Each spring, I’m excited to make my annual pilgrimage to the smoke to worship at the altar of bridal design at White Gallery, London. If you think I sound a little enthusiastic, you’d be right: with a personal background in fashion, this is the event that I look forward to most all year. A chance to see my favourite designers’ creations up close, catch up on the industry gossip, immerse myself in inspiration, lace, tulle and sequins.
Officially, White Gallery is one of the leading international designer bridal trade and press shows, gathering the best in British and international bridal design to preview and take to market the gowns and the gorgeous that will be landing in a bridal boutique near you next season.
Unofficially, it’s heaven.
Today, in our first Designer Series feature of 2014, I’m proud to introduce a new name to the pages of this wedding blog, a designer whose work really resonates with my own personal style. Showing for the first time in London this April, and currently without a UK stockist (lets start the campaign now girls!) Christos Costarellos is one to watch.
Costarellos has produced a beautiful, forward thinking collection for 2015 with influences from his Greek heritage and vintage icons. The result? Stunning, new-boho gowns that are totally on the fashion nail for next season.
Oh. YES.
What sort of woman do you design for?
Costarellos says: I don’t think I have a specific woman ‘type’ in mind when I design my dresses, but I believe that my work combines a classical, understated elegance with bold femininity and sensuality. In that sense, I design for women who have a strong personality and are not afraid to show it!
What were your inspirations for this collection?
The Greek landscape, history and tradition is at the heart of each of my collections, and my new bridal collection is no exception. Lace patterns found on Greek islands are combined with lines and forms inspired by one of my favourite designers from the past, Jeanne Lanvin. The collection also pays tribute to another great couturier of the early 20th century, Charles Worth – especially his luxurious embellishments which I find fascinating
What shapes, fabrics and embellishments were chosen for the collection and why?
In order to achieve a sense of vintage allure and lightness, transparent and very fine fabrics have been used in various ways – for instance, we have used 25 meters of tulle for a single skirt so that it would appear both playful and proper. We have also used lace extensively: as a fashion house we have many years of experience in the use of lace, and our new bridal collection is really a celebration of that tradition. Our expertise allows us to combine different kinds of lace in even more daring ways, in order to get a more contemporary look. Naturally, simple lines and forms that reference Ancient Greek dresses have also found their way into this collection, as well as more luxurious silhouettes and materials such as silk organza and embroidered fabrics.
What does 2014/ 2015 hold for your business?
I’m really excited about how our bridal collection has been received so far – it is the first time we have present our gowns abroad and the response has been very positive. We are also presenting our pret-à-porter summer collection in Los Angeles this year, at the Fashion Forwards showroom. As usual, we will be showing our new Spring-Summer 2015 pret-a-porter collection in Paris during fashion week in September and then we will attend NY bridal week in October.
Where can Brides Up North find out more?
You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all our latest news, and also check out our Pinterest boards for additional inspiration and photos! On our website you can browse images from all our latest collections, as well as an updated list with stockists carrying our brand around the world.
Visit the Christos Costarellos website for more information (Ed: the site uses sound so if you are browsing at work, look for the mute button at button at bottom left, or disable your browser sound first).
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2014 Christos Costarellos
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