Now the party season is over and Christmas is a distant memory, many of our clients are turning their thoughts to the upcoming wedding season. Whether you are a bride to be or a professional dressmaker working on a very special commission, our extensive range of stunning Bridal Fabrics will be everything you need for the perfect bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses.
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Queen Victoria's lustrous gown sparked a gown for white wedding dresses.[/caption]
Surprisingly, the white wedding dress is something of a modern phenomenon. Prior to the 19th century, brides rarely purchased a new dress for a wedding ceremony and would walk down the aisle wearing their "sunday best". Dresses were acceptable in almost any colour particularly blue, which was considered to represent purity, piety and a connection to the Virgin Mary however, brides would steer clear of the colour green which was considered to bring bad luck. In years gone by, marriage was not always a union of love between two people who had chosen each other for reasons of trust and companionship but was often a business arrangement between two families for reasons of money and social status and the brides gown would reflect this, chosen to show her family in the best possible light in order to impress her future in-laws. It was not until Queen Victoria wed her sweetheart Prince Albert in 1840, that the white wedding as we know it really started to take off. Accounts of Victoria's lavish wedding spread across the atlantic and brides everywhere began to replicate the extravagance and luxury of Victoria's dress and the white wedding dress would soon become a way of showing off wealth and social ranking with brides wearing dresses made from enormous amounts of bridal fabrics decorated with lavish embellishments. The fashion of wearing opulent white gowns waned during The Great Depression and the Second World War when money and bridal fabrics were scarce and brides once again reverted to wearing their best everyday dress, often in darker colours. Marilyn Monroe famously married Joe Dimaggio in a low key ceremony at San Francisco City Hall in 1954, wearing a black suit with a white fur trimmed collar. However, following the economic boom in the latter half of the 20th Century and taking the lead from iconic brides including Princess Diana and Grace Kelly, brides once again began to drape themselves in luxury bridal fabrics and veils for the most important day of their lives.
It is always this time of year when we eagerly await our delivery of this season's most popular bridal fabrics and brides to be everywhere are enquiring about the most suitable fabrics for their dream dress and their bridesmaid gowns. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be talking you through every aspect of constructing your dream wedding dress, dressing your bridal party and decorating your venue. To give you a little taster of the gorgeous bridal fabrics we will have available this season, here are details of just a few which remain the most popular year on year.
Duchess Satin - the heaviest weight of all of our bridal fabrics, Duchess Satin is our best selling bridal fabric almost every year. Duchess Satin is a popular choice for romantic, traditional wedding gowns and has been used for centuries for sewing couture wedding gowns. Duchess Satin was the fabric of choice for Queen Elizabeth II when she wed Prince Phillip at the age of 21. Her Majesty famously saved up ration cards to purchase the ivory fabric required to construct her gown. Accompanied by a silk tulle veil and with her gown adorned with 10,000 white pearls Elizabeth looked radiant. Duchess Satin remains one of the most popular choices of bridal fabric due to its stunning drape which is perfect for creating full, heavy skirts for a fairytale princess effect.
[caption id="attachment_6228" align="alignright" width="116"]
Kate Moss wore her signature bohemian style for her nuptials in 2011.[/caption]
Taffeta - still a popular bridal fabric, Taffeta took centre stage in the eighties when Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles at Westminster Abbey. Perhaps the most famous wedding dress of all time, Diana's gown was crafted from an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace with an enormous 25 foot train. This smooth, woven bridal fabric is recognised by the distinctive rustling sound it makes when the wearer moves. Taffeta is a bridal fabric with a particularly lustrous appearance and is considered to be a high-end fabric.
Chiffon - when supermodel Kate Moss wed her partner Jamie Hince in 2011, she channelled her signature bohemian style and wowed in a beautiful gown composed of a silk underlay with a gorgeous sheer chiffon over the top. This look is perfect for a less traditional ceremony and is often favoured for beach weddings. Chiffon is a fine and light sheer bridal fabric and is favoured for an elegant and floaty appearance. Chiffon is famous for its beautiful drape and is perfect for flattering an hourglass figure. Ideal for layering, Chiffon can be dyed to almost any shade.
Lace - every wedding season there is a particular style of wedding dress which is favoured over many others. Lately, the lace wedding dress has become particularly popular thanks in no small way to Katherine Middleton who wowed in what has been one of the most anticipated wedding dress designs of recent years. When Katherine stepped out of her car at Westminster Abbey wearing the Sarah Burton for McQueen design, brides everywhere were desperate to emulate her. We stock a variety of lace bridal fabrics including soft lightweight lace and soft corded lace. The most popular choice for bridal gowns is our gorgeous heavy corded lace fabric which is perfect for layering and is available in a variety of colours designed to compliment our other bridal fabrics including our range of satins, and has a beautiful scalloped edges for an ornate design.
[caption id="attachment_6229" align="aligncenter" width="184"]
Katherine Middleton's stunning McQueen wedding dress featuring a lace overlay.[/caption]
Are you getting married this year and making your own bridal gown? If you have any queries with regards to our bridal fabrics, please do not hesitate to call our expert sales team who will be happy to assist you and as always we love to see your pictures on our Facebook page.
