Many of you may have seen this particular creation as a work in progress in our boutique over the summer and it is definitely a talking point, so we thought we would share the creation of this bespoke bridal gown and the journey we took with the beautiful Tamar.
Tamar visited us early in 2017 after we met at a wedding fair in Birmingham and Tamar fell in love with our quite dramatic Marigold Lace cape. So... how did we evolve Tamar's ideas from this cape to her unique bespoke gown?
Tamar collated quite a portfolio of images, fabric samples and ideas which she brought with her to the boutique so we could start to pull together these different strands into her perfect gown.
The key element was that whatever her gown, Tamar wanted to be bright and dramatic for her day look but needed to transform for the evening so she could wear her lace cape!
As many of you who have had worked with us on your bespoke gowns know, I like to maintain themes from day to evening. Why have two different dresses when we can make your gown work from day to night? So, with this in mind, George and I started to pull together the elements that Tamar loved and decided to create a gown under a gown to make Tamars' transformation simple and comfortable so she could enjoy every moment of her wedding day.
Tamar had sourced some incredible materials and there was a definite theme of bird motifs, bright pinks and teal colours that she wanted to incorporate into her gown. Tamar also wanted to keep an antique and steampunk feel to her gown alongside the theatrical and artistic. We decided to incorporate these elements through using a mix of laces, the individual motifs from the fabrics she loved and adding 3-D elements in the form of beading, buttons & brooches. So Tamar went off to start collecting brooches from anywhere she could find them while George and I started on part two of her gown.
Tamar is a confident 'corset wearer' and managed to get a plain silk SparkleWren corset from her sample sale which she brought to us to transform.
One element we needed to consider, was that Tamars' cape worked with a slinkier, fitted silhouette, but she did want a full skirt for her day look. With this in mind, we created a bias cut skirt in patterned, crushed satin which pulled in the antique gold and ivory colours we had focused on in Tamar's corset and would also be a comfortable yet elegant finish to her night ensemble.
The final piece of the puzzle is the piece that many of you may remember! Tamar wanted a very theatrical, restoration inspired skirt for her day look and had sourced a range of different materials, many of which were quite heavy upholstery fabrics. My concern with the size of the train that Tamar wanted and the materials she had chosen, was the weight of the skirt if she wore this over the more traditional layers of net. I decided to take inspiration from the Victorians and my theatrical costume background. We opted for creating a crinoline from corset steels that would create the full silhouette Tamar wanted, without having to have layers of underskirts to support this.
This frame could then be overlaid with pieces of the materials Tamar had chosen to create the layered, decadent effect without having to use excessive amounts of materials. The frame was wrapped in champagne satin ribbon so it would compliment the satin skirt beneath. This frame also provided the support we needed for the brooches that would finish off the skirt, while allowing us to have a swept back effect, revealing the skirt beneath.
To lift the skirt a little, we added ivory silk organza flowers to the outside of the skirt which we first dip dyed to give them a more antique feel. George then hand beaded inside each of these flowers with teal coloured beads for an extra bit of sparkle.
The final detail was the train. We decided to feature one of the fabrics as the main focus of the skirt and created a full bustle and long train from lengths of this material. For those of you who have been to our little boutique, this train was quite a show stopper, filling most the shop when laid out!
We were thrilled when Tamar arrived with her Irregular Choice 'I Love You' shoes with a twist. Tamars' friend Jenny had painstakingly remodelled the heels to become a miniature Tamar & Mick. Our design being immortalised in a pair of shoes!
Tamar even used motifs cut from wedding dress fabric to create her beautiful, handmade invitations, which we were thrilled to receive!
Tamar & Mick were wed on the 2 September this year and their fantastic day was captured brilliantly by Jem's Photography and I hope you will agree, this is one very special and perfect dress for this unique bride!
