The Wedding Gown – Preserve it or Trash it?

It’s nearly 15 years since my wedding and I have taken the extraordinary step of preserving the gown now!

It’s extraordinary because I have been outrageously slack and had this gorgeous couture gown – the most expensive and stunning outfit I ever owned – just hanging there in the back of the closet in it’s broken garment bag. (zip broke!).

I finally felt really bad about this state of affairs. How could I do this to such a prized & precious possession? A warning if you have just got married – this could happen to you. Once the day’s all over you might get lazy and apathetic about this frock that was the obsessive focus of your world for months!! The warning that I give you is this. If you have spilled (like me) just the tiniest bit of champagne on a cream or white gown then it will caramelise on the fabric leaving an awful DARK YELLOW STAIN!!

You won’t know until you pull it out years later and you’ll be very disappointed in yourself for being so careless. My sad experience illustrates negligence leads to extra dollars being outlaid. I found I just couldn’t live with a spoiled wedding dress - too tragic - and it prompted me to have it properly preserved and stored. (14 years and 4 months later.) Of course as the very nice team at The Wedding Gown Specialists told me, had I been smart and done this earlier it wouldn’t be nearly such a drama to remove the mess accumulated on the sumptuous lace and silk chiffon.
So serious advice for the just married – get the gown all cleaned and put away properly in a nice box if you want to maintain the garment in good condition and you don’t want it to cost you a bomb later.

On the other hand another option is to trash it! Like my Mum, dye it black, chop it off and turn it into a cocktail dress. (She is sooo unsentimental and I am the opposite!) Funnily enough the gown preservers even suggested that to me, as it would have hidden the stain. I guess this way you may wear it again.

Another trend in the US I just discovered is called “Trash The Dress”. Girls are doing funky post –wedding photo shoots in their wedding dress, accessorised with wild colours and chunky jewellery. Check it out - it may be your thing:

http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/07/courtesy_photo_kelly_bramanfro.html

Not sure about that but each to their own!

Others just jump in the sea right after the wedding! (see below)

Prefer to preserve?

http://www.weddinggownspecialists.com.au/wgssite.htm



image courtesy of Leo Farrell

ECO Couture!

Sometimes I lie in bed and worry about the planet.
Is this just me?
There’s so much waste in the world. I even feel guilty lately about my wardrobe - it’s always expanding! (no self control), even though I actually don’t need anything. How bad I am at recycling!

The recycled vintage fashion movement actually really attracts me. I love the look of fabulous old pieces. If they are really good quality and gorgeous styles of clothes they don’t date. They are unique and brilliant. But when I walk into one of those recycle shops I feel like I am looking through my own wardrobe and what I really should do is go home and look through the racks of my own old clothes! (I am a hoarder). I am bound to find similar things in my own cupboard. In other words I don’t really need new outfits all the time. There’s a heap sitting there in my home both vintage & brand new! I must find ways to be more sustainable. I also worry about cheap disposable fashion becoming landfill!! We all have too much especially those of us keen to be on-trend. Not to mention all the other fashion related climate change concerns eg: – what chemicals they use to make dyes and synthetic fabrics etc
Anyway I digress – let’s talk wedding gowns. This huge purchase and you only wear it for one day. The ultimate waste – or is it?
Seeing the heading Eco couture when google searching bridal fashion trends got me thinking positively. There are committed people out there who are tackling creatively all my niggling concerns. Thank God!
So enough about my guilt & neurosis – I think all you brides-to- be without a gown yet should read this. It’s definitely food for thought:

http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/07/16/hot-eco-couture-wedding-gowns-from-bridal-fashion-designer-adele-wechsler/

Also this Canadian based Eco designer’s website. She has some great philosophical ideas about adornment and ways to deepen the meaning of a bride’s special day through what she wears.
http://adelewechsler.com/latest/home.html

Cheers
Kirstie
(Caring about the world we live in!)

A One Off!!

In these times when we are supposed to be thoughtful and careful about spending money and the $$$ are to be hemorrhaged on a wedding (and let’s face it - that’s what it feels like) then the end result better be very special!

In particular spending on the wedding gown. There’s no doubt that it is a girl’s main focus from the minute she’s engaged until she has her look all sorted. (For some it has been a focus since childhood!)
So my point is when times are tough a distinctive object of beauty is very desirable. Not just a run of the mill frock but a truly beautiful gown with some fascinating twist, an element of surprise in the design, some “WOW factor” and most treasured of all characteristics – uniqueness! A UNIQUE creation has to be highly valued in a gloomy atmosphere of budget slashing.
I thought of this as I have recently spoken to a few different designers who have noticed an adventurous spirit with clients, a willingness to try different colour and embellishments. I am so relieved to hear that after what seemed like years of the boring (sorry if I offend anyone) A-line strapless gown being ubiquitous! It must mean that brides are thinking about how to stand out and have that super special day in an outfit to make the guests gasp!
So how can we stay gorgeous, glamorous, pretty and unusual. (can you hear Kath & Kim ringing in your ears?).
Some touches that have struck me as having a bit of an edge and that would lift the bridal look into a more distinctive fashion statement.

• Vintage embroidered caplets or boleros. I am thinking elaborate beaded pieces or very special fabric. (check these top 2 images from Gwendolynne, one of my favourite local designers – very 1920’s.)
• Arresting colour – gold, silver, red, emerald green
• Hand painted fabric – there are some incredible fabrics out there (see pic of the full skirt on the right and check the delicate pattern.).
• The use of some sentimental jewellery or fabric incorporated into your gown eg:– Mum’s old wedding lace, Granny’s stunning antique brooch incorporated into the dress design at the bodice, waist or strap.
• Amazing headpiece – flapper style beaded headbands, silk flowers, real jewels. (see below)
There is a real point to starting from scratch with design, fabric, accessory ideas etc when your aim is for something out of the ordinary. Couture wins again! Go for it – you only get married once! (best case scenario!)

Kirstie