There are several different kinds of lace, but for now I’ll stick to the kinds that ladies searching for their gowns may come across.

Venice lace originated in Venice, Italy.  Its geometric, floral patterns are linked together with narrow bands instead of netting and it has dense, 3-D feel.  Claire Pettibone, known for all of her different laces, uses Venice lace in pieces (also known as appliqué) to add dimension to many of her gowns.

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Guipure lace, created in Lorraine, France, is similar to Venice lace in its texture and that it is made without netting.  The difference is that it’s a little heavier and features larger, denser patterns patterns.

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To help you navigate these mysterious lacy waters, I’ll start with two of the most common types of laces: Alencon and Chantilly.

Alencon lace (pronounced Ah-lon-son), not surprisingly, originated in Alencon, France.  Rich and substantial, it’s characterized by solid motifs and considered the queen of laces. A tell-tale sign that you are wearing Alencon lace is the twisted yarn or cording that outlines the edges of the lace’s pattern and feels textured to the touch.

Lea Ann Belter “Caroline” with Alencon lace

Chantilly lace is a delicate, airy lace conceived in Chantilly, France and characterized by a floral or organic theme with scalloped edges.  Unlike Alencon, the design on the lace itself is usually outlined with flat, untwisted thread, so it feels comparatively flat.

Elizabeth Fillmore “Cassandra” with Chantilly lace

Closest to my heart, of course, is that Astrid can incorporate your wedding dress in an illustration. I wish I had an illustration of me, my gown, and my sweetie.  When I got married, I had no idea such a thing was even an option!

One couple, Natalie and Phillip, commissioned Astrid for a Save the Date and an invitation. What’s really special about Astrid is how she imbues her client’s character in their illustration.  After getting to know them personally over the phone and using photos provided by the couple, Astrid puts design concepts together reflecting their character.  She then refines the couple’s chosen design into an illustration until it is finalized.

For Natalie and Phillip, Astrid created two cosmopolitan, gracious wedding illustrations that included their puppy and reflected their chic, world traveler style.

images by Andrea & Marcus

Next, they asked Astrid to design an illustration with Natalie in her wedding gown, replicating each detail of her dress. Natalie and Phillip used that art work on their wedding menu and a cake topper. Astrid also designed table cards to go with the menu, but minus the illustration (it is possible to have too much of a good thing!).  Natalie and Phillip even ended up using her wedding dress illustration, along with a photograph, for their Thank You notes!

images by Andrea & Marcus

Afterward, you are left with a burning question.

“What do I do with my wedding gown??”

First things first, make sure you get your dress cleaned. Whether you keep it, reuse it, or sell it, you’ll need a clean gown!

Imperial Gown Restoration is one of the best in the country (they have restored garments for the Smithsonian).  Just ship your gown to them and they’ll ship it back cleaned and, if you like, preserved. If you are not interested in sending your gown on a magical mystery tour, go local. Do a little research, and in no time you’ll find a trusted cleaner in your area.

A lot of gowns can be reworked and worn again.  A full lace gown can be shortened to knee-length and worn with a belt, a draped gown hemmed and dyed. If you’ve got an A-line gown, have the crinoline removed, raise the hem, and voila!  You’ve got a new cocktail dress in your closet.

If you’d rather someone else enjoy your dress, resell it or pass it on. Not only environmentally friendly, it will also put a little cash and/or karma in your pocket for life post-wedding.

Look locally for shops that specialize in bridal resale, or send your dress on consignment with sites like Dream Bride LA and White Chicago.

image source, by Aaron Delesie Photography

Now the wedding’s over, you went on your honeymoon, unpacked, sent the Thank You notes.

Your shoes are still in their box in your closet, begging to go out and do some dancing…or at least have some dinner!

Set aside some time, clear some space, and DIY dye your shoes.

This video from Weddingism gives step by step instructions:

1. Research: Get a feel for local shops by visiting their websites and reading their FAQ sections. Peruse customer reviews here on Wedding Wire and on sites like Yelp and City Search. Knowing where to go for the best customer service and what to expect goes a long way to keep things from getting hairy.

2. Know thy Budget. Look at your own bank balance and/or caucus with your parents, then set a price range that is both realistic and comfortable. Tear out pictures from magazines and scoot around the internet to get a feel for what styles and designers you like. Then call boutiques or even designers and ask for ballpark price ranges. There’s nothing like sticker shock to make everyone cranky.

