Posts by TheFashionBrides
FashionBride Interview with Hamra Alam
Since the 1001 nights every girl dreams that one day she’ll meet the perfect man or at least a genie that makes it all worthwhile. But while waiting for the genie, we might as well have an inside opinion on what we should wear (in order to impress the genie or the Arabian prince 😉 ).
Because I care about you so much I thought I’d find out every detail from one of the best Middle Eastern designers of the moment, Hamra Alan. Not sure if my genie did the trick, but Hamra was kind enough to answer patiently to all my questions.
First of all let me thank you for accepting my proposition. It really means a lot to me and to my readers. Tell us more about the way you decided to start this line of business?
I have been a creative girl since I was 7 and knew I would be someone important, I began creating abayas and sheilas but also glamour gowns 2 years ago when I felt there was a missing gap for a niche collection for the modern women.
When you decided to become a designer, when did Hamra Alam plan to conquer this market? And was it hard?
Hamra Alam
so being in a Middle Eastern country, it was a real challenge to be able to create clothes to suit the individual women by making the abays and sheilas one of a kind and allowing the women to feel freedom. So that they can feel like a woman and feel glamorous, giving them the feeling of majesty.
I don’t believe anything is hard in life provided you never lose passion for what you do best, and for me it is design.
Although I lived all my life in the U.K I come from a background also full of colour and the culture is rich, so intertwining the middle eastern culture into my creations was a great achievement and a wonderful experience, my clothes are very practical and yet very mystical, which I believe is a true part of every woman’s identity.
How do you approach the designs for bridal gowns? Do you tend to opt for the usual and traditional forms or you go further and try to innovate.
For weddings, is essential that the bride to be to feel comfortable with the designer and that she has total confidence in her, when you begin to design. I love listening to my clients, getting into their minds and then I begin to create and always give the client beyond their expectation.
Sometimes the client wants something very simple; however I make the simplest dress look so glamorous with brocades and or embroidery of some sort.
Tell us about your latest collection. How was it received?
Well my last collection was part of the Dubai Fashion week in March 2007,
I had the royal family member of Kuwait interested in my creations. The press was quite excited with the creations having a twist and a modern outlook on an indigenous dress.
The white dress was in particular a favorite of the gulf news that featured it in there paper. I had a great audience and a lot if interests for my abayas and sheilas.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration is from the people and cultures around me every day. Also I look in to the history of the Victorian era, I love those clothes.
Do you have a favorite wedding gown you’ve designed over the years?
My favorite wedding gown was for a friend in England, it was a 2 piece with crystals from the head piece and beautiful simple cuts.
What’s the most important aspect that you fallow when creating a gown?
The most important aspect when creating is taking into consideration the clients dream and making it come true, for what she wears is my creation.
Why do brides should choose you to design their gowns?
Not only brides but a lot of clients that want glamorous clothes like my innovative creations and unique style.
Do you also work with your clients? Or they just have the option to buy your gowns as they are?
Clients are welcome for appointment only collections as well as selecting what already has been created to give them an idea of what they should expect.
Have you got any advices for my FashionBride readers?
My advice to all you beautiful women is , wear what looks and makes you feel best, than worrying about wearing what the next top celebrity is, because you are a true celebrity within yourself.
This is what my abayas and gowns portray: “you’ll feel Royal”.
FashionBride Interview – note
Giving the problems WordPress seems to torment me with these days, I’ve decided to post the interview with Ulla Maaria as it is (with some spaces I can’t seem to reduce 🙁 ).
The interview is fabulous so you must read it and learn from a brave and innovative FashionBride. Once again manny thanks to Ulla for being so kind to share this wonderful experience with us. Here are some of the pics that can’t be included in the previous post, due to the …. dam.n
FashionBride Interview with Ulla-Maaria Engeström
People accept to get married because they think that’s the way it should be done, that’s the tradition and it just a thing you have to do once/twice/etc in a life time. When the right moment and the right partner appear they do it. Most certainly the event is boring or … at least weird. Every relative tells them what to do and they understand why everyone hates the in laws. The wedding, for many, is a necessary action. And for others it shows the commitment and stability of one’s relationship.
But there are people in this world that don’t need any of these. Because they are certain of their love and they don’t need to show it off by marriage. That was Ulla-Maaria Mutanen and Jyri Engeström case until they decided to accept a new challenge.
They allowed their wedding to be taken over by some of the world’s top designers. From the bride’s dress (by Dai Fujiwara for Issey Miyake) and ring (by the Finnish jewellery designer, Ikka Suppenen) right down to the chairs that the happy couple sat on during the ceremony, (the French Bouroullec brothers) every element of the wedding was meticulously considered and, in many cases, rigorously reinvented.
Because FashionBride couldn’t miss the event, I’ve made an interview with Ulla, who was kind enough to sit down and tell us all about The DAY.
