Friday decadence with Yolan Cris

I don't know where Yolan has been hiding but I just discovered her dreamy collections online this morning. Delicate lace with a sculptural twist, layers of soft tulle - super sassy Spanish glamour.

There's definitely a goddess touch to these gowns but they are also so soft and feminine.

Yolan combines fabrics, mixing embroidered Chantilly lace with taffetas, crepes and sequins...not to mention unusual sleeve and strap detailing.


I hope all that prettiness has put you in a good mood for the weekend?! See you next week when I'll be sharing my 'long distance' commission.

Christian Dior Couture 2011

I simply had to post this image from Christian Dior's 2011 Couture collection...I tried just tweeting about it but it wasn't enough. I'm not so wild about the headpiece but I could definitely find somewhere to wear this dress.

Christian Lacroix designs for Rosa Clara

Well here is a dress that I love for 2011 and I'm not normally drawn to full princess skirts! It combines some of the key style trends for the coming season...lots of tulle layering, flower forms and a cute bow. Quite a glass slipper dress for 2011!

I love the idea of two designers working together and Christian Lacroix brings some of his haute couture magic to this gown. The neckline is another beautiful detail and one that rarely features in bridal gowns. Below is a gown from the 2011 Rosa Clara collection. I love the pleated layered tulle combined with soft lace.

Next up, I'll be sharing a gorgeous bridesmaid commission with you - a delicate beaded hairband in a soft mauve and grey palette!

Maya Hansen Corsets

I stumbled across the designs of Maya Hensen while blog-hopping and I just love her quirky corsets for their eye-popping colours and daring shapes. Maya is based in Madrid and specialises in the corset form, designing both underwear as well as evening and bridal gowns.

Maya certainly celebrates the female form and loves to accentuate narrow waists and décolletage. These sculptural, steel boned corsets combine high fashion with European style and traditional corsetry methods. You can see how her creations are also inspired by goth, punk, and rock.

Maya has a number of different collections but I love her 'Cake Corsets Collection', inspired by cakes and candies! These pieces combine richly colourful suedes and brocades along with decorative patterns and trimmings. Delicious...

Visit Maya's website to view her complete collection or plan a trip to Madrid if you feel like having a special piece designed :-)

All photos found via MayaHansen.com

Happy Friday to Teresa!

Today is the day that I announce the winner of my second competition and I am really happy to have told Teresa that she has won my 'Past clients' competition.

I designed jewellery and hair accessories for Teresa's wedding almost three years ago and can't wait to meet up with her again to design a bespoke headpiece for her stunning outfit. There was definitely a bit of dress envy going on here on my part!

I fell in love with Teresa's Spanish designer dress and think that her shoes are also to die for!

Here are a few words from Teresa herself -

I have a beautiful dress by a Spanish label called WHO based in Barcelona that I would love you to design a bespoke head piece for. The dress is knee length, fuchsia pink, it’s fun and flirty and at the same time it’s classy, elegant and sophisticated. It was a complete impulse purchase, but when I tried it on it was so perfect that I just had to buy it and at the same time I was planning the various events that I have on over the coming months that I can wear it to! I bought it in a beautiful boutique in Blackrock called Liuzzi and it is definitely one of my investment pieces.

I also have a gorgeous pair of Luciano Padovan peep toe shoes that I bought last summer in a fabulous shoe shop in Ballina called Gerry Maguires. Again, the shoes are an investment piece and they complement the dress beautifully.

I love this outfit because it came together effortlessly. I would describe my style as elegant and sophisticated and I would love a bespoke Rangoli headpiece to wear with this outfit.

I will be meeting with Teresa in a few weeks time and you can follow the consultation and design process on my blog. Sign up to my Facebook page for regular updates too!

Italian Inspiration

Ciao!
I'm back after a fantastic long weekend in Siena. It's as wonderful as I remember from my honeymoon! I thought I would share some of my photos with you. In between dining and sipping iced Amarettos, I managed to get lots of bridal inspiration - I even saw a wedding couple in Piazza Il Campo as they came out of the church!

Here is the lovely view from my hotel room -


This collage of images shows a gorgeous hairstyle from Vogue Sposa, the wedding couple I saw in Il Campo, unusual faux chocolate bouquets and 'Il Manuale Della Sposa Perfetta!'.

Silk flowers seem to be very popular here for weddings. This window display of table settings caught my eye -


I was surprised to see this article about a bespoke shoemaker - the image reminded me of one of my recent unusual commissions - read more about my shoe commission.


Lots of lovely dresses to be seen in Vogue Sposa and I will be featuring some Italian designers in the coming weeks -

And after all that I needed some chianti, a glass of Vin Santo and a nice strong espresso! Hope you enjoyed a little taste from my Siena trip.

