The Fabulous Wedding Festival Devon

My Fabulous Life Photography

My Fabulous Life Photography

My Fabulous Life Photography

My Fabulous Life Photography

My Fabulous Life Photography 

 The Fabulous Wedding Festival hosted by My Fabulous Life and Muddifords Court, Devon. 

Last year I sent a box full of dresses down to Muddifords for a shoot organized by Becky Joiner of My Fabulous Life Photography. Her styled shoots are always so enthusuiastically put together with lots of styling, colour and general fabulousness. This one is my favourite so far, read more about it on Rocknroll Bride Here. 

This was all to promote the Fabulous Wedding Festival that will be taking place on Saturday 16th March at Muddifords Court with a bunch of brilliant wedding suppliers. Our very good friends Latitude photography will be there, the gorgeous Emma and Aran are so lovely!  And the official photographer to my collections Laura Power. 

The festival will be very different from most wedding fayres. There is a gallery being set up to view the photographers work in a relaxed way, a catwalk show, foodie treats in a banquet and DIY workshops taking place whilst you listen to the bands play. Instead of the mundane waltz around a group of hard selling vendors squished in a room you can actually enjoy this one! For more info and tickets visit the site here. 

• 
  
• Photography: My Fabulous Life
• Venue: Muddifords Court
• Dresses: Alexandra King
• Headpieces #1: Head Full of Feathers
• Headpieces #2: Crown & Glory
• Flowers: Laura Hingson
• Props: Virginias Vintage Hire
• Suits: Lugets
• Make Up: Michelle Maxwell
• Hair: Hair by Kai

Red Carpet Awards Dresses 2013 - Bafta and Grammy

So last night we watched with eagerness to find out who would win the BAFTAs and I watched with bated breath to see the dresses.
Anna and I both had to mention our disappointment when we got to the studio this morning of 'where were the ladies and where were the dresses we wanted to see?' For once the guys were better dressed overall with their gorgeous beards and tuxes.

Anyway it was probably the rain, these were my favorites and they had enough beauty for the whole red carpet.

 Jessica Chastain arriving for the 2013 British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday February 10, 2013. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Jessica Chastain photographed by Dominic Lipinski in Roland Mouret - such a great image in the rain. Jessica looks stunning in this royal blue masterly draped by the king of cut Roland Mouret. Its all so subtle and un-obvious. 

 Anne Hathaway arriving for the 2013 British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London. Ian West/PA Wire

I loved Anne Hathaway's Burberry dress instantly with its gold metal dot studs and hourglass bias cut skirt. It's just perfect, simple and strong like dotty armour. Nothing can go wrong in this black dress.

Marion Cotillard arriving for the 2013 British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday February 10, 2013. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Marion Cotillard never fails to look beautiful and this saturated canary yellow sculpted dress by Dior did it's best to brighten such a miserable wet evening in London. The curve could have been tricky to wear if you had any less elegance or poise than the queen of chic Ms Cotillard. Note the use of red lipstick to maintain colour throughout and the weight of the necklace that is just right and far away enough to not be too much with such a dress. Read Marion's interview about her dress here. Quick decisions make good looks!

Meanwhile over the other side of the Atlantic the Grammy's tightened up on their dress code and look at the 'lady likeness' of the dresses when you aim for elegance over 'tit'tle tattle.

Here are my top ladies ....

Photo by Rex Features from Vogue 

The one everyone's talking about, yes its beautiful and yes 'it's an Alaia' and draped to perfection in that matched to the lipstick vermillion red. Custom designed by Azzedine Alaia for Rihanna, she looked beautiful and went down a firey storm on the red carpet. Why having a designer produce a dress just for you works!

Photo by Rex Features from Vogue 

I've looked and thought about this Valentino Couture dress all day and couldn't quite decide. At first I thought it was a bit too covered up, I like curves being showed off Marilyn style not encased and the waist could have been nipped in a little more surely?
But the more I look the more beautiful this dress is, the craftsmanship is so detailed. Adele looks like an embroidered Russian doll that I could look at for hours as it sang her epic tunes. She certainly has the posture and personality to carry it off. The shoes are to die for.

Photo by Rex Features from Vogue 

This is officially my favourite of the weekend, Solange Knowles (Beyonce's younger cooler sister) looking divine in her kelly green bead encrusted gown by Ralph and Russo. Those delicate coral pink spiked courts finish just as a shoe should and such beautiful big hair making it head to toe wonderful.

