Vintage-Style Wedding Dress by Alexander McQueen – our Friday Inspiration.

Dear Reader,
The V&A Fashion department's spectacular Alexander McQueen show, Museum of Savage Beauty, is now in its third week and garnering rave reviews. This vintage-inspired wedding dress showcases all his couture skills and includes so many of my favourite features...

High neck...? Check. Head to toe ivory lace...? Check. Long sleeves...? Check. Absolutely beautiful...? Check check check!

The fairytale styling in this picture is amazing, but the dress itself is remarkably beautiful and wearable. (Ok, it probably costs about a million pounds too!) The exhibition continues until 2 August. 

Enjoy the long Easter weekend!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

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Introducing new DOROTHY, 1940s wedding dress in fine Chantilly lace.

Dear Reader,
Ah, September, and back to school for us all... I hope you enjoyed a delightful Summer. I've saved up something rather special to show you for the new season: My new 1940s-inspired lace wedding dress. Ta-dah, here she is..!

...As you may remember, I'm loving all things 1940s at the moment. (I'll be doing a little round-up later this week, just to remind you!) And so, I've updated my Dorothy wedding dress with some gorgeous 1940s-inspired details...

The original Dorothy is so so pretty, with its fitted bodice, A-line skirt and lace overlay. It's a very flattering and elongating combination, and always a popular style with my girls...

This classic, flattering silhouette lends itself very well to more sophisticated and glamorous 1940s styling. For the new dress, we've added long elegant sleeves and a chic V-neck - giving a very different feel... 

Perhaps you've already noticed the gorgeous Chantilly lace we've used for the new dress? It's wonderful quality - very fine. And it has a beautiful border, which makes a stunning feature on the sleeves and the base of the skirt... 

The V-neckline is finished with a delicate French lace trim too. And the full-length skirt dips slightly at the back, giving just a whisper of a train.

For the lining, we've chosen a pale apricot/champagne silk. This colour gives the dress a warm and flattering glow, perfect for pale English Rose complexions. And it looks equally beautiful in the classical ivory silk option.

We're delighted with our new movie-star-glamorous dress. I hope you love her too. Dorothy is available now, priced £1595 with apricot silk lining, or £1495 with ivory silk. 

If you like Dorothy and would like to see more vintage-style wedding dresses, do check here. And I always have many fabulous original vintage 1940s and 1950s dresses here. 

And of course, I'd love to see you in person just contact me to discuss your needs!

Meanwhile, thanks for looking - and see you later this week.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

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Edwardian lace wedding dresses: two rare original beauties

Dear Reader

As I mentioned last week in my post on Edwardian flower crowns, I've just photographed these wonderful Edwardian dresses which are new to my collection. You are the first to see them!

Edwardian wedding dress 1.

Edwardian wedding dress 2.

I was thrilled to find these dresses, as original Edwardian gowns are now very rare, particularly in such fine condition. These gowns are each 100 years old! They've lasted so well as both are made from cotton - a lovely strong fibre that has many years of life left in it. And with the popularity of Downton Abbey, Edwardian wedding dresses are very much back in fashion. 

EDWARDIAN DRESS 1

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s under slip), price £1350

Dress 1, pictured here, is a wonderful old-fashioned deep cream colour which used to be known by the French name 'ecru'. It is made in a charming mix of lace styles, all hand-dyed using natural dyes - most probably tea.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1350

In Edwardian times, the dress would have been worn with a whale bone corset, a bodice and petticoat underneath. Here, I have matched it with an original 1930s satin petticoat - a beautiful garment in its own right.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1350

The Edwardian bride it was made for had a 23 or 24 inch waist. But my clever seamstresses have invisibly adapted it to fit a modern 26in waist.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1350

This lovely dress is currently available from my West London studio, priced at £1350 (inclusive of 1930s satin slip).

EDWARDIAN DRESS 2

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

Dress 2 is a similarly classic Edwardian style, again using a variety of cotton lace styles. The colour this time is a purer white.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

Again, the dress would originally be worn with more complicated undergarments, but I have teamed it with a simple and elegant 1930s satin slip, which gives a lovely warm hint of shine under the lace dress. The white lace is perfectly complemented by a delicate ballet pink silk ribbon tie.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

This dress also was originally made with a 23 or 24 inch waist and has been cleverly and invisibly adapted to fit a 26 inch waist.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

Dress 2 is available now in my West London studio, priced at £1250 including the lovely original 1930s slip. Just email or call to book an appointment if you'd like to see these or any others from my extensive collection of around seventy original vintage wedding dresses. (Some of my original dresses can be found here on the blog.)

As I mentioned in my post last week, I've complemented the dresses with an original Edwardian flower circlet - brought to life by the addition of fresh greenery. I hope you agree that the dresses, and circlet, are each so delicate and beautiful.

A big thank you to Robert Lawler Photography for the images. And - as always - thank you for dropping by today! Hope to see you again soon.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

All photographs c. 
Robert Lawler Photography

www.robertlawler.co.uk

Ali, in her beautiful 1950s vintage wedding dress

Dear Reader

Today's real vintage bride is Ali, who chose this beautiful 1950s dress for her wedding.

