BIG Fat Gypsy Wedding

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WORKING WITH VINTAGE PATTERNS

Vintage patterns are tres chic right now.  If you're intrigued with past patterns and plan on finding a designer/seamstress who can whip up your creation, here are a few things you should know. Unlike today's patterns that include many sizes in one package, those from yesteryear are a one size only deal.  Not only are silhouettes reminiscent of an era, did you know overall cut, types of darts and dart lines are as well?  With all the changes in machinery over the last thirty plus years as well as hemming products, range of notions available and faster techniques, whoever is making your dress will have to know how to adapt instructions provided by the original pattern.

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1920s

Want to do a Gatsby or roaring twenties theme?  The 1920s was about women's freedom and it played itself out most dramatically in fashion.  It was one of the first times in history the female body was comfortable.  Typically wedding dresses were short with loads of lace and  a graduated hemline forming a train in back.  Most headpieces were cloche-like and worn low on the forehead.  The above pattern is for an informal affair . . .

 True bias cut, body-hugging, gowns made their way into bridal wear in lightweight satins and crepes.  Hollywood had a great influence on fashion during this time and many brides to be looked to the cinema for inspiration.  This is also the era Brides magazine premiered its first issues, not only featuring gowns and veils but ideas for trousseau and setting up home as well.

 1940s
Alines with sweetheart necklines and puffed sleeves in bridal satin were typical till wartime when fabric was rationed.  During wartime, brides married quickly before sending lovers off to war.  Often they'd marry in their best dress or more often, best suit.  Once restrictions were lifted on fabric after the war, even wider poufier skirts returned . . . 

 1950s

  The era of Christian Dior was all about yards of skirt and nipped in waists.  Slimmer silhouettes celebrated the female form as well. Synthetic fabrics were all the rage, even in bridal wear.  Many dresses that have survived this era either home made or manufactured are rayon, acetate or Dacron.  No Polyester; that was the miracle synthetic of the 1960s . . .

1960s

The early sixties of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy's influence on fashion was radically different from the Mod swinging late sixties.  The styles on the above right pattern envelope show a Mary-Jane and lace child-bride look so prevalent in fashion by the youthquake years . . .

1970s

Though this was an era of funky fashion we were still stuck with the cookie-cutter bridal image like the one above.  Nina Ricci did great with this bride's boho veil and headpiece though and the lines of the dress are flattering.  What we lacked then that we have now is brides brave enough to step outside the box and do something really earthshaking . . .

1980s

Yuck!  Okay so I shouldn't be so judgmental especially since this is the era I began designing in, that of pouf and paste, millions of glued on sequins and overdone puffy veils.  And the ones in the images above are the tamer versions done by Vogue.  You shoulda seen the schlock out on the racks back then.  The result was, most brides looked consumed under all the layers of frippery . . .But . . . this was the look 

If you're imaginative, you know you don't necessarily need a pattern that says, bridal on it or have a dress pictured in white. Any design or color shown can be created as a wedding dress.

A last word here.   I don't believe in the theory bodies change from era to era but I believe foundations do.  In the twenties women wore binders to flatten their boobs into chests; in the fifties rubberized armor-like girdles and long-lined bras to achieve a Dioresque ideal.  Studying the underwear of the decade you're going for could be very helpful

All images courtesy So Vintage Patterns

Wedding Grown 2011

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LITTLE BLACK DRESS

What an inspiration!  Black and pink do something awsome when combined, don't they?  This gorgeous board is the work of Shana via SMP Style Circle whose blog, Baubles and Bubbles is  loaded with chic and novel ideas for the bride . . .

Pink Wedding Dress

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FILL ME UP BUTTERCUP

Another board that's perfect for getting into spring!  When I was a child, yellow was my favorite color, so invariably this medley reminds me of the joyful and happy images of my youth.  Thanks again to Shana over at SMP Style Circle for inspiring us all.  More inspiration can be found on her blog, Baubles and Bubbles.

Wedding Gifts for Parents 2011 | 2011 Wedding Gifts for Parents of The Bride | Wedding Gifts for Parents Ideas 2011

unique wedding gifts for parents

This is a new chapter in your life and you want parents to feel they are a special part of it. You may want to give as a sentimental framed family tree that included the new family member. Customize by adding your family history. Add accessories and decorations picture frame. His parents are played with a dose of creativity and originality to make the gift.


thank you gifts for parents

His parents also appreciate the photo albums as gifts. Look around different shops for drive options and choose the best. Fill in the album of photos taken before your family and your wedding day photos. In this way, your parents will have to fill their own photo albums. They already have great memories of memories with them.


traditional wedding gifts

Jewelry is also a great idea wedding gift for his parents. You can give your jewelry gifts that parents can take for your special day. Jewelry can last a lifetime and can be customized too. You can set a photo or involvement of children in a beautiful shrine. You also may have names or initials engraved on pendants or bracelets.

Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

Type Of Wedding Dresses: Vintage Wedding Dress

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DECADES: The Best of the Early 1990s

Is early 90s really vintage? I'd say so. I have a whole library of bridal mags, some dating back to the 1930s. Perusing early editions circa 1990, I run across plenty of those ridiculous, big puffy sleeves, bodices and skirts encrusted with such heavy bead work you can't find the fabric. There were also some magnificent gowns created back then by a group of talented designers, some so far ahead of their time it amazes me. And while there have always been gifted designers the world over, during this time the French did seem to be Fashion's chosen people for keeping couture pure. They had a knack for using just the right fabric on a particular silhouette; knowing how much detail would balance the design. They--great designers, French et all--also laid out the blue print for a lot of today's trends.