Keep those entries coming in for my two Rangoli competitions! You have another few weeks to inspire me with your ideas. Read more on the events section of my Facebook page.

Claire Pettibone real brides

What I like about Claire's dresses is how delicate they are. They are floaty and feminine with qualities of a bye-gone era. I am a fan of Claire Pettibone on Facebook and love how she has a section where her clients send her in pictures from their weddings to share with others. I have a similar section on my website which is one of the most popular sections of my site!

Here are two real brides describing their gorgeous dresses -

"The Lucien was the most wonderful piece of clothing I have ever worn! Thank you Claire for such a gorgeous gown"

I plan on submitting to the "real brides" section, but I just want to say I adore your work!

Read other posts about Claire's dresses here and here.

Philip Treacy shoes for Valentino

It's no surprise that Philip Treacy has decided to expand his creative talents by designing shoes for Valentino. Dramatic hats and shoes go hand in hand and these whimsical beauties are to die for!


I came across this news on the blogs of one of my readers in Argentina! So thanks for introducing yourself Lelis - Have a look at her inspiring blog even if you can't understand the text...

And here's a few words from Philip himself -

"I am usually working on the head and then to move to the foot is a whole other dimension," he explained. "You can't have the same fragility, because models walk like racehorses and kick them together. And then something very delicate is in tatters—but actually, it looks quite good in tatters!"

Anyone find any gorgeous shoes for their wish-lists?
Read my other articles about shoes including a special Rangoli shoe commission!

Romantic ribbons

Half of the fun of choosing your dress is looking at e.n.d.l.e.s.s pictures of dreamy confections and imagining yourself wearing them. Dress shopping makes you realise the styles that suit you and the ones that just won't work!

So enjoy the initial browsing where any dress is possible - figure and budget aside:-)

Here's two that caught my eye for their wonderful use of ribbons -

The top dress is by by none other than Christian Lacroix. The second dress is by Claire Pettibone and is called Twilight.

Mark Shaw

A friend sent me a link to the photos of Mark Shaw - these 1950's images look like they could have been taken today.

Mark Shaw is best known for his photographs of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy, which he shot originally for LIFE magazine and later as the Kennedys' "unofficial" family photographer.

Mark Shaw began working for LIFE in 1952. As a leading fashion photographer, he also worked for Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle and a host of other publications. He was one of the first photographers to use colour when shooting the runways and "backstage" at the couture shows.

Some of Mark Shaw's most beautiful work was shot for Vanity Fair's lingerie advertising campaign. The images above are from this series which was created over a ten-year period. Stunning!

Dirty Fabulous Open Day

It's true that Caroline and Kathy from Dirty Fabulous are friends of mine but I am such a fan of their Vintage boutique on Baggot Street! Their boudoir showroom is crammed full of the most glamorous one-off designs sourced in New York, Paris and Berlin. You can just imagine the stories behind some of these outfits!

Such is the demand for vintage bridal dresses that the girls are flying to New York next week and have already previewed a range of original vintage gowns from the 1940's to 1970's that they will be choosing from.

If you would like a chance to visit the shop without an appointment, then you should visit the Dirty Fabulous Open Day next Saturday from 10am to 6pm. This will be a huge opportunity to grab some gorgeous vintage bargains with some extra special 2 for 1 offers. For more info, visit the blog or read my previous post.

The girls are in New York from Tuesday 6th and will reopen on Thursday 15th of October. Book in now if you'd like to be one of the first to see their dazzling bridal collection! And remember these are all one of a kind gowns. This shop has something for everyone from mother of the bride to party goer!

For more information visit the website or contact the girls on 01 6624249

Divine blue...

I love the tradition of wearing something blue or including a blue element in your wedding theme. My friend Denise Assas, couturier, sews a blue ribbon into the lining of all her bridal gowns!

These flower images caught my eye - the top image is taken by Cheri Pearl and the bouquet of flowers are by Picotte Photography. Both were found via Style Me Pretty.

Inspiring lace

I love decoration and pattern and am particularly inspired by the wonderful patterns found in nature. Many lace patterns feature intricate floral designs.

Lace is a technique which has been used in clothing since the late 15th Century. The labour-intensive nature of these delicate designs make them highly valuable. Like miniature pieces of art, they are considered as heirlooms and are lovingly passed from generation to generation.

These images show how lace is still stylish and sexy in the 21st century for both bridal and evening-wear! I'd be happy to own the Valintino dress, above, from his Fall 2009 collection :-)

Louboutin 'Love' Shoe

It seems everyone loves Louboutin shoes with their striking red soles. His shoes have been described as 'sex on legs'!

