FASHION AND BEAUTY 69 VINTAGE VIBES Eden Keshia, a luxury atelier specialising in vintage bridal wear and Buckinghamshire-based Love & Loved Bridal Boutique have teamed up to offer fashion-conscious, vintage-loving, eco-brides access to a carefully curated edit of vintage wedding dresses. The collaboration between Eden Keshia and Love & Loved Bridal is a match made in heaven, each with a vision to bring contemporary wedding wear to brides seeking originality and sustainable, luxury bridal fashion. To help brides on their vintage wedding dress journey, Love & Loved Bridal and Eden Keshia have shared their advice on how to shop and wear vintage on your wedding day. They tell us, “Shopping vintage is not only a sustainable way to choose your wedding dress but can also be stylish too. Since vintage pieces were made before fast fashion took a firm grip on us all, and before online shopping was the thing, vintage clothing is often much more desirable and durable. Clothing needed to have hanger appeal so the fabrics are often more tactile and interesting compared to what we see today. Of course, people wanted to know what they were buying would last and so vintage clothing is often high quality and why we are still able to wear it today.” What’s your vintage style? “When shopping vintage, you do not have to compromise on your style. Purchase items that are reflective of your personality and suit your style. Consider the era of vintage you love. Seek out specialists in these areas or use a sourcing service, provided by Eden Keshia to seek out the perfect gown. However, don’t limit yourself and consider mixing eras harmoniously to create a more original look. Also, consider what’s already in your wardrobe. Seek out patterns, textures and colours that you know you love and try to find them in a wedding dress.” What if I can’t find what I’m looking for? “If you can’t quite find what you’re looking for then consider whether a vintage item can be tweaked or redesigned to become the gown you dream of. Or perhaps you have found a vintage dress, skirt, top or fabric that you love. This can be used to make a new dress or part of your wedding outfit. Remember, you don’t have to be confined to just one piece. An expert designer and maker such as Eden Keshia can work with you to bring more than one gown together, utilising fabrics, embellishments and other details, creating an entirely new gown while staying true to the original pieces. Offcuts and fabrics from smaller garments can be used to make wedding accessories, such as veils, belts and bags. Nothing needs to go to waste! Does a family member have a gown that can be handed down? If you are lucky enough to inherit a family heirloom, perhaps your grandmother’s wedding dress then consider whether it could work for your wedding. If the dress is too small, the fabric and its embellishments can be reused. If the style isn’t quite right then it can be modified. It’s amazing what a difference you can make with a fresh and modern perspective on pieces. Choosing vintage on your wedding day gives precious items a second life. By choosing vintage you are challenging fast fashion and the bridal industry which will make an impact on future trends and how bridal fashion becomes available to future brides. Most of all, choosing vintage will give you an original wedding day look that will be unique to you and packed with sentiment.” www.loveandloved.co.uk www.facebook.com/loveandlovedbridal www.instagram.com/loveandlovedbridal STYLE ALERT Eloise Rose Design is a start-up wedding business and founder Eloise has a wealth of experience from her time as a theatre and costume designer. Having always been fascinated with fashion, textiles, and formalwear, she has a vast knowledge of traditional and contemporary fashion. When she became engaged, she knew that she wanted to use her experience to create her own wedding dress which led her into the world of designing wedding dresses, formalwear and bridal wear that accentuates the wearer as a person, capturing their unique personality and representing everything about them. This navy dress, with the veil, is designed to represent winter weddings and without the veil, this dress can also work well for bridesmaids. The gathering in the skirt is designed to bring a softness and elegance to complement the sheer bodice while the curved boning is designed to represent femininity. I chose to complement this dress with a bouquet of winter blooms that also capture these ideas of strength and beauty. The design of this white dress was influenced by two sources – the freedom and playfulness of a wildflower meadow combined with the first gentle glimpse of spring on a winter’s walk. The dress is meant to provoke feelings of this being the end of one chapter, and the start of another. I believe that a bride’s transformation should pay homage to the person they were before whilst also being the first step on their new adventure. New for 2024 is that Eloise Rose Design will be in attendance at more than double the number of wedding fairs than in 2023, with five scheduled across Berkshire in the spring. We’re also looking forward to the first time that one of our dresses will be worn to a gala event. We still have availability for 2024 dates and encourage brides to reach out – bespoke doesn’t have to mean expensive! www.eloiserose.co.uk www.facebook.com/people/Eloise-Rose/100092460471765 www.instagram.com/eloiserosedesign
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