Well, many thanks and may you have a happy life together (and hugs and kisses for Eliel).
Tell us a bit more about the decision and the proposal.
You might like to read this post about the decision: 2008 was conveniently a leap year, when (according to an old Finnish tradition) women can also take the initiative and propose a wedding. If she gets turned down, the man should buy her a fabric for her wedding dress as a consolation. Luckily Jyri did not turn me down. I remember proposing him from the back seat of our car. He did got a little bit confused, I remember, and lost sense of where we were going. But he said yes!
Ps. Girls, I’ve just found out how to get the fabric 😉 propose to a finn…. But what if he says yes? … hmmm… that’s a risk I’m willing to take 😀
How different was the wedding and by any chance you felt awkward?
I think it was different from a traditional wedding (or the idea that I had of traditional weddings) in two main aspects
First, it was not in a church but at a design studio, and the ceremony master was not a priest but a philosopher (Esa Saarinen). We chose him because priests often make you cry, but a good philosopher makes you laugh.
Second, I did not spent a year preparing the wedding (planning details, trying on dresses and hairdos), in fact, I did not participate in organizing the wedding except for the last two weeks. This was thanks to Laura Sarvilinna and the design project! I also had a fantastic bridesmaid, Tuuli Sotamaa, with whom we planned the ceremony at the Alvar Aalto Studio and the party at the Design Museum. Both women are experienced design professionals.
The fact that everything of the wedding setting and dressing came us as surprise was quite exciting; we only saw the outfits, shoes, chairs, etc. a couple of weeks before the wedding and to be honest we did not even know to expect most of them.
It was certainly a little bit strange to get so much attention at the press conference just before the wedding ceremony, but as soon as the ceremony started, we could forget about that and just enjoy the moment with our family and friends.
Was it a brave gesture to accept this or you had in mind something similar when thinking about your wedding?
I have never really had any particular vision of my own wedding so there was no need to compromise between my own expectations and other people’s ideas. During the process, whatever was suggested regarding the design, we said “yes, that sounds great”. That was not difficult at all since everything, in fact, was so much more than we could have ever expected. Also, we did get to plan and organize the ceremony and the party, and for us it was those private events that made the actual wedding.
Tell us some more about your dress.
How was it to work with Dai Fujiwara?
Meeting Dai Fujiwara at the fitting in Tokyo was a very special moment. Jyri and I immediately felt a connection with him and we had a deep conversation about the idea of the project and the dress. He is a true artist and his works reflect his unique thought world and ideals. We also met with Yoshiyuki Miyamae, the extremely talented designer in Dai’s team who was responsible of the actual design of the dress. People like Dai and Miyamae must have very beautiful minds for being able to design something so perfect.
Did you have any involvement in the gown design?
No, I didn’t.
Did you like it (of course you did :P) and why?
When we arrived to the fitting at the Issey Miyake studio in Tokyo, there was a big hexagon of fabric on the floor. Miyamae said, “That’s your dress”. Then he lifted the hexagon carefully by its two inner corners that had small loops of golden thread sewn on them. It was magical.
The shape started to change and transform into the most beautiful three-dimensional shape that looked like a dress.
I’ve never seen anything like it. This was the only point during the wedding process when I could not prevent the tears.
A couple of weeks later, after the wedding ceremony, I was on the way to the wedding party and I had to lift my dress to step in the car. When I happened to turn the hem of the dress I suddenly saw a little golden Cupido angel woven into the inside of the fabric. What divine design experience!
What do you think is the most important thing that a bride should focus when choosing her gown?
I think the dress should reflect the bride’s personality and values. If there had not been this project, I would have chosen a vintage gown.
Was it hard to wear it, because it sure looks a bit strange when it comes to its shape
Unlike many other wedding dresses, this felt like the most comfortable night gown. It even transformed into a shorter dress, which was necessary for our wedding tango performance!
What about the accessories, what did you wore and how important where they to the whole image (veil, gloves, shoes)?
The gloves, the veil, the tiara and the hexagon-shaped earrings were designed by Issey Miyake. Like the dress, they were all foldable pieces of origami art and complemented the dress beautifully. The extremely comfortable white leather shoes came from Camper. The button corsages were designed by Hella Jongerius, and the golden thread-ring by Ilkka Suppanen. It was amazing how well all these things fit together.
Your husband and your baby also looked unbelievable! Do you think brides should focus on a global wedding design rather than think only on themselves and the way they look? Did you feel a part of the ceremony or the most important part of it (as many brides wish)?
It’s the totality of artifacts, space and people that builds up the special moment. When all elements are equally important they form a beautiful aesthetic story. That also helps avoiding all sorts of unnecessary wedding kitsch. I was no more special than my husband or our son who were both wearing the most incredible outfits. The fabric of my husband’s suit had been made in a small umbrella factory in Japan, and Eliel’s a-POC bear suit was a composition of strange forms on a fabric until they were cut off to be worn.
