil trimmed with a delicate lace.

Dream wedding in London and Italy

2010-11-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Lorraine and Brahim married in Sept.2009. I have gazed longingly over these pictures ever since. As there were so many wondeful shots I did not know what to do with them, too many for my web site . Photography by Ian Scott Photography. http://www.ianscottphotography.co.uk/. Then lo! the wonder of a Blog, perfect for a long post of pictures . Be prepared it is long!
The wedding spread over several days and took place in London with a blessing in Italy.This unbelievably beautiful location is theVilla Balbianello on Lake Como.This wonderful lush location has been used as a location for fims such as Star Wars and Casino Royale.

Lorraine wore a dress of many parts. I made a basic strapless fifties dress with a chiffon overlay. A chiffon cap sleeved cross over separate top gave a bit of cover for the day time celebrations.

This is variation no. 2. A separate beaded embroidered tulle , lacy look, overdress and a change of sash colour and petticoat There were many colours of sash and petti. that I made for Lorraine to ring the changes.

And now the red.I love the number of changes ( including fab shoes) that Lorraine achieved.
Sigh! How good can life get....

Cream silk spot bolero and dress

2010-11-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Bolero jacket.

This jacket is proving to be popular. It seems to suit everyone! Adding not just warmth but a wonderful stylish bit of fifties swagger. There is something about turning up your collar and flicking back your cuffs just

so!What I have done with the cut of this bolero shape ensures that the bolero stays sitting on the shoulders as it should, these little jackets are notorious for slipping . The spot lace is used over the same cream tone duchesse silk satin as the jacket.The dress is basically a strapless dress with the spot being ruched over the bust. I have added three quarter sheer spot sleeves on this version.

Longer body line at the side sweeping from a narrow front edge, not only looks great but stays put without sliding around.

Wedding by the Sea

2010-05-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

Wedding by the sea. I love the relaxed sophisticated and fun feel of this design. The dress was made of a sumptuous silk ziberlene,. The pockets add a little extra authenticity to the look and give you more swishing power! Wonderful big red petticoat teamed with the accessories , set off the creamy silk to perfection.

Wedding in Vegas

2010-05-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

Wonderful wedding in Vegas. This dress has so much personality! It is sweet and feminine with a huge fun element added with the bow. The bow and sash are all fairly structured, not just tied this time.I cut the dress to flatter a tiny four month bump on the way! I also made the flowered headpiece, using the same silks as in the dress.

2010-03-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

http://www.web-links.net/1950's_wedding_dress_Fifties/

Grecian style "Isadora Duncan" dress

2010-03-07T05:39:00.000-08:00

Grecian style dress as a work in progress. I have tried to keep a balance here between a nice structured bodice and a very floaty fluid overlay and skirt. The dress silk is very light and "wafts" as it moves all a little Isadora Duncan!

vintage fifties look.

2010-03-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is a new version of a previous design, a little more flirty. Again I am going for a feminine authentic vintage fifties look.

2010-02-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous new spot silk.I have kept the skirt shape soft using only a half circle.The silks are all as light as possible keeping the whole feel very cute and delicate.