Well you might not be a size 14 now, but in the land of yesteryear, you probably were. As we’re getting bigger, so are dress sizes. So don’t worry, you’re not the first woman to see a size 14 dress in a vintage shop and try it on thinking it will be huge and the zip only just does up. A 1950′s size 14 is about a size 10 in 21st century sizing.

It’s always said that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16. Well she was, but in today’s sizes she would be about a size 12. So about average compared to women today.

But of course don’t forget, those dresses from the forties and fifties were worn by women just after the war, where food was a little more scarce than it is today!

So don’t be despondent if you can’t find a vintage dress to fit, most women today struggle to squeeze into them. A lot of dresses can be made bigger, or failing that, get a dress made in a vintage style.

The Vintage Wedding Fair in Chiswick at the town hall on 13^th May is a good place to start your search.

I’ve always said I think it’s crazy how so many brides to be are so desperate to loose so much weight for their big day.

Ok, so a few pounds, a bit of toning up, and maybe sucky in underwear, that’s all understandable. We all want to look our best when all eyes are on us, and photo’s are being taken to remind us of the day forever. But where should we draw the line?

My thoughts are, the day is about the two people getting married, and a few inches of extra girth around the middle are really not going to make that person love you any more, which is, after all, the reason why you are there in that dress. A few less pounds are not going to make the marriage last longer – unless of course you’re marrying an idiot! – and I certainly hope that’s not the case!

Your friends and family don’t love you more if you’re a bit skinnier, do you care about the size of your friends bottom!

What just shocked me is the article I just read about the lengths some women go to, to fit into a smaller dress. A feeding tube in the nose – is this article for real! Read it yourself, and I hope you’ll agree with me that it’s a few steps too far!!

http://gma.yahoo.com/k-e-diet-brides-using-feeding-tubes-rapidly-080053646–abc-news-health.html

Thanks to @TheWeddingView and @Drudge_Report for posting this article on Twitter – it was a very interesting read.

I wonder if Vintage is ever going to go out of fashion for weddings, it’s popularity just seems to grow every year, which is fine with me, because I love it.

A large number of the dresses I make are vintage in style, from the beautiful flowing drape of the thirties, to the big underskirts of the fifties, and the simpler silhouette of the sixties. (I’m still waiting to be commissioned to make a crazy seventies ‘Margot’ style dress!)

So whether you’re thinking Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy….. the list is endless, so much inspiration often makes it hard to choose what ‘The Dress’ is going to look like.

If you’re thinking of a vintage style for your wedding dress, or just love vintage and like to have a good snoop around, why not come and meet me, and plenty of other great vintage lovers at The Vintage Wedding Fair in Chiswick on 13th May. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! If it’s anything like the last time, it’ll be very busy, so you might want to get there early to have plenty of time to look around.

For any vintage lover who’s getting married – don’t miss it! (there are other locations if you’re too far) – check out their website  http://www.vintageweddingfair.co.uk/London.html

My last blog was about the photo shoot my brilliant team and I did in Crane Park in Whitton a couple of weeks ago.

I’m so pleased with the results, and can do nothing but sing the praises of both Richard Church, who captured the day perfecty, and Denise Payne of Syzygy who did such a fantastic job of Charlottes hair.

Please get in touch with me for their details if you’re looking for a photographer or hairdresser.

Now I’ll shut up and let the photo’s do the talking………….

It’s always exciting when new samples are finished, and ready to be shown to the world, but getting the perfect photographs to capture them is not as easy as it looks. To bring across the style of the dress, and it’s personality in a photo isn’t easy, unless of course you have the right people on board to help you.

Last Sunday, on an unusually sunny and warm February afternoon, excellent photographer Richard Church did exactly what I wanted, and captured the personality of the dresses. A bright ivory dressed bride standing out perfectly against the dull wintery landscape of Crane Park in Whitton.

Charlotte Chibani who modelled the dresses is extremely pretty, but without the right attention to detail, even the best looking model might not look their best in a photo, so thank goodness for Denise Payne of Syzygy in Hampton, who understood straight away the look we wanted for the shoot, and she transformed Charlotte’s straight long hair into a glamorous fifties inspired curly do. She did exactly what I wanted, keeping Charlotte’s hair natural, and beautiful, she made it look effortless! (It’s well worth speaking to Denise for your own wedding hair!)

