Showing posts with label Florence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florence. Show all posts

Saturday, 30 January 2016

A 1940s-style vintage wedding dress for a cool Spring day.

Dear Reader, 
Choosing a vintage wedding dress for an English spring wedding can be a challenge. Of course, it must be gorgeous and glamorous. But it also needs to cover enough skin for our goosebump-inducing climate!
1940s style wedding dress, Florence with long satin sleeves
1940s style wedding dress, Florence, from the Heavenly Collection
Actually, I love winter and spring weddings. They're a great opportunity to wear elegant long sleeves and high necks that may simply be too hot in summer. And with this in mind, I've recently made some updates to the Florence dress from my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses
The original Florence vintage-style wedding dress, with puff sleeves
Vintage wedding dress with long sleeves and keyhole back
1940s style Florence wedding dress – new keyhole back detail.
This lovely new Florence has long satin sleeves, set into beautifully detailed shoulders. And the glamour quota stays high with the addition of a subtly sexy keyhole back – just enough to reveal a glimpse of skin.
1940s style wedding dress - full-length image with long sleeves
Long and elegant, 1940s style Florence wedding dress in silk satin
1940s style wedding dress, from the waist up showing puffed sleeves and v neckline
Puff sleeves and pretty lace detail at neck of 1940s style wedding dress
Florence dress from the Heavenly Collection, bodice and sleeves
And with lace flutter sleeves – 1940s style wedding dress, Florence
I've also introduced a stunning new colour, Sea Pearl – that positively glows in the light of a cold day.
1940s style wedding dress, Florence, with flutter sleeves
Flutter sleeves on 1940s style Florence wedding dress
1940s style wedding dress, Florence - original version
Long and elegant, with simple puffed sleeves: 1940s style wedding dress
A spring cover-up in white feathers over vintage wedding dress
Marabou feather wrap, perfect for a winter or spring vintage-style wedding
Spring and winter weddings also offer a wonderful choice of vintage accessories. Feathers or fur? Winter blooms in icy hues, or freshest spring flowers? The options are so romantic.
Frosted bouquet of pale early spring flowers
Late winter blooms, eucalyptus, pale roses and frosted berries
Perfect over a vintage wedding dress, a feathered wrap or shrug
Swan feather wedding cape – perfect with a vintage wedding dress for spring.
Try a feather wrap like my own above – made from ostrich and marabou. Or this beautiful swan feather wedding cape from Not on the High Street. Or fur is fabulous – whether a real vintage piece or faux if you prefer...
A fur shrug can keep you cosy through a chilly spring wedding day
Fabulous original 1960s fox fur stole
Black and white original vintage photo, marked 1947 on the reverse.
Glamorous vintage bride in faux fur, from a charming 1947 photo!
A cosy faux fur jacket or shrug can also work perfectly with a short-sleeved dress, such as Florence (below) with a lace flutter sleeve. I love the real vintage bride in the photo above – teaming her dress with that super-fabulous faux fur! 
1940s style wedding dress, Florence, with lace flutter sleeves
White fur stole – perfect to keep you warm at a chilly spring wedding.
If you like real fur, you can find wonderful vintage fur wraps and shrugs at Central Park Vintage. Another great place to seek out a fur or faux fur shrug is The Hammersmith Vintage Fair – I am a regular visitor for their great selection of accessories. 
Glorious pale blooms for an early Spring wedding.
And each version of Florence works beautifully with the current vogue for natural accessories. From the beautiful blooms from Brides.com to these stunning nature-inspired headpieces by Abby at Cherished.
Satin sleeves and lace overlay on 1940s inspired wedding dress
Nature-inspired hair accessories complement a vintage wedding dress
As pretty as real snowdrops! Delicate head-pieces for a vintage style wedding.
I am used to seeing beautiful hair accessories, but I've not seen anything quite like these by Abby at Cherished before - they are small works of art and could have been made to go with the Florence dress. (I can't wait to feature more of them very soon!)
Lovely 1940s-inspired Florence wedding dress, from my Heavenly Collection.
I hope my brides and my readers will love the elegant new member of the Florence family, as much as the original puff-sleeved and flutter-sleeved versions! If you'd like to make an appointment to see Florence in person, do contact me!

And I've hope you've enjoyed these ideas for vintage-inspired late winter and early spring weddings! 
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

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Thursday, 22 October 2015

Wedding Dress Trends 2016: The Gospel According to Vogue.

Dear Reader,
This week Vogue Magazine published their guide to bridal trends for 2016 – based on the latest couture collections. 