3. No Need for an Entourage: You know the saying “too many chefs in the kitchen ruin the soup”? Even though bringing along everyone you love sounds like fun, three or less is the ideal number of shopping assistants to bring.

4. Primp: I don’t know about you, but my least successful party dress shopping trips are when I shock myself as I look in the mirror on the way out of the house. It’s hard to take yourself seriously in an wedding gown or anything fancy when you look like you just crawled out of bed! I would never (ever) suggest getting dolled up just to shop, but put your hair up (or down) depending on how you think you’ll wear it, slap a little mascara on, wear cute lingerie, and bring high heels. I promise it makes a difference, no matter where you get your gown.

5. Be Yourself: Your wedding gown should make you feel that you are the most captivating creature for miles. Stick to what speaks to you as you try on dress after dress. Though your favorite gown may not be your best friend’s top pick, and trying it on may not make you cry, your instinct is your best guide to making sure you find exactly what you’ve been looking for.

With a little online sleuthing, you can find just the thing. For those not yet in the know, Modcloth is a great site for clothes that don’t break the bank and are long on style. There are textures, colors, and styles galore, and most are under $60, so you can pick up a little something for yourself and commandeer garments for your ladies.

all images and dresses from Modcloth

I love the idea (no matter how long it has been around) of adding color to a wedding gown!

From an all over hue to a splash in the form of a sash, personalizing your gown with color is marvelous. For ladies wanting to add some sass to their look in an unexpected way, consider a colorful tulle underskirt.

A gown can be hemmed to reveal the color for those with a flair for the dramatic. For a more subtle reveal, alter the gown so that the skirt is longer than the crinoline and the hue is glimpsed each time you lift your skirts or swirl around the dance floor.

If you are brave or just good with your hands, try DIY, or you can choose one of myriad colors from Etsy sellers.

Images via:  Foxy Wedding, Polka Dot Bride, Wedding Cabaret

Fall 2010 gowns, which are intended for wear in Spring 2011 (confusing, I know!), had the beautiful quality of fashion’s halcyon days.  Shades of history’s most romantic periods of fashion seemed to be everywhere.

Graceful, gauzy Regency Era-inspired empire waisted gowns, tailored Victorian bodices and flowing skirts, the curvy femininity of the Edwardian era of La Belle Epoque.  More recent references to the sleek softness of the ’30s and glamour of the ’50s  was also in full effect. All that charm was enough to make me starry eyed!

The following are some of the more prevalent style elements we saw in the Fall 2010 collections:

Flowers:

In full bloom in almost every show, this element has evolved from the more defined flowers of last season into diaphanous interpretations. Deconstructed, ruffled petals found their way onto skirts, bodices, and straps.

images, clockwise from left: Romona Keveza Couture, Romona Keveza Couture, Ines Di Santo

images, clockwise from left: Vera Wang, Jenny Lee, Ines Di Santo

Light Layers:

Airy fabrics like organza, tulle, chiffon, silk dupioni organza, and lace floated down almost every runway.

images, clockwise from left: Jenny Lee, Douglas Hannant, Ines Di Santo

images, clockwise from left: Douglas Hannant, Claire Pettibone, Christos

Soft Color:

All the romance of the season lent itself to breezy color, whether a hint of color layered beneath hues of cream and white, all over color, or muted tones expressing themselves in the form of belts and embroidery.

images, clockwise from left: Ines Di Santo, Jenny Lee, Oscar de la Renta

images, clockwise from left: Vera Wang, Adele Wechsler, Modern Trousseau

Pattern:

From highlighting the pattern of special laces to toille and brocade, gowns with decorative designs were a common thread.

images, clockwise from left: Douglas Hannant, Modern Trousseau, Carolina Herrera

images source, clockwise from left: Douglas Hannant, St. Pucchi, Carolina Herrera

Like a ballerina from Swan Lake, gowns with gossamer tulle skirts paired with delicately detailed bodices floated down the runway. Next came crisp pleats atop skirts layered with lace as intricate as snowflakes, all with simple, defined necklines and pretty, well-proportioned silhouettes. Sprinkled in were Christos’s figure-skimming designs that implied a muted glamor, like what I imagine being worn in cosmopolitan art gallery weddings.

