The bridal couture world better watch out - there is a new contender for the crown and, after just leaving college, she is already designing award-winning dresses! Leah Carberry, who has just completed a HND in Fashion Technology, entered the dress in these photos to the Paisley Wedding Dress Designer of the Year 2016 competition and the judges were completely bowled over by its divine beauty and innate professionalism - we are sure you will be too…
Leah has already established herself as a designer of some repute and has been creating custom bridal and eveningwear, along with some children’s clothing for events such as Communion celebrations. She is growing her business as she creates each new item, each of which is designed completely around the individual client but always features her own unique, signature twist.
The dress in these gorgeous photographs is a Leah classic, featuring influences from a wide and diverse selection of sources. She wanted to create a dress that had all the elegance of traditional style but with a modern edge that brought it right up to date - as you can see, she certainly succeeded in her mission! It is daringly low-cut and given a classic silhouette with the mermaid shape, complemented by a silk organza train.
To create the award-winning gown, Leah used a selection of our fabrics (after ordering lots and lots of samples to be absolutely sure she was getting what she wanted!). These included Sublime white silk heavy crepe satin and Evolution white silk organza with two of our own favourite laces:
Alison - Ivory Embroidered Lace
Lustrous and exotic, this is a lace with a mesmeric swirling design that is simply breathtaking. The scalloped edges have a wonderful rise and fall to them and were used along the base of Leah’s extra-special gown.
Mallory - White Beaded Lace
Leah used this lace for the belt and the neckline trim. Mallory lace has been embellished by hand using clear beads and ivory pearls, which alternate to form a tightly-knit pattern of hypnotic delight. This is a very interesting lace and, teamed with the other fabrics, produced the amazing look that is unique to Leah’s work.
We just can’t wait to see what Leah is going to create next - watch this space! Send us your photographs and stories as we love to hear from you and see what you have all created using our fabrics. Is YOUR picture in our online gallery?
