Dear All – it was wonderful to reconnect with so many of you after the return of our newsletter in January, thank you for your lovely messages. It seems that spring is well and truly in the air with some gloriously blue skies, sunny days and the delightful blooms of spring flowers.
Winter Sunshine
I enjoyed a dose of winter sunshine in February with a lovely trip to Malaga, where I arrived to find that a Versace exhibition had just opened, which couldn't have been better timed! This exhibition is beautifully presented in the former Bishop's Palace, Centro Cultural Fundación Unicaja, and it’s a perfectly curated timeline of Gianni's life and career.
It was a lovely reminder of my early years working in Italy, and visiting the Versace boutique in Florence with the colours, cut and excitement of his designs.
Gianni’s shows brought the birth of the supermodel, collections rich with opulent prints, sexy designs and his trademark classical Greek gold trimmings. When combined with 80's and early 90's music, Gianni's collaborations with Elton John, George Michael and Prince, the atmosphere was electric.
Many of you will remember “That Dress” worn by Elizabeth Hurley for the premiere of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ which demonstrated the incredible power of dress, elevating her from a virtually unknown actress and turbo charging her to become the internationally recognised figure she is today. Gianni Versace lived the colourful life of his rich designs in opulent homes in Como, New York and Miami.
Sadly he died too young in tragic circumstances outside his Miami Beach mansion but he will forever be remembered for being a pioneering and extraordinarily creative couturier. I highly recommend a visit to the exhibition, which is on until 30 June visits can be booked mediacionculturalmalaga@fundacionunicaja.com
Classic Cars and Haute Couture
During my few days in Malaga, I found myself in car and fashion heaven at https://museoautomovilmoda.com Located in the old Tabacalera neighbourhood of Malaga, the stunning museum building presents an extraordinary private collection covering the history of the automobile, haute couture and other luxurious objects with unique models and designs never displayed before.
I adore the sculptural shapes, proportions, glamour and romance as well as the innovative design and incredible craftsmanship of classic cars, and what an amazing collection is exhibited here. This permanent display is a historical record from the very first petrol motors, through the glamorous years to the space age design of electric and solar power cars.
One car interior is lined with mink, another’s opulent ‘ceiling’ has a central Lalique crystal medallion with a sunray of pleated silk. It’s a feast for the eyes with the most exquisite details in carpentry, handles, seats and cabinets - the antithesis of our modern mass produced vehicles!
The fashion was interesting too - with it’s "The Show Must Go On" collection of vintage clothing created by famous brands, such as Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Balmain, McQueen and Prada, displayed with links to the period, colouring or status of the accompanying vehicle.
A room is dedicated to millinery, filled with a most beautiful collection of vintage hats and headpieces. I appreciated every piece in the museum for the combination of exquisite materials, fabulous design and incredible craftsmanship, and I highly recommend a visit.
The Season
The ultimate time of year for occasionwear so as you can imagine, we’ve been busy as clients are planning their outfits for forthcoming events this summer. We're on a roll with consultations and fittings with mothers of the bride and groom, wedding guests, Ascot and horse racing goers.
I'm so lucky to love what I do, collaborating with my regular clients, meeting new ones and helping them all bring their ideas for a bespoke piece to a reality. It's always such an exciting process and I pride myself on giving the same attention to detail to every commission, whether it's a wedding dress or a working wardrobe staple.
Bride of the Month
As well as helping our clients with upcoming summer events from parties to weddings, we’re constantly busy with bridal consultations and designs, for wedding locations all over the UK, Greece, Italy, and on our doorstep at the eternally beautiful Fulham Palace.
This month’s featured bride is Sue who got married to Mal last July. The first communication with Sue about her wedding dress aspirations was by email, she wanted a simple classic style wedding dress in ivory silk. When Sue came to try sample dresses at our shop she was smitten by our “Lotte” wedding dress.
Although this particular dress is simple in silhouette its unique beauty is in the lightness, and exquisite hand embellishment - laser cut flowers and beads of different shapes and sizes are painstakingly hand stitched onto the dress fabric, with varying density through the design.
Sue's dress looked beautiful, and was perfect for the setting of her wedding at Orleans House, a Palladian villa built in 1710 at Marble Hill. Within our brief was the necessity to climb over a stile en route to the reception, which Sue pulled off in great style, arriving at the stunning Petersham Nurseries without a hair out of place, perfectly relaxed, very happy and looking beautiful amongst the stunning floral displays and gardens.
"Thank you so much for making my wedding dress. It was so lovely. The whole process from the initial meeting to the final completed dress was seamless. Allison is so professional, but even more importantly she is such a lovely thoughtful lady and by the end she felt like a friend. I would highly recommend her. Everyone loved my dress and I felt very special, so thank you again" - Sue
Photographer: Ami Robertson
There’s a first time for everything
In January I was delighted to be invited by the founders of Fulham Social Hub to join them in VOXPOD studios, Parsons Green, to record an episode of Fulham Chronicles. This podcast features discussions with SW6 residents, business owners and brands. It was a great conversation that brought back memories of how it all began, turning a passion
into a career something I’m always so grateful and thankful for.
Amongst other things we talked about my first job as assistant designer to the Emanuels and which fashionista I’ve got my eye on this year …you might be surprised or even shocked to find out who! You can listen to the episode on Apple, Spotify or you can watch (!) on YouTube here
https://youtu.be/ULmmDagYOek?si=YvCmJ_hvVkfxkX0q
“Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live” - Gianni Versace
We’ll be in touch again soon with more news, and until then have a wonderful spring, Happy Easter and please don’t hesitate to call or pop into the shop if we can help you with any bespoke pieces for upcoming occasions.
