royal wedding gallery: July 2010

SEA GREEN

Sometimes adding a bit of a pastel or a clear and light color can add boldness. Check out the flower girls above and the lovely sea foam green sash above . . . stunning. These are beautiful touches for summer, all the shades of green reminding us just how close to nature we always are. . . .Thank you Mi Amor over at Style Circle on SMP for one of the most inspiring board I've ever seen . . .

INSPIRATION FRIDAY

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The Dahlia you brought to our isle

Your praises for ever shall speak:

Mid gardens as sweet as your smile,

And colour as bright as your cheek.

--Sir Godfrey Webster --

REDEFINING THE TRADITIONAL BRIDE

London based designer Kate Edmondson has been creating  wedding  dresses  and  millinery  for  private  clients  for  over 10  years.  Now  combining elements  of  vintage  glamour  with  modern  simplicity,  she's redefining the look of the traditional bride by launching Kate Edmondson Bridal Couture. With  Kate’s  highly  developed drapery  technique and use of  lightweight,  fluid  fabrics, each  dress  is  skillfully  designed  to  enhance  the  bride’s individuality  and  offer  something  fresh  and  different.     Kate’s  bespoke  millinery  is  also  specifically  designed  and hand  made  on  request  at  her  West  London  studio. Each  bridal  hat  or  head piece  is  carefully  considered  to compliment  the  bridal  gown  and l luxury  silk  is  used  to  create  dramatic  shapes  or  simple  flowers  and  feathers. Her  millinery  is  also  available  for  mother‐of‐the‐bride  or  bridesmaids  and  can  be  extended  further  to  create corsages,  hairpieces  and  accessories.   Kate  Edmondson  Bridal  Couture  is  a  fully  bespoke  service  from  the initial  design  process,  to  selecting  the  luxurious  fabric  and  creating  the  finished  bridal  gown.  All  fittings  involve  a  muslin and  are  conducted  with  the  designer  herself  to  achieve  the design  and  cut  which  is  most  flattering  for the  bride.   

GREAT FINDS FROM TALLULAH OPAL

Audrey (Silk flower hair comb set of 2)

It's the small touches that count and having beautiful creations around on your wedding day is so important. Tallulah Opal's handmade florals are simply stunning and come in a variety of accessories: hair clips, tie belts and lapel pins to name just a few. All items in her Etsy shop are made by hand and she has sourced everywhere for the highest quality supplies she could find to assemble her quality products. She is, as she says, "inspired by vintage style and I try to reflect that in my work. . . ."

Penny (Silk flower Hair clip)

she has sourced everywhere for the highest quality supplies she could find to assemble her quality products. She is, as she says, "inspired by vintage style and I try to reflect that in my work. . . ."

Penelope (Flower Hair Veil)

Madison (Silk flower hair comb)

Florence Sash

Yumi Katsura wedding dress

VIA

2010 New Wedding Dress

VIA

UPCYCLED DESIGN FOR BRIDES AND MAIDS

Remember the kind of slip Elizabeth Taylor wore in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? Once upon a time these were commonly known as full slips and no woman was properly dressed unless she was wearing one underneath her dress. Fast forward some forty years and eco-conscious Amanda Rose of Amanda Rose Bridal in Palm Bay, Florida collects these tossed and forgotten pieces of vintage lingerie and turns them into the treasures you see here. Adding dying to the process and many different laces she's collected, she's found creative ways of reusing material to create absolutely beautiful things....

Pretty maids all in a row. Mixed laces with ribbons and handmade florals. These are dresses your maids will certainly wear after the wedding . . .

Layers of ruffled vintage and recycled fabrics and laces... topped off with a beautiful sash of handmade roses. Perfect for a party dress, bridesmaid dress, or just because. Looks great with cowboy boots, flip flops or barefoot... use your imagination..

Lacey vintage slip overlaid with vintage chiffon and lace... topped off with a beautiful handmade rose at the hip.... so sweet and feminine. Perfect as a rehearsal dinner dress, beach wedding dress, bridesmaids' dress, reception dress or just because you can.....