The look was finished off with some fabulous costume jewellery, lent to me by jewellery designer Fi Greenwood, who makes beautiful and unusual bridal tiara’s, necklaces and bracelets.

I can’t believe how well it all came together, and am so grateful to everyone who made it happen. Here’s a photo of the shoot taking place, and of course the photo’s will be published as soon as I receive them. I just can’t wait to see the finished results now!

I always thought it was a common thing for women to have body issues, but since making bespoke dresses, and working closely with women and their bodies, it’s made me realise that it’s more common than I thought.

The list is endless, from bingo wings to fat calves, small boobs to big bums, and endless other issues we have.

It’s almost like a guessing game, what body part will they not like? I see countless women, who to me look totally normal, they then tell me what they don’t like about themselves, and I have to say, most of the time I wonder what they are even looking at.

We’ve all seen Bridget Jones in her big ‘hold me in’ knickers, and maybe like me, you looked at her in the film and thought how she had a great figure, and what was all the fuss about. Well, I see many women, much smaller than her, wearing this same uncomfortable underwear, to stop that wobble.

I don’t have a perfect body, and like other women, I have my own issues. Bingo wings, a belly that sticks out, and what has been described as a bottom you could rest your pint on. However, since doing this job, my confidence with my body has changed, as I now realise that nobody else seems to be happy, so maybe I’m exaggerating how I look, just as I think many other women are!

I just think, we look in the mirror and analyse our bodies far too much. If you saw a friend in a bikini, and she had your body, would you be anywhere near as critical. But most of all, do you choose your friends by how wobbly or big or small they are. Of course you don’t, so treat the way you look as you would a friend, look in the mirror and tell yourself you look great today.

Just make the most of what you have, wear clothes that flatter your natural shape, and just stop worrying about what people will think when they look at you.

What do you do when you’re planning your wedding, and you want a fabulous dress, but your budget means you can’t spend a fortune.

A traditional dress in a bridal shop is generally at least £1000, and often quite a bit more than this, depending on which designer label you opt for. But what if your budget is more like half this amount!

There are a few options if you want to get a less expensive dress, and a few things to avoid, my advise is:

Do:

Have a look on Ebay and specialist second hand bridal websites, quite often brides decide to sell their dress after their wedding, and you can find yourself a real bargain! I have altered quite a few second hand dresses, and they generally look as good as new. You can sometimes pay around 1/3 of the retail price, and often get dresses that are still selling full price in the shops.

Go to sample sales. The sample dresses cost a fraction of the cost of a new dress. If you’re near enough the right size, with a good clean, and maybe a few alterations the dress will look as good as any brand new one. Nobody would ever know the difference, and you’ve saved yourself a fortune!

Buy a basic wedding dress from somewhere cheaper like BHS who offer a nice, and very affordable bridal collection, and then embellish your dress yourself. If you’re quite creative, or with the help from a friend who is, a bit of lace, or a bit of sparkle added to a really plain dress can look fantastic, and that way you have your very own unique design too.

Keep it simple. There’s no need to have a highly embellished dress with yards of fabric, just go for something simple and elegant, which will come with a lower price tag, then accessorise it with fab jewellery and shoes that you can wear again, that way it won’t seem such an extravagance.

Don’t:

There are lots of websites offering very cheap dresses, which are made in China and look great on the photo’s on their websites. Be very careful, some of them are OK, but I’ve seen a few that people have asked me to rescue, which have been terrible. Wonky stitching and static fabric are quite normal with these budget dresses!!

Don’t buy a size 12 sample if you’re a size 16, the shop assistant might convince you it looks OK and you can let the seams out, but it’s not always the case. Some designs do mean it’s possible to make them bigger, but I’ve had some very disappointed customers who have been sold dresses that are just not able to be altered this much without looking strange!

Don’t buy a dress that’s the best of a bad bunch, just because it’s cheap and you haven’t found anything better yet. Every woman should feel really happy on their wedding day, and you won’t if you’re wearing something you don’t like. You will find a way of getting your dream dress, just be patient and creative.

The pressure to get the perfect wedding dress can be immense.

Here’s my top 10 things to consider when choosing your wedding dress.