If you would repeat your wedding what would you change ?
I think I would skip the press conference. 🙂
Can you give a piece of advice to the brides to be and FashionBride readers?
Aim at planning a moment of love and laughter!
FashionBride Icon – Elizabeth Taylor
liz&conrad hilton jr
liz&richard burton
Elizabeth Taylor sure was a FashionBride. Actually she loved so much beeing one that she married eight time with seven different men (she married Richard Burton twice.. now who could blame her :P).
Here are some of the dresses she wore.
with conrad hilton jr
On her wedding day with Conrad Hilton she wore a creation by MGM studio designer Helen Rose– a white satin confection embellished with seed pearls and beading which had taken a number of workers two months to complete.
A sweetheart neckline was covered with a chiffon overlay to reveal just a hint of decolletage. A three-quarter length veil was attached to a cap garnished with pearls combined with a pearl tiara. To complete the all-white motif, the bride carried a bouquet of white orchids.
in father of the bride
Admirers of the movie star who were not on hand to view the wedding ensemble were able to see their idol garbed in an almost identical Helen Rose concoction on the big screen in Father of The Bride, which was released shortly after the nuptials.
wedding to michael wilding
Her story seems to be sad, because she never seems to have found love. But she sure found the way to become a FashionBride.
to Larry Fortensky
FashionBride Interview with Stephanie Staub at Little Eglantine
The wedding day is a very special event in our lives. So we try our best to fit every single detail in a perfect story. The story of a new beginning … And what can be more suitable for a new beginning then children laughing.
That’s also what Stephanie Staub thought when she started developing Little Eglantine … a new start with innocence, candour and love. And these are the exact feelings you receive talking to Stephanie, cause with every word you understand how much her work means to her.
Well, get a cup of coffee, keep your post it’s close (you”ll need it for the tips 😉 ), and read the latest FashionBride interview…
When did you decide to be a designer?
At a very young age, I would watch my Mum design and sew little dresses for me and when I was 10, I decided to make my own shirt. I took my bust measurements, cut the fabric, sew the pieces by hand and… it was big enough for a doll! I did not know I had to include ease allowance! However, within a short time I was designing my own party dresses and when I got married, I designed and made dresses for my flower girls. I then realized how much I loved imagining different shapes, playing with fabrics and colors… I had so many ideas… I wanted to do more for other people …
Why the wedding area?
I guess my first inspiration came from my own wedding. And it is such an important and unique day… The bride and the groom want everything to look perfect and beautiful… I am so impassionate with beauty… I like to think I can add a little touch of beauty and refinement in weddings… It is a kind of gift I wish to offer to the brides…
How important are the outfits of the flower girls and page boys in a wedding?
They are the sweet little touch that adds to the beauty of the couple … You can see tender smiles on people’s faces when they look at flower girls and page boys… It is the spontaneous touch added to the wedding… So making them look gorgeous makes a big difference, especially when they walk along the aisle with the bride… I want children to be beautiful for special occasions. That’s why my creations source their essence in French refinement and good taste, while retaining children’s mischievousness and innocence.
How long does it take to create a collection?
Each dress is unique. For example, I had the idea of my Alexandra dress for winter weddings for more than a year in mind. I have an idea, I let it grow, change, then I play with the fabrics and colors to make them harmonise. Fabric is very important to me. My favorite ones are the exquisite plain and embroidered taffetas I source in Asia. You won’t find these fabrics anywhere in the UK. Then I draw a more technical design and I cut the pattern… So you see, a design can take more than a year to be created!
How long does it take to finish a requested outfit?
We need three months between the time I discuss with the bride to see what design and fabrics would be the best for her wedding, until the time the garments are delivered.
What are the trends this year ?
I would say that this year, a lot of my clients are attracted by pale blue. They love to match it with different embroidered taffetas, so each dress for each wedding is different, but yes, definitely, brides are attracted by pale blue this year. The French often choose the A-line dresses but the British have a preference for more romantic dresses.
Tell us a little bit about your plans.
After having created my own label in France, I exported it in the UK a year ago and it is already a great success… British brides love my designs… So I would like now to see my dresses sold in wedding shops, so that brides, when finding the perfect gown, would also be able to choose their flower girls and page boys outfits.
Last but not least do you have some advices for FashionBride readers?
I always ask my clients if they have a theme in mind for their wedding, or a preferred colour… I find it very important that all the different parts of the wedding (flowers, table decoration, flower girls’ dresses, etc…) are all in harmony. Do not be afraid to put a touch of fantasy in your children’s outfits… Keep children as children, it is what keeps all the charm!