I read an article about Christian in the latest edition of Harper's Bazaar. In it he describes how he came to have his dream job. He also explains how he thinks it is more provocative to show a low toe cleavage than it is wearing sandals that reveal all!

Loving the 'Love' shoes...

Dirty Fabulous

I am always being asked by clients if I can recommend somewhere special for their mum to source their outfit. Most are looking for something a bit different rather than the dated suits with matching hats or feathers that are featured in many of the bridal magazines.

Well, look no further than the Dirty Fabulous boutique on Baggot Street. Here you will find a treasure trove of one-off, high-end vintage outfits to suit all age ranges and occasions. Sisters Kathy and Caroline will offer advice and even tailor the garments for you.

Dirty Fabulous were recently featured by Constance Harris in The Irish Independent on May 25th 2009-

Retailers talk about offering more bang for their buck, but, in reality, is that true? It seems to me that sales staff are less skilled than ever, while stores are less willing to allow consumers to exchange items, let alone get refunds. Frankly, I think the consumer is often given very little by retailers other than the hard sell.

Retailers talk about offering more bang for their buck, but, in reality, is that true? It seems to me that sales staff are less skilled than ever, while stores are less willing to allow consumers to exchange items, let alone get refunds. Frankly, I think the consumer is often given very little by retailers other than the hard sell.

So, it is with delight I tell you about an original shopping experience. Not cheap, but offering a special service, Dirty Fabulous is a vintage-clothes shop that moves shopping, and vintage, to new levels.

Sisters Caroline Quinn and Kathy Sherry opened the store only six months ago and already they have a huge portfolio of press clippings and coverage. It was a secret among fashion stylists — not any more.

Kathy and Caroline go to international vintage trade-fairs buying as any fashion buyer would, using their knowledge of their customers’ needs and applying high-fashion insight. They try to buy in colour blocks and with seasonal changes in mind.

They buy garments from the Thirties through to the Sixties, though the odd bit of Seventies’ OTT fabulousness creeps in. The clothes are pure fem and not everything is high glamour. In fact, my favourite dress — apart from the to-die-for Thirties’ crepe gown a la John Galliano for Dior — was a simple, cornflower-blue, American, Fifties’ sundress.

The two choose dresses on a love basis. Sometimes, a garment may be damaged and they will think creatively how they can restore it. As women have become larger, most vintage dresses are too petite, so finding crafty ways of converting a dress into a size 14 or 16 is part of Dirty Fabulous’s genius. Also, they aren’t afraid to slightly redesign a garment if they feel it needs more oomph.

Located on the top floor of a Georgian house on Dublin’s Baggot Street, with plenty of parking, visiting at Dirty Fabulous is by appointment only, thus guaranteeing a one-on-one service. The shop is laid out like a couturier’s salon. There’s a luxury dressing-area, couches and tea, coffee or champagne. The sisters will delight in sharing the fashion history of the dress you love.

Brides, especially, come asking for vintage dresses for their bridesmaids. It’s a testimony to the quality of the shop’s service to see the number of pictures sent by wedding-party clients. They all look fabulous and happy. If anything, the bride in her modern dress tends to look a bit flat compared to all the vintage-clad, glowing goddesses at her side!

Visit the website and blog too for lots of inspiration!

Contemporary Vintage dresses

As promised, I am going to share some of my favourite bridal collections for 2009. Vintage is still a key influence this season. It's great to see how bridal designers are creating stunning gowns with the most beautiful decorative detailing and silhouettes.

Claire Pettibone is a designer from Los Angeles who likes to give vintage style a contemporary twist. Her 2009 ' Rock n Roll Bridal' collection is full of floaty fabrics with exquisite embroidery and beading detail. Her inspiration seems to be slightly at odds with her rock and roll theme though! -

I was looking at wedding cakes…spun sugar, sparkle, layering, and embellishments for very feminine, fresh, young pretty dresses with little touches of color.

It's good to see that romance and rock 'n roll can go hand in hand!

Denise Assas Couture

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to see pictures of client's gorgeous dresses every day! This is the starting point for choosing the jewellery and hair accessories that will best complement each individual gown.

An added bonus to working in any industry is that you get to hear about and meet some really talented designers. I first met Denise almost ten years ago and absolutely loved her gorgeous French designs. But really, it is the whole experience of visiting Denise in her showroom and having her design a gown for you that is the special part! Denise designed my wedding dress and we have become friends ever since :-)

Read more about Denise

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen is a designer that I really admire. I love the sculptural style of his designs as well as his exquisite tailoring. His designs can be minimal or highly decorative and I love the quirkiness of his work.

This season, some of his collection is inspired by India and the image above shows a variation on the decorative hair jewellery worn by Indian women during wedding ceremonies.

See more at www.alexandermcqueen.com