A Chartreuse Green Silk Dress

Introducing a new cocktail gown in the electrifying colour of Chartreuse. Named after a naturally acid green French liquer, this dress is just as demure. 

Featuring a sculpted bow on the shoulder embellished with a contrasting scarlet beadwork and tethered to one shoulder in a classical 1950s sweep. I wanted this dress to have a strong lone so after cinching the waist with scarlet velvet the skirt was to reflect a certain weight and sharpness. This was achieved with a luxurious red satin lining and deep draped pleats. 

The colour really is delicious and crisp as an apple laced with Chartreuse. The dress is available in the shop as a one of a kind piece from today. 

Black Tulle Dotted Cocktail Dress - Matte

Black Polka dot Tulle Prom Dress 

This black version of our classic tulle prom dress was made earlier this year for a bespoke client. When she suggested the idea of black sequins on the black tulle, I just loved the idea of using matte black penny paillette's to make the dots.

This subtle detail really changes the mood of the dress, a little less Prom Queen and a lot more Black Swan. 

N.B Please excuse the slightly blurred images, getting the dots to show up was a little tricky when photographing.

Tropical Autumn Cocktail Dress

Introducing a new one of a kind cocktail dress inspired by the tropics.

I first found this small piece of beautifully printed fabric a few years ago in a vintage store and immediately thought of 1940s post war movies set in Casablanca or the South Pacific. A bombshell in cottons and khakis, singing in bars surrounded by grinning GI's. 

The dark army green of the print is decorated with tropical birds of paradise and pastel florals which make this all the more interesting as you look at the dress. There was just enough to design the skirt which was complimented by a golden silk bodice. Green crystal glass beads were then hand embellished over the bodice here at the studio and blended at the waist. 

The design is subtle at first and slowly draws you in as you pick up the details with a hint of sparkle. 

Shop One of a Kind Dresses Here. 

Red Dressing

Red Lace Cocktail Dress - This dress was first designed for a wonderful customer of ours who sent us brilliant design briefs for any occasion she could find to wear a dress too. A great customer on the same wavelength is always an inspiration and this red dress has to be one of my favourites, so much so that it has worked it's way into our collections.

The dress is built onto a nude cotton base with sweetheart bodice and the softest fine red lace laid delicately over with its scalloped trim, bouncing just below the hem. Elegantly cut with long fitted sleeves and a sweeping neckline to reveal the decolletage that plunges at the back where the self belt can be tied in a bow to finish.

Available in the shop from today. 

Introducing the Dianna .......

The Dianna dress stemmed from a bespoke order earlier this year for a reception party dress. The saturated yellow lace and silk chiffon were just so gorgeous, I couldn't keep it for just one person, could I?

The dress has a stretch lace bodice with fitted sleeves and a low scoop back with a strapless under bodice letting your skin flirt through. The scallop edging trims the waist and just laps over the fine gathers of the silk chiffon. I love the full skirt on this dress and we lined it in a silk taffeta that has a great rustle as you walk.

This dress is arriving online on Monday. Add it to your wish lists! x

Oppulent Gypsy Dress

Image copyright to My Fabulous Life

Image copyright to My Fabulous Life

Image copyright to My Fabulous Life

Image copyright to My Fabulous Life

 This dress came about for the Gypsy Luxe shoot with My Fabulous Life recently. I am a huge fan of Frida Kahlo and her gorgeous use of colour and the romantic tales of old Gypsies with their rustling skirts.

The gypsy theme is something I have wanted to workon for a long time. Every year since I was younger my Mum and me went to a horse fair on the Mendips in Priddy. It was originally a sheep fair but became a yearly meeting place for Gypsies and Travellers to trade horses and get together.
It was always exciting to see the families all dressed up, babies laden in gold bangles and so many ruffles you could barely find them in their Victorian style prams,  girls with the most incredible lengths of Rapunzel hair and boys in crisp smart shirts and polished shoes.  Beautiful young men and women would leap, bare back  atop spotted shire horses and parade them around the bustling field complete with donkey's, chickens, puppies and all sorts of animals. It was inspiring and romantic and so far away from how people see Gypsies and Travellers today.
I'm not saying there weren't the dodgy goings on (who knows if the 'jack russel' puppies really grew into Great Danes) with trap racing, bare knuckle fighting, all sorts, but it was alive and it was very safe.
Sadly some of the sights and outfits have become toned down, the gold is lacking and the genuine culture has been replaced with dealers, traders and lots of rules. These pictures were taken a couple years ago and hopefully capture some of the mood of the day.

