INSPIRATIONS FROM THE CLIENT'S BOOK

Above is my blue book, page after page of renderings I keep each year for custom clients who have the courage and faith to develop the most important dress of their life from ground zero.  This handful of brides don't order from my existing collection but create a design from what's in their head. Boy, it takes a lot of trust to build a dress from scratch especially if you know zilch about fabric, silhouette, yada, yada, yada . . . which most of my brides can cop to.  Today I open up the books and salute all my one-of-a-kind brides through the year who trusted my expertise to bring their vision to life . . .

Above: We tracked down this embroidered silk dupioni in London for the bodice of Zoe's dress.  So gorgeous is the slightly dropped waist!  The full skirt is layers and yards of tulle.  I sometimes fall so much in love with the dresses that I put them into the collection with my own interpretations.  This designer's version will either sport a train or fall just above the ankles a la 1950s

Above: Elvie wanted a close-fitting all over lace dress that was simple in design sans a train (she wanted to move freely about on her wedding day).  She added drama and made up for the train with a single layer cathedral veil for the ceremony with a 5-foot extension . . . . .  

Above: Another all over lace dress only once the muslin test pattern was done Katie found this great eyelet and we swapped out the lace. Most of the work that went into making this dress truly couture was the handmade belt out of Schiffli lace cut outs, pearls and intricate bead work.   And look at me gilding up the lily with accessories!!! Suffice it to say, she didn't wear the hat and gloves.  A shorter fly away veil topped off her look beautifully.

Above: Alicia had an Autumn in NYC wedding, nups at sunset in a loft/art gallery/restaurant so we wanted to play up the cocktail wedding theme. She ended up going pretty much 1940s chic with her evening gown silhouette.  The bodice was pieced Alencon laces, part of my lace stash she couldn't pass up

(shown below).  The head piece changed a little from the pleats shown above to more of a netted cage pouf.

Above: When Dana came to me with this 20s-30s tango/flamenco idea I had only to show her I'd created something pretty close a few years back in red about 20-inches shorter.  Yes,  she wanted to dance at her wedding so she came to the right designer--who not only danced at her own wedding but comes from a ballroom dance background so I know how fabrics and certain styles are going to move.  We used ivory chiffon backed with a crepe and lined it in silk charmeuse.  I told her, "When you line a dress in silk charm, you'll never take it off. . . .". The ruffles are on the bias so with the weight of the crepe they have  an elegant float about them. 

Above: Another Autumn wedding (last week), this dress in silk crepe and chiffon is a gem of many, many, many yards of  fabrics so light, there's no bulk in spite of the multitude of pleats in the bodice.  Katie--I had two Katies this year--said she initially came to me because she couldn't find anything in the shops or online she thought was sophisticated enough to say 'bride' without shouting MOB!!!!