Luca Latrofa – Sassi Holford
You may recall from our social media feeds being flooded with catwalk shots and videos that we headed down to London a few weeks’ ago for the bridal fashion event of the year – The White Gallery. Combined with London Bridal Fashion week for the first time, the event was bigger than ever with a host of both British and international designers in attendance to showcase their new collections to bridal boutique owners and members of the press, like us!
As always, we were totally blown away by the designers’ stunning creations and their ability to reinvent what we know to be wedding dresses time and time again while also pushing bridal boundaries to incorporate more fashionable elements for full-on style, impact and individuality.
Whilst there we always love to catch up with the northern boutique owners that we work closely with on both Brides Up North and UNVEILED magazine. This includes fabulous bridal fashion guru Hayley Hoyle, who is the proud owner of Yorkshire-based boutiques, The Bridal Collection Harrogate and The Harrogate Wedding Lounge.
With an expert eye for what brides want in terms of style, fit and functionality, Hayley is 100% in the know when it comes to spotting the next big thing, and so we’ve invited her to the blog today to report on the collections that caught her attention at the latest White Gallery event so you lovely readers are well informed of the upcoming trends when setting out on your dream dress search.
Images provided by Hayley Hoyle unless credited.
Jenny Packham – Rosa
hayley says
: Buying new collections is such a big and important part of our job in the bridal industry. Forward thinking stores use the opportunity as staff training and by way of ensuring stylists and seamstresses are invested in the product, the brands and as a way of introducing the team to emerging trends. I have always involved my team in the selection of our collections, it keeps our team at the top of their game, knowledgeable and enables them to provide an exceptional and authentic experience to our brides back in the boutiques.A couple of weeks ago myself and a few team members went along to our biggest buying event of the year. London Bridal Fashion Week and The White Gallery, this year the shows occupied one space all together at Excel London and we also attended 2019 collection launches at The Ritz and Home House by both Jenny Packham and Suzanne Neville.
In my honest opinion there is very little out of fashion in bridal at the moment; as an industry very much focused on embracing your individual style and executing it perfectly. However, there are some notable trends emerging and staying put. Here’s our round up of the hot looks to watch out for in the coming season.
necklines
Suzanne Neville – Orianna
This season we are seeing a big emergence of the scoop neckline. We saw soft and flattering versions for designers such as Caroline Castigliano and Suzanne Neville finished with delicate lace shoulders or subtle shoe string straps. Keep your eye out for new dresses Sakura from Caroline Castigliano and Floriana from Suzanne Neville.
The plunge neckline is also here to stay. As brides are getting braver and designers getting more adept at pulling this look off with class and sophistication we will be seeing a lot more of this sexy statement look. Some of our favourites for this season is Rosa by Jenny Packham and Vivian from Sassi Holford.
fabrics
Sassi Holford – Portia
Tulle is back for 2019 in a big way. Fluid and romantic its such gorgeous fabric to work with and is beautifully feminine. Skirts are kept soft and romantic and even the fullest of skirts this year possess a light and airy feel. A favourite of ours was the glamorous sequined tulle of the Seraphina gown from Suzanne Neville and we loved the light as air feel to the Portia gown from Sassi Holford
Crepe remains a staple in our British designers’ collections and nobody does a classic, beautifully cut silhouette in a simple crepe like Suzanne Neville. This year our favourite was off the shoulder beauty Orianna – classy, elegant and chic.
Texture such as feathers and tassels are becoming more popular across the board with most designers dipping their toe in this area in some way. We loved Sassi Holford’s Yvonne skirt, the tassels create beautiful movement and are a really fun look. We also loved the textures in the new Marylise and Rembo Styling collections, in particular a gorgeous spot tulle gown with a plunging neck and low back!
colours
Jenny Packham – Thistle
Warm shades continue to push through and make waves in a sea of Ivory. Pretty blush tones mix with mochas and nude tones. The Caroline Castigliano and Blue by Enzoani collections executed this look perfectly.
backs
Marylise
Whether square, scoop, illusion, plunging or sparkly, back detail is here to stay. Some of our favourite backs came from the Rembo Styling and Enzoani collections. Just remember as amazing as they can look, from a practical point of view, if you need to wear a bra they may be a no go.
Caroline Castligliano – Sakura
New collections will start to arrive into my Harrogate boutiques from July to September. We can’t wait to get our gorgeous collections in store and show brides the exceptional designers we are so proud to work with.
the big picture
