Tailoring for Women

I opened the Financial Times this weekend to a splash of advertisements for engagement and wedding rings, although for me none as elegant as this stunning example from Lucie Campbell in Bond Street.

Despite the Arctic conditions here in London, minds are turning to warmer thoughts and spring nuptials. I have  completed two weddings so far this year, with a third underway and still more around the corner.  As we were laying out each garment it occurred to me that there are some common issues that might be worth bearing in mind as you start the planning process.

So, here are ten thoughts, in no particular order,  that will help to reduce your stress levels and preserve the bank balance as the day draws near:

1. It is not necessary to purchase large quantities of expensive fabric.  Simply designed dresses can be transformed with hints of more exquisite fabrics such as beaded silks, embroidery, or devoré.
2. Choose cloth as early in the proceedings as possible, and also plan the fitting schedule well in advance.  Time flies, and if fabric stocks are limited your selected cloth could be snapped up.  Fortunately,  suppliers will often reserve lengths of fabric against a deposit whilst you decide on the design, and the pattern is cut.
3. Remember to include your intended jewellery in the discussion.  Bodices can be shaped to show a necklace off to better effect, brooches can be secured to protect the dress fabric, and a headress can be fashioned around an existing tiara.
4. Plan the undergarments with your designer.  They will be integral to the final design, so remember to bring them to your fittings.  I am pleased to be able to send my clients to Rigby & Peller.
5. Don’t leave your choice of shoes to the last minute.  You will need them at the final fittings for a perfect hemline.  Also, it can take weeks if they need to be dyed.  Make sure to wear them a few times before the day arrives, you may be grateful when it comes to the last waltz!
6. I have attended many a wedding where there have been accidents as a hem was caught on a heel or a garment gets unexpectedly snagged.  Make sure you have a small sewing kit to hand, including safety pins.
7. Don’t leave the men out of the planning.  Often ideas for co-ordinating their garments or accessories come too late in the day to be able to take effective action.  Waistcoats, bow ties, pocket squares, cravats, braces and buttonholes; all can lend a unifying feel to the bridal party.
8. Clients sometimes ask me to remodel or recondition vintage pieces, or perhaps refurbish a wedding dress worn by their mother.  This is achievable and often gives an added poignancy to an event, but be prepared for specialist alteration work which can be extensive.  Depending upon how the garment has been cared for this can prove a costly exercise particularly if special fabrics, beads, fastenings or trimmings need to be sourced and applied.
9. Think ahead and consider how any garments might be merged into your regular wardrobe after the wedding.  Shawls and jackets can be used as staple garments after the event, shoes can be re-coloured, and dresses can be re-cut or re-dyed.
10. Finally, don’t forget the last minute extras - garter, head dress, gloves, shawl or jacket, or a second outfit for the reception.

Good Luck!

Photo: thanks to Lucie Campbell, New Bond Street, London

At the moment we are working on a January wedding to be celebrated in St Mary’s, just off London’s Cadogan Square.  I really enjoy these commissions because it brings a true sense of theatre to our work place. The bride, a daughter of one of the curators at the Victoria & Albert Museum, has chosen to ammend the dress worn by her mother at her own wedding. We are now at the consultancy stage with a set of designs for the bride and her 6 attendents. A large part of this is to develop an understanding of the psychology of the client, going deep down into their initial thoughts in order to help their ideas spring to life.

In part this means organizing a collection of images and items from magazines, art galleries, fashion books, the internet, and even family memorabilia. Listening to the client’s input is so very fascinating when finding a direction for the brief - I remember one client who presented me with one of their favourite poems along with a set of colour swatches! We also arrange trips to visit some of my favourite fabric suppliers such as Joel & Son, Broadwick Silks or MacCulloch & Wallis. All of this helps to create a story around what is one of the most important moments in a person’s life.

This project has prompted me to reflect on some of the practical matters and mystique that lies behind the creation of these iconic pieces.

The first thing to emphasise is that each bridal piece is a ‘one-off’; not only in the fundamental design, but in how it is realised. It can’t ever be part of a conventional manufacturing process. It demands a high degree of originality (and invention !) which is is in no small part driven by the fact that it is also a showcase for the bride to demonstrate her own sense of style. And as the stitches add up the garment starts almost to take on a life of its own, and it can become increasingly temperamental and demanding as the process unfolds.

You need a different level of confidence when working with these types of garments and one develops a focus which has to block out other distractions. This is one reason why I plan to use off-peak hours for the more intricate design elements. These are high risk undertakings particularly as one reaches the final stages.  Why is it that that a garment always seem to become vulnerable to a ‘crimson ambush’ from a pricked finger particularly when you are doing the final hand ‘felling’, and always when the fabric is white! Between final finish and delivery the creation may even demand it own private space, and indeed it should, to protect everyone’s precious investment.

We are finding increasingly too that having committed to the investment, clients don’t just want to create a piece that will end up in an attic box.  They now are ask us for something that will merge into their wardrobes in a practical way.  This may mean building in the possibility for re-purposing it into a piece of day or cocktail wear, which in turn adds another layer of complexity to the pre-planning stages.  I can see the trend in bridal wear continuing towards the use of simpler, more tailored dresses or suits which are then supplemented with bespoke jewellery or accessories.  This does steer more towards our particular forte, the business suit, although working on these special occasion garments makes me appreciate just how complex and extensive the arena is for dressing women.  One that requires a correspondingly high level of diverse and creative skills.

Photo: thanks to Ronsho from Flickr.com (With CCL)