The romantic side is always how I have seen the Gypsy and this is what I wanted the dress reflect, the Gypsy and Frida Kahlo combined for one beautifully independent and fiery woman.

The dress has a square neckline that frames the collarbone and is trimmed in a fine black floral tapestry ribbon. Fitted at the waist with a scarlet red velvet ribbon and bow at the back, picking up the red of the hand printed floral silk. And the skirt, very full, rustling in silk taffeta and ruffled at the hem making this quite the dramatic dress for dancing in.
I initially thought this dress should just be worn with a killer pair of heels and lots of details in your hair but this would also work dressed down with brogues, a silk hair scarf and a heritage tweed coat for Winter. I do love rustling taffeta.

Available in the online boutique from today. Click here for more info.

Customer Pics

Another fabulous customer photo, this time from the beautiful Yvette all the way in Singapore and looking completely stunning in her little, black lace illusion dress. I love the ultra chic finger waves, oversized black rose and my favourite splash of red lipstick. Perfect! 

The little black dress .... Introducing the Sara.

Introducing the Sara .......

This dress was made for my friend Sara's hen party, as I wasn't making her wedding dress I thought she should have a super smokin' cocktail dress to wear instead beforehand. This will also prevent any old fashioned wifelyness in the future, it certainly ain't no kitchen dress! :)

The dress had to be a secret and I knew in all the excitement of the party a photo shoot wasn't really going to happen. Luckily the day before our gorgeous model Kimmy Lou popped over and she did the honours whilst we finished the hem.
The dress will be coming up on the boutique in the next week or so available made to order in this gorgeous draped silk with a corseted bodice. It's a showstopper that works wonders on curves. Complete with pockets as always and you can have any underskirt colour you like, I love the metallic gold trim. xxx

Green, organic and fair trade

So the 'Betty sure was Good' dress, was brilliantly good and gorgeous along with the 'Betty's Good Tee' and 'Betty's Good Night' dresses made in an organic, fair trade cotton produced by Bishopston Trading company. 

I now have 'Betty's good night' in sea foam green as requested by one of our lovely Australian customers. Isn't it great in this colour? I'm always happy to receive requests for bespoke colours. Send me an email or a colour swatch and i'll see if I can match it for you. 

The Perfect 50s Silk Wedding Dress

This dress, commissioned a while ago, has to be one of my very favourite dresses I have created so far, it's always wonderful when a design works out perfectly.
There was a lot of work involved working on the line of the dress and the bodice which has a figure hugging, integrated corset with stays in between it's layers. The just off the shoulder neckline was a real success and in the customers chosen pale silver grey silk, it just looks spectacular. A 50's dream of a dress which I have fallen in love with.

Originally there were to be rhinestones over the waist but when the dress got to this stage it was working it's simplicity and elegance so well, the rhinestones would have been a spangly distraction.  I adore anything that sparkles but this time it was best left be. 

The silk is a smooth taffeta which is very crisp and falls beautifully with that vintage 'Gone with the Wind' rustle as you walk. Plumped with lots of soft tulle underskirts and a silk lining.

This dress titles 'Sarah Jane' is now available as part of the made to order bridal collection in white and ivory.  Take a look in our new etsy shop here. A whole bridal collection is being worked on as we speak.  

You can see fabulous photo's by Julie Bee of the dress being worn here 

Magenta Pink

Recently made again in a gorgeously vibrant magenta pink silk edged in black satin with a velvet bow belt at the waist and a corseted cinched waist with internal stays for a vintage fifties fit.

 Inside a vintage Worth dress with boning and waist stay photo by Sewyourown.

 We have just started to add the additional boning in our cinch waistband with a great vintage tip of adding a grosgrain ribbon belt inside which cinches the waist, helps with the fit of the dress, fastening the zipper and (acccording to Victoria Beckham and many a vintage lady) improves your posture.

Lace Cocktail Dress

A little black rose addition to the collection with gorgeous lace tulle overlay, inspired once again by 1950s cocktail dresses. Another one off made with vintage fabrics, ready for the party season! Lots of West Side Story style dancing nets are attached underneath the full circle skirt to add volume and the bodice is super boned for a tight fit. 

AVAILABLE NOW ON ETSY.

Nineteen Eighties Boys Bedrooms

I recently came across this vintage fabric un-used in a charity shop and the nostalgia flooded back of the matching duvet covers, curtains, wallpaper, pajama sets of the 1980's. Boys bedrooms across the county decked out in the 'manly' tones of red black and grey stripes. 

It was one of those lovely crisp cottons fresh from the packet and had to be used for a dress with a full circle to display of the stripes to the max! It takes on quite a different tone in a cocktail dress and bow.