I'm not sure my clients would agree with all of them – and I'm not giving away my own predictions yet! As always, I'll make mine at the end of this year, based on what my brides are loving and asking for. But it's fun to see these from Vogue, and to give you my take on them…

Wedding Dress Trend 1 – Sweet Nothings
The first trend Vogue noted is for barely there dresses, almost lingerie. This is a very couture look – much easier to carry off on a catwalk than in an English church or a garden reception. Super pretty, though. And very reminiscent of all those slinky 1930s and sultry 1940s dresses
1930s inspired Butterfly wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Original 1940s lace wedding dress from my West London vintage studio.

Wedding Dress Trend 2 – Sparkles
Always in fashion, and rightly so. A generous sprinkling of sparkle appeared on the catwalks for next year, particularly from Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera and Marchesa. A little sparkle has always been one of the delights of vintage wedding dresses, of course. With many of the dresses in my Heavenly Collection, you can choose to add just a little bling… or a lot!
My 1940s style wedding dress, Bette, with its sparkly trim.
Pretty bling: Florence, 1940s style dress from my Heavenly Collection.

Wedding Dress Trend 3 – Knee Length
Shorter dresses made a welcome appearance on the bridal catwalks. But to see this trend at its best, simply look to the 1950s for the most fabulous tea–length wedding dresses…
'Blanche', 1950s style wedding dress, from my Heavenly Collection
Original 1950s 'cupcake' wedding dress from my West London vintage studio.

Wedding Dress Trend 4 – Bare Shoulders
Always popular with so many brides. Yet vintage dresses often take a subtler approach. Think of pretty keyhole openings, lace shoulders or tiny petal sleeves. Every bit as sexy, but a lot more subtle.
Angel, 1930s inspired lace wedding dress: vintage is more subtly sexy.
Original 1950s wedding dress from my West London vintage studio.
1970s off–the–shoulder wedding dress, from my West London vintage studio.

Wedding Dress Trend 5 – Separate Overskirts
A full-length transparent overskirt, cut to reveal a shorter one underneath...? Oh so fashiony! Very modern, a little bit mad, and quite fun – but not exactly a classic look. What do you think?

Wedding Dress Trend 6 – Cream
Ahhhh, beautiful. Now here's one I really can enthuse about – drawing as it does from the softness and romance of vintage wedding fashion. White is lovely too, of course. But cream, blush and ivory are so much more flattering to all skin tones. Often my clients come to me expecting to choose a white wedding dress, but once tried they fall in love with these lovely muted tones. That's why I offer my Heavenly Collection dresses in a range of pretty and flattering shades.
Butterfly, from my Heavenly Collection in a soft ivory.
Florence: a lace wedding dress with toning underslip (Heavenly Collection)

Well done, Vogue – fun predictions and a good showing for vintage styles. What did you think of them? Later this year, you can see how my own predictions match up!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides



Wednesday, 6 May 2015

My vintage inspired wedding dresses are now available in Ireland! Meet lovely Pam of Vintage Bride!

Dear Reader,
Today I'm thrilled to introduce my charming new stockist, Pam of Vintage Bride.

Pam has her own private showroom in Dublin, Ireland. Here she stocks beautiful original vintage dresses and a small range of carefully selected vintage-inspired wedding dresses and accessories... 
My Butterfly 1930s style wedding dress at Vintage Bride's 'Bridal Showcase'
From the moment we met, I knew Pam was the right person to bring my own Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses to Ireland. I'm delighted to announce that Vintage Bride is already stocking my Butterfly and Angel 1930s-style wedding dresses and my Bette 1940s-style dress. 
Butterfly 1930s style wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Angel 1930s inspired wedding dress from the Heavenly Collection
Butterfly 1930s style wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Butterfly 1930s style wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Bette 1940s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Bette 1940s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
In addition, Vintage Brides will soon be stocking my 1940s-inspired Florence and 1960s-style Stella wedding dress...
1940s inspired vintage wedding dress, Florence, with keyhole back
1940s style wedding dress Florence
1940s style Florence wedding dress, elegant lace shoulders
Florence, 1940s style wedding dress with lace flutter sleeves
1940s-style Florence from front, showing lace flutter sleeve version
Stella 1960s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Stella 1960s style lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection
Pam has just organised the first fashion show featuring my dresses. Her 'Bridal Showcase' looks like a wonderfully fun and elegant affair!
My Butterfly dress (right) at the Bridal Showcase
Butterfly (left) at Vintage Bride's Bridal Showcase
If you'd like to contact Pam, you can find her website and Facebook pages here. 
Good luck Pam and Hello Ireland!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

Dress photos with thanks to Robert Lawler Photography
Bridal Showcase photos with thanks to Paul Kelly Studio 3 Photography