The Dress we all have been waiting for!

I have to admit, I have been very excited to see the Royal wedding since all the speculation has been going on with who is the lucky designer. Of course I wanted it to be me ;)

but alas the name of Lily Bride Designs is still working it's way across the big pond. And I was ecstatic to learn she picked the house of Alexander McQueen, what a fabulous tribute to the label that so recently lost it's creative genius. Great job Sarah Burton!

Also I set the DVR to record the big event early, knowing I'd forget to do it right before bed. And of course I did something silly, like forgetting to turn the darn thing on. So what I have seen of the royal wedding is the snips and pieces of videos on news websites and YouTube. So in this post I will only be commenting on Kate's dress and her sister's.

Kate's dress: honestly, I'm in a love/dis-like relationship with the dress. I'm using dis-like as there is nothing I truly hate about the dress. It still is a very stunning gown.

Likes

I know she has gotten a lot of flack from the British public and tabloids about breaking rules, so I understand why she picked such a classic dress/style. I love the Grace Kelly feel to the gown but with its modern fit and construction. The lace was stunning and the train and bustle were amazing little details that I loved. The veil was a traditional silk tulle with the stunning hand made lace to match her dress, gracing the edges of the veil. I think the earrings were one of my favorite things from her bridal look, I love how they tied into her family crest with the oak leaves and acorns. Oh and how I wish my grandmother had a tiara like that for me to borrow.

Dis-likes

The reason why I am disappointed in the dress as I felt as I had seen it before. And maybe I just need to see more than just the few clips I saw of it. But I wanted my first reaction to be picking my jaw off the floor. I was hoping she would just bend that traditional dress look a little more daringly. Go for a fit and flare silhouette or another style considered "edgy" for a royal wedding, but forgiving enough to still say in the Queen Mum's good graces, by covered shoulders of course, or with traditional laces or old world embellishments.

My Take

Here is the link to the article by INweekly fashion file writer Krista Neilsen. I was interviewed for my input earlier this year, when the internet was a buzz with other famous designer's takes and sketches of what they envisioned the princess-to-be walking the isle in.

http://www.inthisweek.com/view.php?id=2437417

I based my designs off of what other royals brides graced the isle with, but tried to add unexpected details I so wanted to see on her dress.

Then later.....(see picture above)

She removed the lace overlay and added the cropped creamy sweater and rhinestone belt. I loved this look, it felt so much more kate to me, maybe it was because it was the reception and things were winding down. Can't say the same for the house coat Camilla mis-took for a acceptable party dress.

Phillippa (pippa)

LOVED this dress, very youthful, perfect for spring and a beautiful style on her. A lucky family to have been blessed with two equally stunning women. Take her dress, add a tiara, train, veil and little lace and beading and that is very close to what I saw Kate wearing.

Predicted trends

Lace of the more delicate type will make a quick re-appearance, something I'm excited for, I love love love and adore these laces. I see satins stunning wedding guests again, moving away from the flowing chiffon gowns that have been popular for a while. Brides are going to be requesting bodices with the same moulded-like fit and construction of Kate's dress. And of course fuller skirts, longer trains and veils.

I think brides will also take to the royal bride's smaller bouquet and opt for the romance of picking buds according to the language of flowers, with each flower meaning something special as Kate did.

All in all, it was fun to see all the excitement over today's big event. I loved the tradition of the procession, the carriages, guards, and crazy hats.

Grand Opening at Tissu Fine Fabrics!

Lily Bride Designs was the first featured designer at the grand opening of Tissu Fine Fabrics. The event was a complete success! Everyone loved the samples of my two new collections. Very Victorian and La danse de l'amour.

Photos were taken by the fabulous Jon Woodbury and will be posted shortly!

Be sure to check out Tissu Fine Fabrics and Design gallery! My dresses will be on display until the third week of April.

Exciting things are happening!

Happy New Year!

Here at Lily Bride Designs, we are excited to announce some big things happening this year!

First! Two new collections will be produced this year and I'm excited to start production later this month! I was inspired by the feminine charm of the victorian era and ballet dancers. Teasers to come soon!

