Ivory silk mikado wedding coat

wedding coat silk mikado ivory


Catherine got married at Guildford Cathedral in December so her silk mikado wedding coat and dress ensemble worked perfectly for the weather and spectacular venue.

Official photography by taylormadeimagery

I design a simple and elegant long wedding coat in ivory silk Mikado with slight lip and plunge v-neckline and criss-cross ribbon waist detail. The long sleeves with bell cuffs had real button and loop detail. The train flared with three box pleats and a back belt and cover buttons to finish.

Her dress beneath was just floor length all round and made in layered soft satin and georgette for the plain circle skirt. The boned bodice was duchess satin with a guipure lace over-lay. It had a square neckline and three quarter length sleeves with flared cuffs to finish. A pleated satin sash drew attention to Catherine’s shapely waistline and was ornamented with a real antique gold and pearl brooch and extra hand sewn pearls. The back closed with real buttons and loops. I also helped to restore her mother’s vintage veil and made dresses and bolero’s for her attendants.

modest wedding dress custom made

Catherine with her beautiful flowers all ready to go

windy wedding day on the steps
veils in the wind royal style wedding coat

It was a little windy on their arrival to the Cathedral but every effort was taken to get Catherine safely inside with her veil still attached

before the ceremony bridal long coat
walking up the cathedral aisle wedding coat
bridal veil in a church traditions

Nicola helping Catherine with the big ‘reveal’. Having a plan for who will raise the ‘blusher’ of your veil, and perhaps a practice is always a good idea!

long sleeve wedding dress
plus size bridesmaid dress navy blue silk

Nicola was a perfect bridesmaid, supporting Catherine through the service and always helpful at dress fittings! To see more pictures of her dress and the little bridesmaids click here.

Original design sketches

In the end the sash tails were left off the dress sash and the knot changed for the antique brooch detail.

wedding portrait in a cathedral flowergirls
square neck wedding dress with guipure lace

Later in the day Catherine removed the silk mikado wedding coat to reveal the pretty dress.

made to measure wedding gown silk and lace
cutting the cake plus size bride wedding dress
plus size wedding bride dress sash square neck

We used a beautiful antique pearl and gold brooch on the sash as a pretty detail and also Catherine’s ‘something old’. I added more pearls around it so it did not look too small on the wide sash.

couture detail brooch wedding dress sash
rouleau buttons and loops wedding dress

Back detail: the button and loop closure

Making Catherine’s Dress and Ivory silk mikado wedding coat

toile fitting picture bespoke dressmaker

A fitting picture in the ‘toile’ or practice run of the dress

wedding coat toile fitting picture

A fitting picture in the ‘toile’ or practice run of the coat

fitting picture bespoke dress and coat wedding

The partly made dress and coat.

fitting picture made to measure bridal gown

A final fitting picture in the finished dress.

pleated sash and sleeve detail pearl

Detail of the finished dress with pleated sash, antique brooch and lace applique detail on the sleeves

guipure lace flower bridal gown

Detail of the lace on Catherine’s dress with ‘daffodil’ motifs around the neckline.

vintage veil in a fitting lace flowers

Catherine wore her mother’s veil, the lace applique pieces are original but they had been removed. We carefully replaced them and spaced them to show up beyond the ivory of the coat’s train.

wedding dress and bridesmaids ready to go

I also made three flowergirl boleros, an adult bridesmaid dress and a going away dress for Catherine. This is the whole ‘collection’ steamed and waiting for her to arrive and take them away! Click here to see more pictures of the bridesmaid and flowergirls.

wrist loop bustle something blue tradition

A hidden detail of the ‘something blue’ rose I sew to all the dresses I make next to the wrist loop on the train.

To talk to me more about having your coat wedding dress made to order just get in touch

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Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

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As a bespoke bridal designer, it's my job to make sure your dress looks like it's part of you. 

For this bride, I designed a dramatic satin dress, with a statement bow and asymmetrical ruching across the front and back of the bodice. A more traditional bodice that might have a lace up back, or simple a concealed zip down the middle, but for this dress I didn't want to break up the flow of the fabric going across the body, so I had to come up with an elegant (and easy to use) solution. Not only did the fastening need to impossible to spot, it also needed to provide support for the bride, so she felt secure in the dress throughout the day.

I created two panels of ruched silk dupion in this beautiful rose gold colour. The panels were secured at the side, not the back, with the top panel being firmly attached with poppers. The panel underneath had hooks and underneath that I made a built in corset behind a heavy-duty zip. Because of the weight of the dress, and how fitted it was, the zip had to work harder than usual, so it was actually very useful to be able to fully hid it. It meant the bride could be fully supported, without the zip interfering with the design.

All that work meant that this bride didn't have to worry about hitching up her dress or any wardrobe malfunctions, she could just focus marrying her husband and having a gorgeous day with friends and family.

What detail in your wedding dress are you most excited to obsess over?

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emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in
from design to completionbespoke wedding dressesFelicity Westmacott
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in