The Heirloom

The Heirloom

Meeting my ‘bride to be’ in a coffee shop, I was presented with a family heirloom, her mother’s wedding dress. The condition was amazing and the gown had obviously been lovingly and neatly packed away, now ready to be passed on to her daughter. One thing I immediately noticed was how white the fabric was, remarkable considering its age but also indicative of the era. White dresses are seeing a comeback but for many years ivory has been the preferred choice, or the fashion offered by bridal shops.

Some might say ivory is an easier shade to wear, not always the case… So first of all I needed to cut up mother’s dress - Scary! I felt I would like to ask her permission, and fortunately mum came with daughter for the initial consultation. She happily gave her consent and the process began.

We needed to redesign this precious gown for its new owner, we retained the medium weight crepe and then added beautiful texture by sourcing pure white lace. With a trip to London and a few enquiries I finally found the perfect piece. Traditional enough to honour the past, modern enough for todays bride. Fortunately there was quite a bit of fullness in the skirt, (originally worn with an under skirt) I updated this to create a smooth slim silhouette with a pleated back detail and train. The top half was re-cut to make a pretty, fitted, boned bodice, on which was laid the delicate lace top.

Finally covered buttons and loops fastened the centre back. Pretty much every bit of the original dress was used and a new elegant wedding gown was created. After the first meeting, it was agreed that mum would wait until the day of the wedding to see her daughter, and I think this picture speaks for itself.

Every dress I make is unique and often there is a beautiful story to go with it.

The finished gown