Second...not sure if I can squeal the news yet, but a feature in a local independent newspaper will be shortly making an appearance on the blog.

And third, look for an invitation to a grand opening sometime this spring to a new fine fabric store, where yours truly will be showing off the above mentioned new collections as the gallery's first featured local designer! Yippeee!!

Website Now Coming Soon!

Hello all! Welcome to my blog!

I'm finally happy to announce that I have now finished all my photo shoots for my two collections and the website is ready for construction! I hope to be able to have things up and running by October. But for now here is a taste of some of the amazing shots that will grace my webpage :D

I want to take a second and give a shout out to all those who helped me get these beautiful photographs!

Andrea Hanks Photography

Aimee Barker of Aimsphotography

Jack Fleming Photography

Elizabeth Martinaeu

Erica Monson

Natalie Wilson

Lindsey Grossenbach

and Taylor!

Please feel free to email me with questions on pricing or any inquiries regarding custom made gowns at lilybridedesignz@gmail.com

Ann's Dress

Congrats to Ann and Robert on your beautiful June wedding! Here are some shots of the custom gown for Ann made by Lily Bride Designs.

Ann wanted something simple and elegant for her wedding; She chose a tea length hem line with waist pleats at the left side with beaded details and three-quater sleeves. The dress was made with crepe back satin with an overlay of crinkled chiffon. It was light and flow-y, perfect for June's warm weather and a back yard reception.

Ann said she felt special and elegant and I'd have to agree doesn't she look great?!

Lily Bride Designz Spring gowns 2010

Silk Charmeuse and Chiffon empire waist gown with braided detail at neckline and waist

Silk Charmeuse and Chiffon gown with low waisted latice braided bodice and gathered skirt with beaded belt
Poise de Soie satin with crinkle chiffon overlay, high collar and belt with embellished ribbon detail and beading.
Silk Satin Crepe with Chiffon overlay. Hand made silk ribbon embroidery detail at low waist line and shoulder.
Silk Shantung in indigo and white with black silk charmeuse belt and handmade flower details at shoulder, waist and skirt front

Pure Simple Elegance.
Inspired by Greece, Lily Bride will help you feel like a goddess on the day of all days...your wedding. Five gorgeous gowns made of the finest silks and fabrics with attentive hand made details that will leave your guests speechless. Each dress is custom made to your figure and color pallet.
Price upon request

Team Stacey and Mary win!

So I entered this contest with school (SLCC Fashion Institute) and a Utah based fashion magazine; Utah Styleliste. It was based off the hit show Project Runway. We had to construct a garment with in less than twenty-four hours. We started at 10 am Thursday and was allowed a $50 budget at Yellow Bird fabrics ( the best high end store we have here for fabrics..check it out its on 33rd S. and 2828 E. beautiful designer fabrics!) and a half and hour to design something. We teamed up with other students as well.

When we went to Yellow Bird they had us line up outside like on Project Runway and book into the store when the host said "GO!" and we had to act stressed like they do on Project Runways, although most of us got there before the host and had a chance to pick out what we wanted. Stacey my team member and I found some beautiful silk chiffon to use.
Oh and we had to be inspired by Haiti because it was for an art benefit where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the relief fund.

I was real impressed how well we were able to work together and we had a lot of fun getting to know each other and the other designers in the competition although it really wasn't as cut throat as Project Runway, since we were helping each other out and chatting and ordered pizza from The Pie. It was more like one big late night sewing party. We were able to use the school until 10pm and then had finish at home, Stacey and I finally made it to bed at 2:30 am because the top we designed was really complex and took all our time at the school.
So here are some of the pictures of our WINNING design and the other's teams work.
I wanted to explain the reason why we did what we did.

We were given pictures from Haiti to get our brains designing and the top of the dress is layers of pieces of knit each sewn on individually and this represents the layers of rubble from the buildings. The Haitian flag has a saying similar to In unity there is strength and the braid represents that. We then chose the fabric for the skirt because if you look closely you can see the blown up butterfly wings. We liked the bright colors and meant it to show that Haiti can re-build to something more beautiful. I loved how Stacey picked out the poka-dot fabric to use underneath to give more texture and design, we put a layer of black under to help make the colors pop.