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.
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
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.
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!
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
