I made this bespoke wedding dress Guildford for beautiful Nicola. I made a simple and elegant dress in pale gold and buttermilk coloured soft silk satin and ivory beaded lace. The dress has a fitted and softly boned bodice in layered silk and lace with the pretty scalloped edging used to soften the line of...
Being an older bride does not mean you have to conform to anyone’s idea of how a ‘mature lady’ should dress and I love that Barbara lived her dream! I made an Edwardian lace wedding dress made from duchess satin and beaded Guipure lace. The dress is trimmed with gathered lace flounces and groups of...
Ailsa commissioned a sky blue bespoke wedding dress in silk satin. I designed it with proportions to flatter her petite figure. Official photographs by www.oxford-photography.co.uk I made the dress with a fitted and boned bodice with gentle sweetheart neckline and integral straps. I added ruching over the bust which is balanced above asymmetric draping on...
A contemporary fusion of 1930’s and Victorian fantasy elements went into the design of Katherine’s wedding dress. Official photography by Debs Ivelja I made Katherine’s art deco wedding dress out of buttermilk coloured silk satin and ivory lace with subtle gold thread running through it. The bustle was made of silk chiffon in five subtle...
Pink silk halterneck dress and jacket with Swarovski detail Georgina commissioned this glamorous bespoke mother of the bride Kent. I made her a pink silk halterneck dress and jacket for her daughter’s summer wedding. I made it in pink silk crepe with a fuchsia lining and Swarovski crystal embellishment. I designed her slim fitting dress...
I made a bespoke silk dupion dress and coat in old gold and blue silk. Irene had very firm ideas about what she wanted to wear to her daughter’s wedding. The dress and coat ensemble was designed to take her from a cold January daytime to the black-tie evening party. The dress was made from...
Cristina commissioned a blush chiffon wedding dress. I made her dress in palest pink silk georgette over satin linings. The chiffons layers were draped to flatter her tiny waist and full bust. Official photographs by Sarah Lauren: I made the dress with a fitted and boned bodice with round neckline and straps. Draped georgette is...
I made an illusion back lace wedding dress for Helen. The bodice was a traditional sweetheart shape, lightly boned but totally cut away at the back. A simple straight skirt and train balanced the drama of the sheer tulle and lace applique back and sleeves. Official photography by Alex Tenters Photography The lace on Helen’s...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
Even though Rebecca lives in Germany, she sought me out specifically to make her bespoke wedding dress. She had seen my colour work and fantasy-inspired designs, and decided I was the perfect fit for her (pun intended!).
She wanted a wedding dress fit for an ethereal princess, complete with this stunning pastel rainbow gradient. This kind of effect can`t be achieved with dip dye. I had to use a different technique; ombre-dying.
If you feel like you should have been born as an elven queen in a romantasy novel, then I might just be the right person to bring that dream to life ✨
After Rebecca decided I was the right person for the job of making her wedding outfit, I began work on this gorgeous, floaty dream of a wedding dress.
However, we had an additional challenge to overcome...Rebecca lives in Germany. (there`s something about me and German brides - we just get along. This is my second bespoke order from Germany!) But we found a system that really worked for us during this process.
So if you`re an overseas bride, looking for the complete bespoke experience (as opposed to `made to measure` which is what we do if you can`t visit for fittings), take note.
The dress was made over the course of six months. Rebecca first visited in May for 4 days, during which we had three separate fittings. Then I worked on the dress, including the intricate dye techniques required to achieve this pastel rainbow. In September she visited for another three days (three weeks before her wedding), with a fitting every day. After the final fitting, she took the dress back to Germany with her.
I`ve had many other overseas brides, and they often choose made-to-measure: where I make the dress according to their measurements (following my strict instructions on how to take those measurements). This process leaves less space for changing the design, and always requires some additional work from a seamstress once it has been sent.
For Rebecca, having the full bespoke experience was absolutely the right choice. During our fittings she changed her mind on a few design elements - including removing the sleeves - meaning that by the time it was finished, it was exactly what she wanted.
You just can`t beat bespoke 💜
~
Photography - @pesto_fotografie
"The dress got so many compliments and it was so nice to be able to wear something that felt so much more like a reflection of who I am."
Look at this beauty!
I`ve made a lot of custom dip dye wedding dresses, and many of them have been the Phoenix colourway. But somehow Jess made it feel brand new when she asked me to add blue to the bottom, and lower the saturation on the colours.
So instead of bright sunflower yellow, we went with a buttery pastel yellow. Instead of vibrant orange, we chose a warm coral. Followed by dusky pinks and muted purples, right down to that faded navy.
The effect turned out looking like like watercolours 🖌️ I love how it turned out and I`m so glad Jess did too 💜
Photography - Craig Foreman Photography
It`s not everyone who gets to say that part of their job is hand-sewing a delicate, beaded spider`s web, finished with Swarovski crystal dew drops.
It`s only because my brides have such brilliant and beautiful imaginations that I get to make such wonderful things.
Happy Halloween, everyone 🕷️🕸️
Destination Vegas. Rockabilly bride. Halloween vibes.
Sounds like the perfect wedding.
Gorgeous goth Ellie got married in Las Vegas on Halloween. She wanted something alternative, retro and a little spooky. She realised she was never going to find that with an off-the-rack wedding dress. That`s where I came in.
I designed and made her white and purple wedding dress with a wonderful blend of 1950’s and 90`s shapes, modern styling and subtle Halloween Vixen detail. Harkening back to when Halloween was a little more stylish - perfect for this gothic bombshell. Below the boned bodice, I ruched and layered white satin over sumptuous shot black/purple taffeta and layers and layers of white net. The white satin was spangled all over with hand sewn crystals, ready to sparkle under the Vegas lights.
My favourite detail? The hand beaded spider web made from Swarovski crystals. Spooky but subtle.
As a seamstress there are certain things that give me the ick. Usually they`re pretty specific and unless you`re also a dressmaker it might be something you`re completely unaware of.
I`ve always had a ‘thing’ about language generally. I find it really interesting. I`ve noticed how strong a reaction I can have to people using language differently to what I’m used to. And when I notice that I often go on a bit of a deep dive to understand where that difference stems from. I think coming from a historical costuming background also means I love to know the history of things (and despite my instinctive language-conservative leanings, I do actively work on being accepting and open minded, trying celebrate the differences).
That said, please don’t say your dress has a trail!
Snails have trails - dresses have trains! 🐌
Teal shot silk dupion and ivory beaded lace bridesmaids dresses for Nicola » Felicity Westmacott[…] I also made Nicola?s wedding dress, more pictures can be seen in Nicola?s portfolio entry. […]