Like so many of the best 1950s and 1960s wedding dresses, this chic and simple gown was inspired by Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding dress. (Many wonderful photos of that iconic wedding can be seen here.)

With its very fitted bodice, elegant lace sleeves and boat neckline, the dress suited Ali's lovely neat figure so perfectly. And in Ali's own words,

"I adored the dress. I felt amazing in it, and my husband loved it!"

I have two or three beautiful examples of this style in my collection of original vintage wedding dresses at my West London studio. Do contact me if you'd like to come and visit.

Thanks for dropping by today.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

On my vintage wedding blog today... TWO vintage wedding dresses for delightful Leah!

Dear Reader,

If you visit my vintage wedding blog often, you may remember I promised to feature lovely real vintage bride, Leah... 

Leah married Tommy in an amazing Tudor barn in Eltham, London. And for her perfect day she chose not one, but two vintage wedding dresses from me! 

The first was this stunning full-length 1930s lace wedding dress lace and cape. The sash we chose to complement it is made from gorgeous vintage 1940s satin ribbon. Leah wore this 1930s dress for the ceremony and the early part of the day.

Leah describes the emotional moment when she found her dress,

"I love vintage, and I knew I wanted lace, so I tried on all the lace dresses Helena had. This one stood out because once the sash and cape were put on it became unique and didn’t look like an ordinary dress. 

My mum and my bridesmaids all cried when I put it on - so that’s when we knew!"

Leah's second choice was a wonderful late 1930s satin wedding dress. Leah had loved this dress at my studio too, and in the end decided to take both. 

Although it's quite unusual, some brides do choose two wedding dresses - one for daytime and one for evening. One of my brides actually bought three vintage wedding dresses: a 1930s satin dress with Cathedral length train for the ceremony, a 1950s lace cocktail dress for the dinner, and an 80s ra-ra dress for dancing! 

Leah's second dress was tea length - perfect for dancing! As Leah shows when they hit the floor for David Bowie's 'Let's Dance'...

Here are lots more inspiring images of Leah and Tommy's wonderful Tudor barn wedding. And there's a full feature on the great wedding blog LoveMyDress - do check it out. 

 

Thanks for dropping by today.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Leah and Tommy married in the historic Tudor Barn in Eltham

Leah's hair and make-up were by Lawrence from Pimps and Pinups

She danced to David Bowie in shoes by Rainbow club

And sparkled in accessories by John Lewis

Tommy was dressed by Ralph Lauren

And the lovely 1950s-inspired bridesmaids dresses were by Vivien of Holloway  

With flowers by Joanna Marriott

And all photographs with thanks to Sophie Mutevelian

Our first real vintage bride of 2014: a vintage-style lace wedding dress for textile designer Jennifer.

Dear Reader

For our first real vintage wedding post this year, I have some lovely pictures from Jennifer, who married Neil in Ireland last summer.

Beautiful Jennifer was the first bride to wear 'Butterfly', one of my Heavenly collection of vintage-style wedding dresses. I was delighted she was the first to choose this new dress as Jennifer is herself a textile designer, and really appreciates exquisite fabrics. 

I based 'Butterfly' on an original 1930s gown (you can see more images of it here) and knew I wanted a very special and old-fashioned lace for it. 

I had heard about two brothers based in Nottingham - the heart of traditional English lace-making - where they continue their grandfather's business making the finest quality old-fashioned lace. I had been searching for the perfect material for some time, so off I went to visit them in Nottingham. The brothers were charming, and I immediately fell in love with two patterns from their original catalogue. These vintage lace patterns had not been in production for many years, but they agreed to recreate them exclusively for my Heavenly collection.

The lace is a particular type which used to be called 'English Net'. It is very similar to the lace originally used in 1930s wedding dresses. It seems so fitting for lovely Jennifer. She looked simply stunning in the dress, and her own creative business is all about beautiful, old fashioned, hand-finished crafts. As Jennifer says so eloquently,

“I appreciate pieces that have survived the test of time. My work is a celebration of the everyday heirloom.”

Jennifer creates her own lovely textiles from her studio in Dublin, see below. You can see more on her facebook page here, and her website, here.

I asked Jennifer if she had any reflections on her wedding planning to share, 

"My tip to other brides is to keep things simple and focus on what is most important to you and your fiance on the day. Don't get stressed trying to create the perfect day because it will be perfect. We wanted a relaxed party with great music, food and vino, I didn't worry about the little details after that. 

 I wasn't your typical bride to be and didn't love the idea of dress shopping and make up and hair trials. When I arrived at Heavenly Vintage Brides I felt so at home. I tried on some of the beautiful vintage wedding dresses before Helena picked a dress out from her new collection and I fell in love with it.

 I loved my dress on the day, it was comfortable and elegant and felt so special."

I'll sign off, with these happy images of Jennifer and Neil's wonderful relaxed Irish wedding.

Thanks for visiting today.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

http://www.jenniferslatterytextiles.com  

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferSlatteryTextiles