April 29, 2011

Princess Beatrice steals the show?


                                                                       Princess Eugenia and sister Princess Beatrice


With all the royal wedding hype in the past months, its not surprising that all the guests went all out to find the perfect outfit for the occasion. As can be expected with British aristocracy, there were many interesting and fashion forward hats and head pieces, many of them by haute couture hat designer Phillip Treacy. I usualy adore Phillip's hats, but I'm at a loss for words at the hat Princess Beatrice showed up in.




 
  
Is it really even a hat? It looks like it should be worn to a sacrificial ceremony of heathen gods.. seriously! I'm all for high fashion but not if you cant pull it off. I mean she could have worn the hat more towards the back of her head or on the side of her head at an angle, but the way its sitting in front of her head, I just have two requests,
  1. Dear princess Beatrice dont ever wear this "hat" again
  2. Dear Phillip Treacy kindly print out instructions of how to wear your hats for each of your clients because something tells me this hat wasn't designed to be worn this way.
Much obliged! ;)

xoxo


The Royal Wedding photo recap

I didnt stay up all night to watch the Royal wedding, nor have I been looking forward to with the crazed glee that most people seem to share. But I sure do love weddings so I couldnt resist sharing photos and thoughts about the good, bad and crazy fashion of the ongoing royal wedding. The bride herself looked timeless and elegant, if only the same could be said for all the guests too!

Kate middleton's wedding dress. ( or should I say Duchess Catherine..)

Her gown was a classic long sleeved ball gown with cathedral train made by he house of Alexander McQueen, very much the norm in the royal circles, and quite similar to one of my all time favorite wedding gowns worn by Grace Kelly.  All I can say about Grace kelly is that she was way ahead of her time! Her wedding gown has been the inspiration for many brides since then.

Grace Kelly in her wedding gown











This little girl in the left corner is too cute, she clearly cant take the sound of ringing bells any longer!



xoxo


April 22, 2011

Back to the basics

I think its safe to say that most people hate doing homework, but when it comes to bridal gown shopping, doing your homework is an an absolute must if you want to have a hassle-free experience. Chapter 2 of the gown shopping survival guide is all about research, research and more research, in an economy like this it makes perfect sense to conserve time and money by being a well informed buyer. Past article collections like Silhouettes simplified,  Fabricated,   Bridal Necklines 101, and Body Conscious Bride  are an excellent place to start, and here is quick summary of the basic information a bride needs to have before beginning gown shopping


SILHOUETTES SIMPLIFIED
• A-line - Classic and most commonly worn style.  Skirt flares out from the waist literally forming the shape of an A.

                                        Maggie Sottero A-line

• Ball gown-  Large full skirt joined to a fitted bodice, usually worn at formal weddings


                                                         Justin Alexander Ball gown

• Dropped waist- Waist line is lower than natural waist, often combined with an A-line or ball gown

Casablanca dropped waist

• Empire waist- Waist line is much higher than the natural waist, usually has a free flowing skirt, excellent for destination weddings

Mori Lee Empire Waist

• Fit and flare- Fitted sheath dress that gradually flares out in a trumpet shape. It resembles a combination of a dropped waist A-line and a modified mermaid

Galina Signature by Davids bridal fit and flare


• Mermaid- Fitted gown with a full skirt that flares out from around the knees or upper thigh. Its different from a fit and flare in that, the skirt is fuller, the fullness starts higher up and the shape is more defined. Usually there is seam where the skirt joins the bodice.
Vera Wang mermaid gown




FABRICATED
Fabrics really make all the difference. One main mistake that a lot of brides make is decide they hate a certain fabric based on one dress they've seen in that fabric.  Most fabric have an expensive silk version and a cheaper synthetic version.  I cant count the number of brides who've told me how much they hate taffeta because they tried on a cheap taffeta prom dress that was crunchier than burnt toast, but after being introduced to luxe silk taffeta fell deeply in love with it!
• Satin-  Glossy or matte high sheen fabric. Pros: drapes well, catches the light, glides smoothly. Cons: stains easily, very shiny, heavy weight, wrinkles easily

The very popular Adorae by Sottero & Midgely in Demir stretch satin

• Tulle- Light weight net fabric. Pros: Floaty, light weight, adds bulk to full skirts. Cons: Delicate and rips easily, Has the tendency to look cheap and childish

Amsale Tulle skirt

• Lace- Intricate woven patterned fabric. Pros: Interesting textured look  Cons: Tendency to look dated, delicate

Jim Hjelm

• Chiffon- Sheer crêpe -like fabric. Pros: light weight, floaty, wrinkle resistant, excellent for outdoor destination weddings. Cons: Tendency to look casual

Romona Keveza silk chiffon

• Taffeta- Crisp firm high sheen fabric. Excellent for structured gowns. Pros: drapes well and maintains its shape, great for bows and floral applique. Cons: cheaper versions of this fabric can be too hard and crunchy.


                                                            Angelina Faccenda taffeta bodice


• Shantung Affectionately dubbed the love child of satin and taffeta: high sheen crisp fabric. Pros: high sheen luxe look. Cons: Heavy weight.

                                                                                            Christos Silk Shantung
• Organza- Light weight soft net, shinier and silkier than tulle. Over used as an overlay or bottom layer for gowns. Pros: light weight Cons: Tendency to look rubbery.

Mori Lee Blu organza


Stay stylish and stay tuned
xoxo

April 11, 2011

Bridal gowns of the future: Spring 2012 bridal collections

The Spring 2012 bridal collections featured several unique and interesting gowns. Here are some of the major trends that emerged

Oversize ball gowns- And when I say oversize, I mean huge! Say bye-bye to the "modern" ball gown of last season and hello to the authentic vintage size ball gowns of the future.  The sheer bodice + ball gown combo of the Ines Di Santo gowns is very reminiscent of Pnina Tornai #just saying
Ines Di Santo
Ines Di Santo
        Marchesa                                              Carolina Herrera

Monique Lhuillier                                    Kenneth Pool  

Vera Wang                                                 Rivini




Lace long sleeves  I adore these lace sleeves especially on the Romona Keveza gowns! It's an interesting look to have the sleeves made out of a different fabric from the rest of the gown.


                                     Monique Lhuillier                                           Theia

Romona Keveza


                                                                            Rivini

  Illusion necklines

   
Marchesa

Carolina Herrara                       Monique Lhuillier



 Streamlined sleek silhouettes + high sheen fabrics

Amsale


 
         Rivini                                               Kenneth Pool

Giant head pieces  Vera wang and Watters must have been on the same page because they both sent their models down the runway with giant headpieces

 
    Watters                                             Vera Wang


Watters



xoxo