Ask The Expert – Catherine Shaw
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Posted in Ask the Expert , Fashion Focus
Every bride wants their wedding to be unique and personal to them, and a personally-tailored dress is the perfect way of injecting your character and personality into your special day. So, as part of our “ Ask the Expert ” series, I’m delighted to invite Catherine Shaw, wedding gown designer and founder of Allbone and Trimit , to explain more about what goes into creating a bespoke wedding dress.
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1. Can you tell us a bit more about you and your company?
My background is in theatre costume, and I spent nearly 20 years working within theatre both here and in Australia. I started work with the English National Opera in the costume department and worked my way up to become a cutter in the woman’s wardrobe. I carried on working in the theatre after I emigrated to Australia in 1993, making costumes at the Opera House Australia and for the Cameron Macintosh musicals that came to Sydney.
During my time in theatre I worked with people such as Jonathon Miller, Gerald Scarfe, Lesley Garret, Catherine Zeta Jones, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin (of ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Australia’ fame). After returning to England I set up my Studio, making bespoke wedding dresses and cocktail frocks with a theatrical and quirky twist.
I love colour and the idea that a dress worn for one of the most important days of a girl’s life should only be white, cream or ivory, then put in a box and left under the bed forevermore, is so restricting. It was Queen Victoria who made the ‘White Wedding Dress’ popular, as she broke with tradition for a Royal Bride and refused to wear silver silk tissue. Before then, however, girls had their wedding dress made in beautiful colours and of the finest fabric the family could afford, and after the wedding the dress was used as a very best dress.
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2. Your designs are quite different to the traditional wedding gown – who does your work predominantly appeal to?
Most of my clients are looking for something different to the usual ‘white uniform’ of the traditional wedding dress – a dress that reflects their personality, who and where they are in life. The age range is anywhere between 30 and 60. I love to design for my clients’ individuality, to enhance all their good qualities and disguise those they like least. I like to make an outfit that can be worn again as a core part of their ‘dressing up wardrobe’. If the outfit is made up of, say, 3 pieces these can be separated and used with other items in their wardrobe, or a long dress can be shortened to be used as a cocktail frock. My motto is “only ever wear clothes that make you want to do a small dance” and I like to encourage my clients to dance!
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3. What are the most important things a bride should think about if she is considering a personally-designed wedding dress?
The most important thing she will be considering is the uniqueness of her dress…something that is designed for her alone that can incorporate many facets that are special to her. The fact that this dress is created for her and made in England by experts in their field makes it so much more special.
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4. Can you talk us through the process of creating a dress from scratch?
At an initial consultation I take notes of where the wedding will be held, the time of year, how big the wedding will be, what the budget is, the brides taste in clothes etc. I want to know as much as possible about the woman I am designing for.
From this information I then draw up initial designs for her to view. Once we have finalised the design and fabric choice the magic begins! I make a pattern to my client’s exact measurements, followed by a ‘toile’, which is a copy of the dress made in calico. At the first fitting this is altered to fit perfectly and allows for any design adjustments to take place before the chosen fabric is cut into.
There are usually a further 4-5 fittings, and at each fitting small alterations will be made to the garment to ensure that the dress or outfit fits like a glove. Some dresses require an in-built corset to keep them secure. This will be made first and the dress is cut to fit over the corset, as a corset will subtly change the woman’s shape whilst still being comfortable to wear. The whole experience of having a dress made is very special and I have become great friends with a number of my clients over the years.
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5. How long should a bride allow for her dress to be made?
I advise allowing at least 6 months to make the dress – the longer the better as it can take a couple of months to source the perfect fabric and then there is the organisation of fittings. I have made dresses with a two month window span and this is possible when the bride and myself are very clear about what we have in mind. Some brides come to see me a year before they are getting married which means the dress can ‘grow’ organically without too much stress. I love to think that my clients are having a lovely time when their dress is being made and the whole experience is a joyful one.
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6. How much, on average, do your bespoke gowns cost?
The average dress costs between £1200 and £1500 to make up excluding fabric, but is very dependent on design and budget.
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Thank you, Catherine, for taking the time to share your wealth of experience and knowledge. If you like the idea of wearing something a little bit different on your wedding day then be sure to check out Catherine’s website here for further information and more examples of her beautiful creations.