My favourite type of dress to make is an historically inspired wedding dresses. My whole career has stemmed but an interest in costume history. I began by colouring in photocopied pages from my mother’s fashion history books. This led an arts degree in costume design for the stage and screen. Making costumes is not only about historical drama, but that is definitely part of the study!
Above, forest green Victorian wedding dress. I made this dress my the lovely Rebecca to be a time-travelling bride at her Dr Who theme wedding. Photography – Yuriy Nutsa Photograhy
I bring my love and knowledge for all eras and the skills I gained with historical construction techniques to the design of wedding dresses. From Medieval maidens to 1950’s rockabilly, vintage, retro and historical, I love them all. I love creating inside the design parameters of any century’s fashion trends. I equally love to blend and make new combinations of elements from disparate eras. It is all celebration from me if you want a Victorian steampunk wedding dress, an accurate Viking hand sewn robe or a Regency muslin dress with accurate undergarments.
Historical fashion from the silver screen
I love to be inspired by the interpretations of fashion history that are brought to us by costume designers for film and TV. My all out favourite costume designer is Jenny Beavan OBE (fame of Cruella, Room with a View and Mad Max). She is a family friend and was kind enough to take me under her wing in my formative teenage years. I count her very much a mentor.
Above: A wedding dress I designed for a Cruella themed bridal photoshoot. The couture origami design of the bodice was inspired by Jenny Beavan’s costume design for the character of Cruella in the Disney 2021 film.
It was Jenny who told me that the purpose of costume design is not historical accuracy or reproduction, or to flatter the lead actress, but to tell the story. Often historical accuracy is central to a story being told. For example if it’s a documentary drama, or was written first as contemporary novel but which is now an historical period from our perspective; but equally often it is not. Both approaches are valid. In recent years the historical fantasy series like ‘Bridgeton’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ have crystallised design in the latter vein. Inspired by history but bent to serve the story.
Designing wedding dresses from history
I very much approach using historical fashion inspiration for wedding dress design in the same manner. Accuracy might be interesting to one bride, and very much rejected by another. My deep knowledge of fashion development will help inform our design. I will bring you all the options and you can decide which elements to combine to make your perfect historically inspired wedding dress.
Historically Inspired Wedding Dresses
Edwardian
‘Titanic’ style wedding dress with antique Irish lace. I made this early 20th century style dress for the wonderful Rachel who travelled from Ireland 3 times for fittings. She sourced the lace herself and I used in for the bodice and train details.
Early Victorian
I made Eleanor a Victorian wedding dress in hand dyed pale blue silk. We design off the shoulder neckline and a box pleated frill to the bottom of the full skirt. Eleanor chose to have historically accurate underpinnings including a custom corset, hoop skirt and bum roll.
Photography by Sebastian Lomas
Regency Grace
Regency: I created a Regency wedding dress for Amanda. I used pale gold silk satin and delicate beaded lace. The Empire line waist and square neckline with puff sleeves is every inch a Pride and Prejudice dream
Photographs with kind permission from Paul Johnson pjp photography
Victorian details
My own wedding dress was inspired by elements of Victorian dress design. The spreading skirt, pointed waistline, peplum back bodice are all taken from popular styles in the Victorian era.
Photography by Chris Cormack and The Alt Wedding company
I have noticed that the green and gold colour way often means people looking on comment “it looks” Medieval, Tudor or Elven – though in fact it is none of these. If I had a time machine and turned up in any of the those eras (or a portal to middle earth) I would look very out of place. In reality my wedding dress was very much of it’s own time. A classic 2007 dress! I suspect that if it had been made in ivory no one would be suggesting other eras!
I was very gratified to notice that Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, designed four years later in 2011 had many of the same style elements. The long lace sleeves, waterfall train and full skirt and the lace appliqué detail. I was ahead of my time and very much in the couture league it seems!
Late Victorian bustle wedding dress
Rebecca and I worked together to design and make her green silk historical wedding dress. It is made in the style of the late Victorian bustle dresses of about 1880’s with proper corsetry foundations made by my colleague Beth at Moody Corsetry
Photography – Yuriy Nutsa Photograhy and Babb Photo
Downton Abbey Edwardian
My Edwardian wedding dress designed for this Downton Abbey inspired bridal photoshoot included a tiered skirt with scallop lace and a ribbon detail boned bodice.
Photographer: @neliprahova
Edwardian lace wedding dress
Barbara’s historically inspired wedding dress was made using real Edwardian fashion plates as the inspiration. I cut ivory duchess satin and bold guipire lace to make her dress and lace top. The skirtand cuffs were finished with lace frills and pretty pink roses.
Historical Fusion wedding dresses
One doesn’t have to be tied to one era, or to accuracy when designing an historical wedding dress. I love to mix and match and meld silhouettes and techniques from the whole gamut of history. And doing that is nothing new! Historical inspiration for modern fashion design has been a thing for as long as we have had s means to know what was worn in the past. From the victorian’s recreating 18th century sleeves and skirts, Regency dresses drawing on Grecian simplicity (mistaken perhaps!) to the 1970’s medieval revival, historical mix and match come round again and again!
1950’s New Look and Elizabethan wedding dress
Catherine’s castle wedding demanded a wedding dress design as spectacular as her venue. I designed an historical fusion wedding dress for her in glorious bronze gold silk dupion. The overall effect was of a 1950’s couture evening dress, such as might have been seen at the height of Dior’s “New Look”. I took inspiration from previous era’s too, just as Dior did in his own time. The strapless bodice with wrap over ruching, oversize statement bow and full skirt are pure 1950’s. I added cartridge pleating, which is an Elizabethan technique, to the top of the skirt around the sides and back to create a kick of fullness at the waistline. And the thigh high split is a modern touch!