In fact, almost every gown I saw struck that difficult to find balance of exquisite design and wearability. I was able to picture each one on a real woman on her wedding day.  Just like a costume at a traditional ballet, a wedding gown has to be functional, special, and showcase the woman wearing it.

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all images by FoxySocialMedia

For her Fall 2010 collection, Stephanie created combs with bold metallic feathers, oversize pearls, and enormous Swarovski crystal flowers, multiple strand pearl necklaces with large filigreed broaches, and glittering chandelier earrings. Each has the feel and heirloom quality of a piece a relative found in a hope chest, dusted off, and gifted to be worn as “something old.”

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images by FoxySocialMedia

Not just princesses, but duchesses, viscountesses and queens.  The impression that these gowns were made to be worn in palaces grows with each sway of sumptuous skirts, twinkle of Swarovski crystal,  and  flutter of lace.

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Some were opulent creations that commanded attention with the same elegant, gilded grandeur of Versailles. Gowns with amplified mermaid skirts, majestic ball gowns, statement-making beadwork and lush draping.  Others were more playful, fit for a summer villa with short hemlines or more airy details.

All were exactly what you would expect to see worn by a member of a royal family or a woman who feels she is an undiscovered member of aristocracy.

This is what is so wonderful about  Ines Di Santo’s gowns.  She clearly is passionate about the gowns she designs, has a dramatic design perspective, and isn’t afraid to show it!

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all images by FoxySocialMedia

Kelly, an established Melbourne bridal designer, moved from Australia to the States when her husband was offered a new position.  Though she would leave a lot behind, Kelly was ready for a change and excited for the challenge, so she and her husband made the journey. That was several years ago, and since then Modern Trousseau has steadily built a name for thoughtful, enchanting bridal gowns.

Inspired by the fabric she works with, Kelly and Modern Trousseau set themselves apart by manufacturing most of their gowns with original textiles.  Some are even further customized in-house.  The extra bonus is that their price point is inclusive and not limited to women with a budget of over $3,000.

The Fall 2010 collection showcases their singular fabrics in lovely gowns that have an effortless, feminine quality.  Ranging from subtle, stunning details to expressive elements, each gown seemed more captivating than the last.

Jamie, a gown covered in lace that was then re-embroidered in-house with chiffon, reminded Kelly of a vintage gown that had the sleeves and arms taken off to make it current.  The fabric detail was noticeable the moment the gown appeared from the dressing room!

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With an effect not unlike sumptuous Japanese washi paper, Caroline’s lace was created especially for Modern Trousseau and then illuminated by a contrasting tonal underlay.

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Siren, constructed of another bespoke fabric designed to create tiers of ripples and waves cascading gently down the skirt of the gown.

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A lovely black and white frock, Ebony would have been right at home in Grace Kelly’s wardrobe for Rear Window.

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Wallace, also known in house as the “Sex and the City dress,” and India, with a soft, feminine ruffle on the back that hinted of walks Victorians took in the park with parasols, rounded out Modern Trousseau’s romantic Fall 2010 collection.

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all images by FoxySocialMedia

Spring’s muses were followed by sleek, draped silk charmeuse and gowns that seamlessly incorporated blue toile and flowers. Each dress so natural, fluid and perfectly fitted it was difficult to believe that the designer had not simply waved a magic wand backstage to conjure them.

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all images via FoxySocialMedia

]]> http://www.weddingaces.com/2010/04/bridal-market-report-douglas-hannant/feed/ 0 http://www.weddingaces.com/2010/04/bridal-market-report-romona-keveza-evening/ http://www.weddingaces.com/2010/04/bridal-market-report-romona-keveza-evening/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:43:07 +0000 Jessica http://www.weddingaces.com/?p=11938 Translating her refined aesthetic to evening gowns, Romona Keveza showed a new collection of sophisticated timeless dresses that seemed to have walked out of wardrobes from a classic Hitchcock movie featuring a smart, beautiful woman.

Connections to her couture range were evident with every soft swish of opulent skirts and crystalline shimmer each time one of the dresses passed under what could only be old Hollywood Klieg lights lining the red carpet.

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all images by FoxySocialMedia

Ropes of pearls adorned with broaches and sparkling chandelier earrings that could have come out of your grandmother’s jewelry box were not only beautiful but comfortable (I did indeed try them on!).

