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Vows for a second wedding - Telegraph
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Vows for a second wedding
Last time, you were a princess? And now? Fiona Clare, bridal designer, shares some tips with Phong Luu.
BY Phong Luu |16 June 2010
Reared on the televisual fodder of Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and Ghostbusters , I was a late subscriber to the romantic world of the Disney films, with their princes and princesses. Cynicism ruled. What if there wasn't a happy ending for Snow White and her prince? What if she ended up remarrying one, or all, of the seven dwarves in succession, Elizabeth Taylor-style? Most important, would she go for a princess-y bridal gown again?
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For many real women who've done the fairy-tale wedding first-time round, the last scenario will strike a chord: what do you wear for your second wedding? How can you convey the fairy tale again without the highfalutin frock, especially if you're slightly older? (The average age of first-time brides is rising and is now 33.8 years.)
Enter Fiona Clare, the award-winning bespoke bridal-wear designer. "I think it's about striking the right balance and trying not to go over the top,
hogen footwear," she says. "Simplicity is without doubt more sophisticated, but it doesn't mean you're playing down the celebratory element."
Clare, who is in her forties, was a recent second-time bride herself. "I wanted my dress to be special, but since I'd been widowed, I also wanted it to be different from my first wedding," she says, describing the traditional gown complete with train in champagne-coloured duchess satin that she had worn as a 33-year-old bride.
"I didn't want anything too obviously bridal," she says. "It was a case of angling towards something fitting for my age. I wanted something I would enjoy wearing again and again, but most of all, I just wanted to feel amazing." She got married last October in a silver silk zibeline coat adorned with crystal beads over a Chantilly lace-trimmed dress. "It nearly finished me!" she laughs. "It took two days just to get the pattern right for my coat."
As a self-confessed shoe fiend, Clare's inspiration came from a pair of blue-grey silk shoes with a diamanté buckle by Manolo Blahnik. "Some brides have strong ideas about what they want," she says, but for others, it's wise to take advice from a professional.
So what about a fairy-tale frock for second time around? "You do get brides who didn't have the fairy-tale gown for their first marriage going for a flamboyant dress. One client is getting married in a showy chiffony number, complete with train. It's a beautifully feminine dress that's appropriate for all brides, but particularly perfect for a second marriage as the sleeves offers coverage and the dropped back offers just a seductive hint of skin."
What colours should the bride go for? "White is a bit of a no-no for a second wedding. Cream, cappuccino, pearl, champagne and ivory are popular, but some go for an outrageous shade. One got hitched in a purple frock; another had emerald-green."
What if she is conscious of her tummy? "Consider soft corsetry: the secret is in the undergarments. A lot of my gowns are fitted with a hidden corset so the dress hangs better, while disguising any lumps and bumps. Also try an empire-line cut with a hidden corset, or ruching; contrary to opinion,
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What if the bride is pear-shaped? "A fitted, flared skirt that glides down and over the thighs will elongate the hips." If she's short? "Go for a dress in an unbroken fabric: make sure it is lace or satin, for example, all the way through. A V-neck will also help - it's all about the illusion."
Broad shouldered? "Bring the shoulders in to cut down the width." And the final head-scratcher: what if she doesn't want to show too much flesh? "I'd suggest a sleeve, but you have to be careful: a heavy, long sleeve can age you. It needs to be in a lighter fabric, such as chiffon or lace."
Maybe it's the ubiquity of the strapless gown,
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timberland roll top, irrespective of age, want to be more covered up now. Clare shows me a beautiful lace bolero with fluted sleeves that she has designed for one of her clients. In a similar vein,
beats monster, she will be launching a line of ready-to-wear bridal coats in the autumn. "I feel there's a gap in the market for classic, beautifully made cover-ups. There will be five basic shapes, which can be tailor-made for the individual. A coat is incredibly stylish and can give you definition if you don't have a waist."
She cites, as an example, the porcelain-blue and gold embroidered coat created by British designers Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine for Camilla Parker Bowles's marriage to the Prince of Wales in 2005 (Clare designed the coat and dress ensemble worn by Annabel Elliott, Camilla's younger sister).
"A second wedding is likely to be a more demure occasion, so I would encourage any brides marrying for the second time to ring the changes to reflect their mood. Don't try to be a princess again: be - and feel - like a goddess instead."
Bespoke wedding dresses, from ￡3,000, Fiona Clare, Bridge Lane,
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