1. Cost – Dresses vary so much in cost, from as little as £150 up to thousands, the sky’s the limit. I would recommend deciding on your budget before looking, and sticking to it. It’s easy to go over your original plan. And just remember, it is just a dress after all, and you are only going to wear it once. So if you’d rather spend your budget on a honeymoon, or a deposit for a house, it might be worth keeping the dress budget down.

2. Traditional or Personal – When you think about your wedding day, do you picture yourself in a traditional ivory gown, with a big skirt and veil, or do you see yourself in something a bit more personal. I really think it’s important that you wear what you really love on your wedding day, not what you think people will expect to see. So if traditional is your thing, why not start by looking through some bridal magazines. If you’d prefer something more personal, think about your favourite films, or red carpet dresses you’ve loved, it’s a great place to start.

3. Wedding style – Is your wedding very formal or a bit more casual. The venue can change your idea’s of a dress. A big cathedral would suit a very classic dress, whereas if you’re getting married outside, abroad, or in a barn, you might want something more relaxed. Just have a think about what styles and fabrics would suit your venue, and the weather you are likely to have.

4. If you’re getting married a long way away, and have to transport the dress on a train, plane or automobile, it would be well worth seeing what facilities you will have to iron or steam your dress when you get there. If it’s going to be really tricky, I’d recommend making sure you choose a dress that doesn’t crease too much!

5. Think about how much time you are going to spend on the day sitting down. If you’re going to be sitting in a car or sitting through a 6 course meal and long speeches, it might not be a great idea to wear a heavily corsetted dress, as it could get very uncomfortable after a few hours and a lot of food, and you want to feel comfortable on your wedding day.

6. Hair and shoes – these could influence the style of your dress. If you adore shoes, you might want to look at shoes first, as they could influence the hemline of the dress, and you could match your dress to your accessories rather than the other way around. If you have long hair and want to wear it down on the day, think about what necklines would work with your length of hair.

7. Kids – If you have kids, and want to be able to pick them up or play with them on your wedding day, have a think about what style dress will allow you to bend over easily, give your arms plenty of movement, and doesn’t stain too easily if something gets spilled on your dress! You want your kids to be a part of your day, not feel like they’re in the way.

8. How much time and assistance will you have in the morning to get ready? If you have a team of bridesmaids and professionals to get you ready, you don’t have to worry. But if you’re getting ready on your own, or have little time, or have kids getting in the way, it might not be a great idea to choose a dress that’s difficult to get into!

9. Weight – Are you planning on losing weight or toning up before your wedding day? If you are, I would set a realistic goal, and find out how long you need to get your perfect dress. Don’t wait till you’ve lost weight and leave it too late for what you want, and don’t order a smaller size and then not get into it, or loose so much weight it’s loose. I find most women are less bothered about size, and more about wobble. So why not just enjoy your food and buy some sexy Bridget Jones knickers.

10. Party – Are you having dancing in the evening? Think about practicality, and what will look great on the dancefloor. You don’t want your dream dress to become a nightmare as soon as the formalities have finished and the dancing starts. Having a second dress for the evening is also an option – if you really want to throw some shapes!

I hope my tips help, and just make sure you don’t get too stressed about it, it should be fun….

At an affordable price!

I am very very excited to finally be able to offer these 1950′s inspired wedding dresses.

Better photo’s are to come soon, but I didn’t want to delay being able to offer them.

They are priced from £600, and all made from great silk fabrics.

The thing that I’m offering, which most people don’t, is that you can take bits from different designs and put them together, creating your very own Unique Dress.

We’re offering them in sizes 6-16, or made to measure. So we really are catering for everyone. You can even specify your required length, even when buying a standard size, saving on a potentially expensive alteration.

The samples are all Ivory, but we can do other colours too, for most of the designs.

I really hope you like what you see….

As the new year has just started, it brings a whole new season of weddings, and a lot of new dresses to make.

Which made me think about all the brides I worked with last year.

Each bride really was unique, with a great variety of dresses for me to make.

I just thought I’d put together a selection of my favourite photo’s of happy couples from 2011.

The best part of the whole process for me is when I get the photo’s back after the wedding and see how happy my customers have looked on the day, it’s very rewarding.

Now I’d better get on with making the dresses for this year….