Until next time
Calico Laine
Queen Victoria's lustrous gown sparked a gown for white wedding dresses.[/caption]
Surprisingly, the white wedding dress is something of a modern phenomenon. Prior to the 19th century, brides rarely purchased a new dress for a wedding ceremony and would walk down the aisle wearing their "sunday best". Dresses were acceptable in almost any colour particularly blue, which was considered to represent purity, piety and a connection to the Virgin Mary however, brides would steer clear of the colour green which was considered to bring bad luck. In years gone by, marriage was not always a union of love between two people who had chosen each other for reasons of trust and companionship but was often a business arrangement between two families for reasons of money and social status and the brides gown would reflect this, chosen to show her family in the best possible light in order to impress her future in-laws. It was not until Queen Victoria wed her sweetheart Prince Albert in 1840, that the white wedding as we know it really started to take off. Accounts of Victoria's lavish wedding spread across the atlantic and brides everywhere began to replicate the extravagance and luxury of Victoria's dress and the white wedding dress would soon become a way of showing off wealth and social ranking with brides wearing dresses made from enormous amounts of bridal fabrics decorated with lavish embellishments. The fashion of wearing opulent white gowns waned during The Great Depression and the Second World War when money and bridal fabrics were scarce and brides once again reverted to wearing their best everyday dress, often in darker colours. Marilyn Monroe famously married Joe Dimaggio in a low key ceremony at San Francisco City Hall in 1954, wearing a black suit with a white fur trimmed collar. However, following the economic boom in the latter half of the 20th Century and taking the lead from iconic brides including Princess Diana and Grace Kelly, brides once again began to drape themselves in luxury bridal fabrics and veils for the most important day of their lives.
It is always this time of year when we eagerly await our delivery of this season's most popular bridal fabrics and brides to be everywhere are enquiring about the most suitable fabrics for their dream dress and their bridesmaid gowns. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be talking you through every aspect of constructing your dream wedding dress, dressing your bridal party and decorating your venue. To give you a little taster of the gorgeous bridal fabrics we will have available this season, here are details of just a few which remain the most popular year on year.
Duchess Satin - the heaviest weight of all of our bridal fabrics, Duchess Satin is our best selling bridal fabric almost every year. Duchess Satin is a popular choice for romantic, traditional wedding gowns and has been used for centuries for sewing couture wedding gowns. Duchess Satin was the fabric of choice for Queen Elizabeth II when she wed Prince Phillip at the age of 21. Her Majesty famously saved up ration cards to purchase the ivory fabric required to construct her gown. Accompanied by a silk tulle veil and with her gown adorned with 10,000 white pearls Elizabeth looked radiant. Duchess Satin remains one of the most popular choices of bridal fabric due to its stunning drape which is perfect for creating full, heavy skirts for a fairytale princess effect.
[caption id="attachment_6228" align="alignright" width="116"] Kate Moss wore her signature bohemian style for her nuptials in 2011.[/caption]
Taffeta - still a popular bridal fabric, Taffeta took centre stage in the eighties when Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles at Westminster Abbey. Perhaps the most famous wedding dress of all time, Diana's gown was crafted from an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace with an enormous 25 foot train. This smooth, woven bridal fabric is recognised by the distinctive rustling sound it makes when the wearer moves. Taffeta is a bridal fabric with a particularly lustrous appearance and is considered to be a high-end fabric.
Chiffon - when supermodel Kate Moss wed her partner Jamie Hince in 2011, she channelled her signature bohemian style and wowed in a beautiful gown composed of a silk underlay with a gorgeous sheer chiffon over the top. This look is perfect for a less traditional ceremony and is often favoured for beach weddings. Chiffon is a fine and light sheer bridal fabric and is favoured for an elegant and floaty appearance. Chiffon is famous for its beautiful drape and is perfect for flattering an hourglass figure. Ideal for layering, Chiffon can be dyed to almost any shade.
Lace - every wedding season there is a particular style of wedding dress which is favoured over many others. Lately, the lace wedding dress has become particularly popular thanks in no small way to Katherine Middleton who wowed in what has been one of the most anticipated wedding dress designs of recent years. When Katherine stepped out of her car at Westminster Abbey wearing the Sarah Burton for McQueen design, brides everywhere were desperate to emulate her. We stock a variety of lace bridal fabrics including soft lightweight lace and soft corded lace. The most popular choice for bridal gowns is our gorgeous heavy corded lace fabric which is perfect for layering and is available in a variety of colours designed to compliment our other bridal fabrics including our range of satins, and has a beautiful scalloped edges for an ornate design.
[caption id="attachment_6229" align="aligncenter" width="184"] Katherine Middleton's stunning McQueen wedding dress featuring a lace overlay.[/caption]
Are you getting married this year and making your own bridal gown? If you have any queries with regards to our bridal fabrics, please do not hesitate to call our expert sales team who will be happy to assist you and as always we love to see your pictures on our Facebook page.
Until next time
Calico Laine