I love the red carpet and all the dresses being shown off. I dream of having a dress on the red carpet, one day and I hope it makes it to my favourites. Best be off to conjure up some gowns ...

Spring Summer 2013 Collection Line Up - Sketches

Here are the sketches from the Spring Summer collection that will be released for orders online in the next week or so.

The collection is all about being fresh and new. Starting with whites like a blank page in a sketch book and gradually adding the nautical blue stripes (a nod to the beginnings of Chanel) and a strong vermillion orange adding the only line of colour in the tea dress.

The inspirations?

I really liked the idea of starting from the beginning again for this collection. I wanted clean and simple and a Southern France like the start of Chanel's career depicted in the film 'Coco Before Channel'. As always I pick up things throughout the designing time, sketching odd notes in my notebook by my bed and on the backs of envelopes.

I love stripes and the strength of geometric lines on the screen in old movies. On Saturday morning they were showing 'The Yellow Canary' 1943 on TV, it's not Nautical or set in the South of France but the main character had this fabulous striped sweater with one of the stripes being sequins. This is where the sequins in the collection came from, just that glisten in the light.

I also adore all the Harpers Bazaar fashion photographs, the use of black and white and those strong beach looks by Avedon and Engstead. Here's my Coast pinterest board here.

How did you choose the fabrics?

Broiderie Anglaise is a fabric I've been dying to use for ages but it was finding the right pattern weight and feel. Something crisp and matte with no shininess to the embroidery. Eventually the right one appeared with its stretched square geometric pattern on 100% cotton sourced from one of our UK suppliers.
I wanted to keep to cottons and a really great jersey that wouldn't loose it's stretch or be too thin. When you want something tight, you don't want it to also reveal everything underneath. This heavy jersey is excellent.
Then it was about creating some stripes in sequins and velvets so that I could control the direction and the way the stripes wrapped around the garment. I love the textures up close.

Who is the Muse?

My muse for this collection is a woman who is off to start a fresh new life in a sunkissed world. Bathing on the beach by morning, conducting business at lunch and taking a windswept stroll late in the afternoon. She'll appear on the Canne red carpet looking devastatingly fresh and dance like a flapper to the early hours.

How is she going to wear them?

With bare feet, Gatsby Ray ban's, a long silk scarf in her hair and red lipstick. Curls Clara Bow style and in the evening long strands of beads.
If shoes must be worn a perfect looking pair of courts (no ankle straps) like Jimmy Choo Abels or Peep toes. 

Your favourite piece? 

The broiderie Anglaise shirtwaister dress. It just works.

The most challenging piece? 

The flapper dresses. I love the 20s and have been itching to work in this style but I'm a nipped in waist kinda girl. For me it doesn't work over a size 12 and you've got be be in great shape. No bras allowed and to be a petite chested as you can get, literally bandaging those breasts flat. The loose shapes are made sexy with low backs, sheer fabrics and movement in the dresses. They to just hang off you whilst you make the ruffles dance.
I designed the dresses in the sheerest fine tulle to be worn with a more fitted shape underneath to create the hourglass illusion and be more forgiving.  Gorgeous with the stripes showing through.

Prices?

From £80 for the skirt to £350 for the maxi dress

Sunday Night Reads - Grace

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELIA METZNER 2011
LOOKING INCREDIBLE AT 70

The book : Grace - A Memoir by Grace Coddington 

Published by: Chatto and Windus 2012

Buy Here : from Mr B's Emporium of Reading, Bath on +44 (0)1225 331155 and they will post it to you from their wonderful book store. 

Or Amazon Here 

I bought this book to read over Christmas and wasn't really sure what to expect. I've watched The September Issue many times and Grace Coddington was certainly the creative star of the film so I was curious to find out more. 

On first impressions the book is a great weighty slab of paper bound in a bright, crayola orange with the most delightful front row illustration on the inside cover. 

Another reason I picked this up immediately with extra eagerness was the size of the text. I find reading a real struggle, especially late at night after I've been sewing or staring at the screen. The text is nice and big and properly spaced so you can whizz through pages without having to go back and re-read over and over. 

The illustrations are really entertaining and having lots of photography to reference is great, it sets the tone to be far more friendly than the usual spiky looking fashion memoirs. 