BABY DOLL CHIC

The baby doll dress is either empire or natural waisted with a full skirt and short hemline. Always youthful, the look evokes images of the light-hearted playfulness of youth. These styles by Icesumeimaking are perfect examples of the Mod-look London helped create in the swinging 1960s. While all dresses sporting mini length were revolutionary back then, forty-some years later the mini is part of mainstream bridal wear, tallied up as another great option you have on your wedding day.

VINTAGE SUMMER

Days of summer offer the perfect time to reflect and dream. These accessories are just the touches that remind us of that period between Gatsby and Art Deco. Thank you Bargain Hoot for your labor of love in putting together and sharing this board with us all . . .

Best Strapless Wedding Dress

VIA

YELLOW AND NAVY BLISS

Welcome to a sunny and bright summer with warm yellow and crisp navy. From the textures of seersucker to things from the earth like lemon and sunflowers, this truly is a complimentary combo. A big thank you to Amanda over at Style Circle on SMP for creating this inspiration . . .

Best Wedding Dress

VIA

1970s-80S PRAIRIE REVIVAL PART 2

Laura Ashley 1983

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While Jessica McClintock revived the Prairie Gown with her Gunne Sax line in the seventies, the more haute couture versions of Prairie came to us through the stunning creations of British designer, Laura Ashley. She used finer imported cottons and voiles and in the images above and below we can see perfect examples of this look at it's best. Vintage elements were really brought out in the accessories like the straw hat and crochet gloves below.

Laura Ashley 1986

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Today there is very little in the Prairie look that has survived except for the fact the dresses remain to-the-floor and in cotton. Contemporary brides find the high collars restricting and with all the added ruffles and laces, the overall look rather babyish. In the photos above and below, certain elements of Prairie Revival are updated for today's bride who has embraced it as a vintage look . . .I for one love the intricate srips of lace running vertically and horizontally all over the blouse and skirts. Dresses like these are the perfect opportunity to wear the best imported cottons you can find.

The Prairie look updated circa 2010

Photos by Berit New York

SeaJae - Cirque Studios

THE PRAIRIE GOWN REVIVAL PART 1

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The Prairie gown is also known as the maxi or hippie dress. I call them hostess gowns because their latest revival comes from the laid-back home entertaining crowd here on the West Coast embracing this casual but chic look. Prairie gowns initially were introduced in the late 60s early 70s era and sported a totally different look than the contemporary gown today. Designer Jessica McClintock took elements from prairie looks such as pinafores, eyelet cottons, high collars and made the name Gunne Sax synonymous with a laid-back country look. Fast forward thirty some years and these gowns are still long, to-the-floor and in cotton eyelet but are sleeveless and have lower necklines. Lately gowns like the ones above have showed up around resorts and resort climates, eventually moving out onto the streets and into bridal wear. For the more casual or backyard wedding they're popular in eco-chic fibers like linen and cotton. I’m even finding some in vintage stores online offered up as hippie or boho gowns.

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Here's a look at some Prairie gowns from the initial 1970s revival.

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Early Jessica McClintock for Gunne Sax about 1974.

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And guess who sported the Prairie look on her wedding day October 11, 1975 . . . .? Not a very clear picture of Hillary and Bill I know but she looks very chic for her time . . .

Sell Brand New Wedding Dress

VIA

ACCESS

Wedding........by yumy by Yumy (Plz join in my new group) featuring Vivienne Westwood Gold Label dresses

Vivienne Westwood is still doing variations on the Sex and the City Wedding Dress that took the fashion world by storm a couple years back. With the same strapless peaked sweetheart neckline, this updated version of Champagne silk has a satin bustier with built-in corset. Has a full puff skirt with asymmetric hem, a zip fastening on back and comes with a silk faille underskirt. 100% silk. Dry clean.

$9,875 - net-a-porter.com