Though there are many fine ready-to-wear bridal gowns available to buy, more and more brides and their guests are employing the expert skills of creative and exclusive independent designers to create one-of-a-kind garments. One such designer, Clem Short of Clem Short Couture, recently shared some photographs of a stunning wedding dress she has skilfully created using Jessica lace from Platinum Bridal Fabrics.
At just 12 years old and deciding that the clothes in shops "didn't match the ideas in her head", Clem began experimenting with fabric and patterns, quickly learning to make her own clothes instead. A degree in Fashion Design followed by a coveted 4-year studentship place at the Victoria & Albert museum gave Clem a unique insight into a wide range of fabrics, particularly fragile, fine and feminine materials such as lace and silk. Drawing on this rich well of experience, Clem continues to create a range of bespoke bride's, bridesmaids' and other wedding guests' garments of truly beautiful quality, as well as offering a full alteration and customisation service.
Bride-to-be Kirstie Chart was originally looking for a dress for her mother though, after a visit to see Clem's work, decided that Clem was the person she wanted to create her own bespoke wedding dress. Clem contacted Platinum Bridal Fabrics to order a range of samples which she then showed to Kirstie; the bride-to-be had decided on a cream-coloured lace to complement her striking auburn hair. After much deliberation, Kirstie decided on Jessica lace, a corded and beaded design that has particularly defined light-catching qualities. Jessica's motif, a triptych of beaded and sequinned floral bouquets highlighted with pale gold filigree thread, looked absolutely perfect over Kirstie's chosen full-bodied matt-finish silk dupion and was also used to great effect around the hem of the skirt.
Kirstie was incredibly happy with the final dress and took the time to leave a glowing review on Clem's painstaking work, stating that she was "so grateful to Clem for making me the perfect dress for my wedding and for making the process so enjoyable. After looking in countless shops for a dress and not being able to find something that I loved and fitted well I found out about Clem. She was always flexible and continued to make adjustments after various fittings of the dress which ensured that it fitted me perfectly and was exactly what I wanted. I absolutely love my dress and am so glad that I found Clem!"
We asked Clem to tell us about her experience with Platinum Bridal Fabrics and she told us, "I have used Bridal Fabrics before and will use them again, particularly for lace and for crystal trims. I am building up a good selection of sample hangers of lace, and am happy to order new ones for clients, knowing that it helps future brides to make an informed choice. The price is absolutely worth it for the usefulness of being able to drape the lace over different base cloths and see exactly how it will look, which you really can't do with small samples. The staff on the phone are always helpful and delivery is always really quick and reliable."
We would like to thank Kirstie and Clem for sharing their story and the wonderful photographs. You can see more of Clem's work here on her website
For more information on Jessica or any of our other wedding dress material, including ordering samples of our comprehensive and stylish collection, please call our team today on 01254 873333 or email us at info@bridalfabrics.co.uk.