So, to the actual content. Lovely, fascinating, real and normal. However over the top the stories are, from carrying John Galliano's crinolines through bushes to a deserted beach in Jamaica, to casually rounding up he biggest names in fashion to dress up for an Alice in Wonderland shoot, there's a wonderful down to earth, anything is possible if you just get on with it attitude. 

This book gives a detailed insight into how the iconic fashion photography happens, the creativity that is needed and that there isn't this fantasy bitchiness or flamboyance always in fashion. It's quite a practical approach to creating dream images. Imagine a story and get on with making the idea a reality. Nothing is impossible. 

I love that Grace Coddington the creative director of US Vogue, who works with all of the hero's of fashion and photography, is shy and honest and as far from a celebrity fashionista as possible. A real person that happens to be a icon through her creative vision and adoration of fashion. 

'people should concentrate on their jobs and not all this fashionable 'I want to be a celebrity' shit' 

Grace Coddington on initially not wanting to be in The September Issue. 

It's this really hard work and daring to create an impossible sounding world through fashion that I really hope isn't lost with the declining budgets and struggles that the magazine world is going through at the moment. 

A Final  Wonderful Word From Grace ....

'one of the most important aspects of my work is to give people something to dream about, just as I used to dream all those years ago as a child looking at beautiful photographs. I still weave dreams, finding inspiration wherever I can and looking for romance in the real, not the digital, world. 

All I know is that if I continue in fashion, no matter what, my head will always stay firmly attached to my body.' 

Grace Coddington, A Memoir 2012

Shopping Day - Summer Stripes and Accessories

Main photo swimwear Cara Miya Swimwear Maui 

Sneak Peek from our new Summer collection ....... stripes and crisp white broiderie anglaise.  

As our new collection is very nearly here  (Kim and Natalie are gorgeous together in their stripe hairbands and white dresses behind the beach ball) and there are many stripes involved, this weeks shopping day is all about the stripes and the beach.

The umbrella is a must with it's French parasol scallops and I've found some beautifully designed products on Etsy. Etsy is a tricky place to find good quality products in the sea of craftiness but with specific rummaging / searching you can find gems.
The hat is oh so very Audrey Hepburn, all you need is a little black wiggle dress and the little studs are subtle enough worn with a stripe t-shirt 50's 'Hollywood France' style.

I love notebooks, as in hoard them, and this one looks like a good weighty one for sketching in. Throw in the striped canvas laptop bag with an ipad and you're in business.
Bows, sunglasses and flat stripes need I say more and those red brogues..... Are just stunning but pricey but beautiful and a great piece if you're a collector.

The main bikini photo is not just a great swimwear combo but the photography sells it. I want to be in Maui, in the sunshine surfing like a pro with long locks and this bikini will take me there.

Click on the links below to take you to the pretty things ..............

Scallop Edge Stripe Umbrella - Topshop
Sunglasses - Topshop
Navy stripe Hand Made Notebook by Winzy Designs on Etsy
Nautical Stripe Shelia Flats by Charles Philip Shanghai
Clay Stud Button Earrings by Tip Toe Thirty on Etsy
Canvas Laptop Bag by Bagy Bag on Etsy 
Vintage Red and White Toreros Oxfords on Etsy by Atelier Vintage
Stripe Strapless Bikini by Caramiya on Etsy (Great Photography from Maui) 
Huge Wide Brim Stripe Hat by Anne Despasquale on Etsy
Gros Grain hair bow by Little Cutie Cakes on Etsy

Inspirations ....

Image courtesy of My Vintage Vogue.com they have a wonderful online archive of photography. 

I love this image from Harpers Bazaar in 1957 shot by John Engstead. Slick and Nautical, every day I am lusting over black and white images more and more. Sometimes colour can be fabulous and sometimes it can be distracting. This image is just perfect. 

I'm working on the final pieces of the Summer collection at the moment, the stripes are a big deal .....

Flower Girl Dresses and Pretty Hair Pieces ...

Introducing a Anna Vickery's super gorgeous childrenswear shot by the fabulous Sally Thurrell Photography and styled by our favourite lady Katy Howieson of What Katy Did Next. 

 

Anna designed these flower girl dresses with the shoot in mind, the lilac dotty dress is the perfect vintage 60s style I imagine toddlers look best in, especially with those little sequin shoes and blonde curls. 