Accessories that seemed out of your family’s cache of heirlooms filled Filippa Scott’s suite. Playful, dramatic feathered combs, headbands adorned with art deco broaches, filigreed flowers, and mother of pearl diamante evening bags all tested my self control with the compulsion to play dress up.

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all image by FoxySocialMedia

Her gowns have the extraordinary quality of heightening the natural beauty of the women wearing them.  As everyone knows, if you wear clothing that makes you feel your best self, a wonderful sense of poise glows from the inside out.

In essence, Lea-Ann’s Fall 2010 gowns, handmade with care in Canada, achieve what every gown should.  Her delightful gowns showcase the woman wearing them with wonderful fit and effortless design

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all images by FoxySocialMedia

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Spirited details including asymmetrical necklines, exaggerated ruffles, and decadent organza flowers were balanced by silhouettes that have stood the test of time.  Each dress breathed the beauty of women who graced the silver screen in movies like To Catch a Thief, Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Sparkling diamante buttons, shimmering embroidered fabric, and rich textiles added to the aura of opulent style that defines Romona Keveza’s couture collection.

The last gown shown was no exception.  Like a bound bouquet of peonies, the skirt and hem were covered in lush falling petals and blossoms that seemed to cascade from a bodice tightly ruched at the waist.

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all images by FoxySocialMedia

Not just because it was a gorgeous, sunny Sunday morning in NYC, or that in their suite overlooking Central Park we could hear the distant clopping of hooves as horse-drawn carriages meandered it’s verdant perimeter.

I left her showroom feeling refreshed and buoyant, trying to put my finger on the elusive, extraordinary beauty of her gowns.

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Maybe it’s the fact that Jenny Lee lines the bodices and skirts of all her gowns in airy, soft organic cotton voile.  Or that she constructs them from layers of breezy silk organza shantung, silk shantung, and silk taffeta in her Los Angeles production studio.

It could be that her custom embroidered fabrics and hand cut details layered with diaphanous textiles manage to convey the gauzy weightlessness that only the diffuse light of Spring can produce.

Whatever the reason, her collection was as exuberant as the blossoms showing their faces to the sun in the expanse of greenery outside her showroom window.

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all images by FoxySociaMedia

Feathered and petaled organza, precise draping, and fine laces elevated each gown to something special, leaving the impression of the polish of icons from eras past.

This is exactly from where Romona Keveza draws her inspiration.  The essence of women like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Jackie Kennedy were evident in every crisp fold, ladylike detail, and quietly dramatic silhouette.

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all image by FoxySocialMedia

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Instead of thinking “Mother of the Bride,” consider other phrases as you search, like elegant, chic, and/or timeless. Sometimes when we shop with MOB blinders on, the perfect outfit gets overlooked.

Armed with a style reference as a compass, go out and shop with an open mind, not only at bridal shops and department stores but also online. If you find the perfect dress but find it needs a shrug, grab the dress and go to a site like Etsy, where a designer can whip something up that matches perfectly.

I can’t take all the credit for my Mother of the Bride advice. I’ve come across a book I wish I knew about when I got married: “The Everything Mother of the Bride Book”.  It is chock full of tips on how to shop, what to look for, and how to navigate the occasionally choppy waters of wedding planning, all from a mom’s point of view.

image credits clockwsie from upper left: The Wedding Collection, Kay Unger at Saks Fifth Avenue, David Meister at Bluefly, Melissa Masse, Tahari at Neiman Marcus, Marc Bouwer Glam It! at Bluefly, Mandy’s Etsy Shop, Suzy Chin at Nordstrom, Modern Trousseau, The Wedding Collection

image credits clockwise left to right: White Thread , Pip Pip and All That, White Thread, Pip Pip and All That, Style me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Once Wed, Pip Pip and All That, 100 Layer Cake

image credits clockwise left to right: Style Me Pretty, Loving,via Green Wedding Shoes by Chenin Boutwell, via Casando Ideias by Jessica Kettle Photography, via 100 Layer Cake by Anna Kuperberg, via Ruffled by Blink Photography , via Style Me Pretty by Anne Marie Photography

images by Rodney Bailey

images by Rodney Bailey

images by Rodney Bailey

images by Rodney Bailey

images by Rodney Bailey

images by Rodney Bailey

Photography: Rodney Bailey
Flowers: Yellow Door
Catering: Occasions
Cakes: Just Cakes