Photography – Duncan Ireland
Art Deco wedding dress with a Victorian bustle
I made Katherine’s wedding dress using inspiration from the 1930’s art-deco era with bias cut silk and a slim line silhouette. Then we added a Victorian fantasy bustle train.
Official photography by Debs Ivelja
Tudor and 1950’s fusion
This burgundy velvet wedding dress was inspired by a mix of Tudor design and 1950’s glamour. Tracey was being married at the historic Langshott Manor in Surrey which dates back in part to the Tudor era. I designed the bodice with Tudor flat fronted boned shaping and wide neckline. I made the skirt slim fitting in a 1950’s wiggle skirt style. This is a (garnet and pearl) gem among historically inspired wedding dresses.
18th century and 1950’s fantasy fusion wedding dress
I created this wedding dress ensemble to look like something from a fairytale. The historical inspiration came mainly from two eras. The bodice is made in an 18th century style with a flat fronted shape and square neckline. The skirt comes in two pieces, a 1950’s pencil skirt and removable frothy tulle train. Everything was covered in pastel blush and ivory tulle with large floral appliqué. It was used in two different photoshoots, one at Lainston House and the other with a Bridgerton theme.
Photography: Tanya Flannagan Photography
Bridgerton Fantasy wedding dress
Katie’s wedding dress is a modern style really but many people see the Regency historical-fantasy vibes of Bridgerton when they watch her twirl. I used bright pink silk dupion and a floral lace to create this dreamy dress.
Photography – Zara Davis
Fairytale Elizabethan and 18th century fusion wedding dress
I designed this fantasy fusion wedding dress for a photoshoot. The styles I drew on are mainly from the Elizabethan period, where you can see the bodice shape and butterfly collar. The skirt shape with divided front, ornate petticoat, cartridge pleating and sacque-back is half way Elizabethan and half way 18th century Rococo. It is worn over properly constructed pannier supports and a bum-roll. The dress has a feather collar and two different sleeve shapes with the fuller sleeve reminiscent of sleeves from the late 1600’s.
Photography: Caroline Horne Suffolk Photography
20th Century Vintage Inspirations
We might tend to use the word vintage rather than historical for styles in the more recent past, say the last hundred years or so. From a technical perspective the word ‘vintage’ for clothing refers to any pieces over 20 years old but not older than 100 years. So the vintage era is not fixed but moves with us through time. When I was a teen in the 1990’s clothing from 1870-1970 was vintage, newer clothing was just second hand and clothing prior to 1870 would be called antique. But now, 30 years later the clothing from the 1990’s itself is already vintage!
Wedding dress styles from the 20th century provide a wealth of inspiration for creating bespoke designs. From sexy 1930’s slim bias-cut to frilly, fun 1950’s sweethearts and understated minimalism of the 1990’s there is an era to appeal to every bride.
1950’s couture elegance
This Cadbury purple silk dress coat was made for a London photoshoot but has proved one of my most inspiring designs. Dresscoats were enormously popular in the 1950’s. I’ve not only sold the sample but had commissions almost every year since for copies or similar with changes to suit each bride. You can see sone of there here, Rae’s green coat dress.
The strapless wiggle dress I designed for underneath the coat has also now been sold to a real bride.
Photography: Jessica Jill Partridge,
1950’s Autumn silk dress
The 1950’s are a very popular decade for inspiring historical wedding dresses. This one was made for mature bride, Rebecca, in beautiful orange silk dupion with ivory lace over the top. The full shape of the skirt with net petticoats to hold out her silhouette is classic 1950’s. I also designed a collar and cross over button detail that echo styles popular in that decade.
Photography by Gregg Brown www.greggbrownweddings.com
1940’s vintage wedding dress maternity restyle
This vintage wedding dress was restyled to become Sophie’s maternity wedding dress. Sophie brought me her grandmother’s wedding dress. It had been bought from a boutique in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s and worn for Sophie’s Grandmothers wedding day. I reused the bodice section and created a new skirt to fit over Sophie’s bump.
1950’s lace and sequin wedding dress
This wedding dress was designed for Clare’s wedding in Disneyland, Florida. The hot orange colour and sequin tulle sparkle was perfect for her venue. I designed the dress in a classic 1950′ shape with a fitted and fully boned bodice and a full skirt held out with plenty of net petticoats.
Official wedding photographs by www.gingermidgett.com
1970’s vintage up-cycled wedding dress
I remodelled this dress for Madelie’s wedding day. The vintage wedding dress had been worn by her mother on her wedding day in the 1970’s. I reused the skirt section, creating a new bodice and lace overlay to make Madelie’s dress personal to her and a special family heirloom.
Crisp white 1950’s taffeta wedding dress
I designed and made Aine’s 1950’s white taffeta wedding dress. The classic shape was a full a-line skirt over a petticoat with visible tulle frill that peeks out from below the hem. I hand sewed white and silver lace trim with beads and swarovski crystal around her neckline.
Wedding photography by Michael Dillon
Fantasy 1980’s wedding dress
One of my favourite photoshoots I designed for was this one, inspired my the classic 1980’s fantasy film by Jim Henson studios, Labyrinth. I created a look for two brides, a ‘Sarah’ wearing a wedding dress inspired by the iconic ball dress from the dream-masquerade section of the film. The costume in the film is itself an exquisite confection fantasy blend of 1980’s and 18th century. And my wedding dress re-imagine that dress for a bride in the 2020’s. I also designed an ensemble for our Jareth bride, in a non-binary gloriously understated silk trousers and blouse.
Photography by flemingphoto.co.uk