The mint/teal chiffon flower dress has a silk bodice with ruffle trim and the ivory corded lace and chiffon flower girl dress makes a very pretty dress for all ages. The tulle capelets are the perfect dress up  trimmed in velvet and all are just wonderful for girls to twirl, run and dance about in! 

Anna loves working on bespoke designs for weddings and each of the dresses can be made in different sizes and in a colour of your choice to match your wedding theme. For any questions contact Anna here. 

Katy teamed Anna's super cute and gorgeous dresses with her hand beaded sashes and stunning hair accessories. I love the star  and the big bow so much! You can take a peek at them all in her shop here. 

My latest glitter bodice and mint silk skirt were on show and I designed a 'mini me' version with a sequinned t shirt and tulle sequined skirt, just the outfit I dreamt of as a little girl. These two models were Niece and Aunty which is a great way of getting perfect relaxed photos! 

Anna's will be opening her own online shop very soon but in the meantime you can order the beautiful flower girl / party dresses from our combined Etsy shop here. 

Photography: Sally T Photography 

Accessories: What Katy Did Next

Flower Girl Dresses: Anna Vickery

Adult Dress and 'Mini Me' oufit : Alexandra King

Tulle underskirts: Doris Designs 

Poms and Bunting: Thimble and Bobbin

Featured on Love My Dress today too, read more about it here. 

Purple Lace Reception Dress ...

Ishita's pink and golden woven silk wedding Sari was just stunning. Photography By Lisa Jane.

Photography by Lisa Jane

Photography by Lisa Jane Photography

Early last year Ishita came to me for a reception party dress for the evening of her wedding. I love it when a client actually inspires me and is able to teach me something. Ishita had just got back for an incredible trip to India and told me all about the beautiful textile printers, taught me all about Sari's (which is going to be a big project for me this Summer) and bought me some stunning fabrics to make dresses for her with. (which will be another post)

We decided on a rich vibrant purple, the colour is so popping with violets! The design to be a lace and tulle prom dress and ballerina length. This length really works as it's still easy to manoeuvre like the shorter knee length styles but looks oh so elegant and when you are lucky enough to be tall it's the perfect dress length.
So the dress was built on silk foundations with a sweetheart bodice and the purple slightly lighter tone tulle was layered up for the skirt. This lighter tone purple showed the fine leavers lace detailing on top with a higher contrast and faded to the hem. The bodice was then hand pleated (this is my favourite part of the draping technique) and stitched in place.

And WoW didn't Ishita just look so stunning in her dress, I love the rich reds of the garland and of course the sparkling glitter shoes! Beautiful. xxx

BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA JANE - WE RECOMMEND THIS LADY! CLICK HERE FOR HER WEBSITE.

New In This Week ...

The glitter collars we wore to during party season are now available online for a steal at £15 inc. shipping. Not bad to transform the old little black dress into a cocktail number.
I'm wearing mine with vintage 50's skinny sweaters and with crisp white shirts. Enjoy x

Fifties Silk Starlet Bride

And we're back ....... with a fifties short n' sparky dress worn by an illustration starlet for the new year.

Rut spoke exactly the same language as me when it came to explaining what she wanted in her wedding dress, through the magic of illustration. (Ruts the talented lady behind out measuring guide illustration too!)

I love the way Rut had completely styled her outfit for the day, the look was beautifully fifties clean and looked so cool. This is how to plan and not get overwhelmed with all the options, draw or moodboard it out!
There weren't too many accessories or bits, the deep pink shoes matched the roses (you can't get much better than the classics), the colour pallette or the dark pink, grey and ivory worked perfectly together and the simple birdcage and wrist length gloves finished the look by just adding a nod to bridal without loosing any of the understated glamour.

The dress was designed with a t-shirt style cut to the bodice with the deep V back and our classic signature waistband. This little waistband is much more than just a piece of fabric and holds waist cinching secrets inside. The addition of the pleated silk belt brought texture to the silk and finished the dress.

The skirt in the silk taffeta was full with pockets hidden in the side seams and structured with the charcoal grey tulle underskirt. The dress worn again this summer with a lace jacket and navy belt would make a 'bang on trend' coastal dinner dress too.

Congrats to Rut for looking so well styled and gorgeous on her wedding day in Europe! xxx