In the 1990s, we saw the emergence of the studio designer. These independents closely resembling the Etsy artisans of today, chose to create and show their own collections in ateliers and small shops all over the world. Private designers as they were also known were showcased first in the premiere issues of Wedding Dresses Magazine. Soon American editors picked up that significant bridal trends were being created not only in Paris and New York but wherever there was a talent that burned to create. Alas, twenty some years later not all these designers are still with us. All though have left their influence . . .


Lolita Lempicka
What ever happened to Lolita Lempicka? These days she's concentrating on her fragrance and bath lines more than anything else. The gown above is representative of the joyful and whimsical mood she brought to design in the nineties, her daring techniques and applications inspiring many designers today. I always thought she was the more refined version of someone like Betsey Johnson.







The Fleur d'Oranger pieces here are youthful and hint boho before its revival. The headpieces are particularly unique for the time when most brides, even those marrying semi-formal donned some version of veil.

The above dress is simply all class and timeless chic.

Though designer Ulla Maja popularized the use of pick up skirt techniques through the nineties, Nicole Legroux was using this technique as well. The hand rolled florals anchoring each tuft of silk here are an exquisite touch. A radical application back then, nowadays the pick up skirt can be found on almost every page of the David's Bridal Catalog as well as top New York collections.

Hanae Mori
Though Hanae Mori has retired from the runways she still has a few shops open in Japan. These days, like Lempicka, she concentrates on her fragrance lines.

Roxanna Farri

We've seen more fabric like this but back in the early 90s it was a novelty when Roxanna Farri introduced this skirt covered in sunflowers made of ribbon. The skirt and blouse combo would be ideal for the garden wedding in any age.

These last three images showcase the work of purist Michelle Arnaud. Check out the last photo in black and white. The hat/veil hybrid was . . . a tad experimental back then but now would be considered a wonderful option to the traditional veil

All photos copyright Wedding Dresses Magazine

2010 Wedding Dress

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Wedding Rings for Women 2011 | Wedding Rings for Women Jared | Wedding Rings for Women Tiffany 2011

jared jewelers

Many children do not choose a wedding ring for women without first consulting with women. Wedding rings are usually purchased in secret. This is done by the woman's surprise but there are few who buy wedding rings together. It is better to avoid the problem. Buying a wedding ring for women, you need to know its size small and important how is the wedding ring would fit their engagement ring.


engagement rings

What if the wedding ring you have chosen and purchased does not meet women who are married? You must have spent many hours and have navigated through many stores to find the prefect day to day.


titanium wedding rings for women

My suggestion is if you have had a conversation on the subject of the ring and you know exactly what you want her, you do not want to risk choosing your wedding ring and her marriage without being there. If you are in doubt as to realize what a woman wants to ring the go ahead, otherwise, it makes the choice of wedding rings with the original. For example, ring wedding ring women can counterpart partner or two who are married can choose a completely different style of ring. Or one that is correct. It is a matter of taste, which can vary by person to person.

BHLDN

 Looking for something to cover up in?  BHLDN had its launch earlier this month and what a premiere it was.  The gowns are all over the web but have you seen the shrugs, wraps and boleros?  You have to admit, these are certainly original and not something you can find just anywhere.  Can't say enough about this company and the marketing genius here . . . .

Princess Prom Dress

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VINTAGE MAGAZINES PART 1

I love my copy of Bride's Magazine dating back to Fall/Winter 1939. Vintageholic that I am, you can imagine how much inspiration I've picked up studying each page with all the concentration of a scholar. Fashion-wise, 1939 was an interesting year. Gone With the Wind, just released, had incredible influence on evening and bridal with stores rolling out antebellum silhouettes in yards of taffeta and satin. By today's standards, the description on the ad below for The Blum Store in Philadelphia would scare more brides off than sell them . . . .

---The Victorian Bride has a wedding ring waist. Look like the young Victoria to be the most daring bride of the season, actually! Show off your corseted waist in a wee, wasp bodice and hooped circumference of corded moire. Conceal your arms to the wrist in moire with rose point inserts. Pose for your wedding pictures demure in cap and snood! Ask for Margot in Debutante and Wedding Embassy--Second Floor---

--Here's another: All eyes are trained on m'lady's miniature waist, her alluring round hipline, her proudly held head and shoulders. Bodices are molded skin tight. Skirts are most often extremely bouffant . . . .--

Scanning these ads, I realize how times have changed. Back then the independent bridal salon as we know it now didn't exist. It was the era of the toney department store, the primary place you went to get anything, including gowned. With the birth of the bridal registry at Marshall Fields in 1924, other department stores followed suit. By the 1930s, stores vied to keep customers--especially the bride and her entourage under one roof. They boasted of specialized consultants as well as registry helpers, all in house. Here's a sampling from The H. & S. Pogue Company in Cincinati: Pogue's Bridal Service is yours to use. To help choose your trousseau, your wedding gown , your bridesmaid dresses. To relieve you of the thousands of details that must be looked after with the greatest care to assure you the beautiful serenity that's your right as a bride . . .to make your wedding the perfect thing it should be.

Most top drawer gowns at depression's end ran about two hundred dollars. The one above is stunning in simple details, designed by Joseph Whitehead for Altman. Few designers took credit wholly for their own work as most of any stature were connected to a reputable department store. Those who worked independently were known as having dressmaking establishments and mostly did custom work. The satin gown in the top photo simply credits Sak's Fifth Avenue for the design; this tells us in-house designers were hired to create samples of these gowns that eventually were made to order for each bride. Back then a store's rep carried more weight than the designer names they carried. In the end, places like Bergdorf's took kudos for creating a certain 'bridal look'.