Tuesday 24 December 2013

We wish you a Merry Christmas...!

Dear Reader

We'll be back in the New Year to share lots more vintage wedding dresses, advice and inspiration...
HVB vintage wedding blog, Christmas greetings
Meanwhile, I'm sending you my very best Christmas wishes in the form of these charming original vintage Christmas cards... Hope you enjoy them! New ones added below each day...

Lots of love, and wishing you a wonderful Christmas,
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides



Friday 20 December 2013

Gorgeous vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses, new on my blog today...

Dear Reader

As a distraction from the tinsel and Christmas mayhem (is anybody ready yet this year?), I'd like to show you three wonderful 1950s lace wedding dresses - from the collection of original vintage dresses at my West London studio. 
HVB 1950s wedding dresses - Full length Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
HVB vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - 'cupcake' wedding dress, priced £950
1950s 'cupcake' lace wedding dress, priced £950
HVB original vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - pretty knee-length lace dress, price £975
Pretty 1950s lace wedding dress, priced £975
The 1950s is the ultra-feminine decade and the fit can be different to modern cutting, often with a fuller bust and smaller waist. (In a later post, I'll explain more about 1950s shaping and cut.) But fear not! My expert seamstresses know exactly how to adapt a 1950s dress to achieve a fabulous modern fit.

First, a lovely dress by renowned 1950s American designer Emma Domb, priced at £995...
HVB 1950s wedding dresses - Full length Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, £995
Emma is one of my favourite designers for her great cutting and attention to detail. (Stylist Patricia Field loves her party dresses so much she often chose them for Carrie in Sex and the City.

I was delighted to find this exceptional example, with its beautiful softly v-shaped neckline, and delicate daisy trim. 
HVB 1950s wedding dresses - Full length Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
Emma Domb 1950s lace wedding dress, delicate daisy trim
HVB 1950s wedding dresses - Full length Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, ribbon bow
HVB 1950s wedding dresses - Full length Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, beautiful silhouette
Many of my clients look for a combination of lace and satin, and this dress is a particularly nice example. As well as a beautiful lace bodice, it has a satin skirt with lace centre panel. Lovely! 

HVB 1950s wedding dresses - Full length Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, priced £995
Emma Domb 1950s lace and satin wedding dress, lace panel skirt
Next, this sweet 1950s tea length dress, with its very full skirt and long lace sleeves, priced at £950. A classic and very pretty example of a 'cupcake' dress...
HVB vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - 'cupcake' wedding dress, priced £950
1950s cupcake lace wedding dress, priced £950 
Cupcake dresses are a classic 1950s look, and can be great fun to wear - as well as very flattering. The volume of the skirt creates the illusion of tiny waist. The shape is balanced by a fullness in the bust, to create a curvy but still petite silhouette.

HVB vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - 'cupcake' wedding dress, priced £950
1950s cupcake lace wedding dress, long lace sleeves, £950
HVB vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - 'cupcake' wedding dress, priced £950
1950s cupcake lace wedding dress, full skirt makes a small waist!
HVB vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - 'cupcake' wedding dress, priced £950
1950s lace wedding dress, pretty detailing on frothy skirt, £950
HVB vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - 'cupcake' wedding dress, priced £950
1950s lace wedding dress, long lace sleeves - so feminine, £950
My third dress today is this very well-cut 1950s dress, priced at £975. It is knee-length - a few inches shorter than tea length - and has a boat neck, a pretty low back, and short sleeves...  
HVB original vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - pretty knee-length lace dress, price £975
Pretty 1950s lace wedding dress, priced £975
HVB original vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - pretty knee-length lace dress, price £975
1950s lace wedding dress, flattering shaped bodice. Priced £975
HVB original vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - pretty knee-length lace dress, price £975
Pretty 1950s lace wedding dress, smoothly flared skirt. Priced £975
This is an exceptionally pretty and wearable dress. The skirt flares out very smoothly with a really nice amount of volume and swingand the bodice is perfectly cut to give a sculpted shape.
HVB original vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - pretty knee-length lace dress, price £975
1950s lace wedding dress, exceptionally clever cut and fit. £975
HVB original vintage 1950s lace wedding dresses - pretty knee-length lace dress, price £975
Pretty 1950s lace wedding dress, sculpted silhouette. £975
Each of these dresses is available from my West London studio, where I hold a collection of around 70 original vintage wedding dresses. Just contact me to make an appointment to view them in person. You can see more of them on my website or here on my blog. (And of course, I also have the Heavenly Collection of new vintage-inspired dresses in a full range of sizes, see those here on my blog.)

Ahh, the 1950s really knew how to make a girl look pretty! Hope you've enjoyed seeing my new dresses. Now, back to wrapping those presents...

Thanks for stopping by today.

Festive Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides
HVB vintage wedding blog, butterfly logo in red

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Remembering Joan Fontaine - a true vintage beauty and her own lovely 1930s wedding dress

Dear Reader

Today on my vintage wedding blog I'd like to take a moment to remember wonderful actress Joan Fontaine - one of the true Hollywood greats and a classic vintage beauty - who died this week aged 96.
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, still from REBECCA
Her most famous role: the second Mrs De Winter, in Hitchcock's Rebecca
Fontaine found fame as one of Alfred Hitchcock's 'cool blondes' when she starred in his first Hollywood movie, Rebecca - an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's gothic novel.
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, REBECCA poster
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, with co-star Laurence Olivier
With Rebecca co-star Laurence Olivier - husband Max De Winter
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, with co-star Judith Anderson in REBECCA
And with Rebecca co-star Judith Anderson - wicked housekeeper Mrs Danvers
She gained an Oscar nomination for her role in Rebecca, but didn't win. And the following year Joan was nominated again for Best Actress - this time in competition with her actress sister Olivia de Havilland. Joan beat her sister and won the award with her second Hitchcock film, Suspicion
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, SUSPICION poster
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, in her 1930s wedding dress
Congratulated on her wedding day by sister Olivia de Havilland 
The two sisters had always been rivals, and it's said that their relationship never fully recovered. Joan went on to work for many great Hollywood directors and starred in some of my very favourite films, including Rebecca and Jane Eyre. If you've never seen the film, there's a wonderful original 1944 trailer for Jane Eyre here.
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, a vintage beauty
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, a vintage beauty
To me, Joan is one of the most beautiful of all the classic Hollywood actresses, with her luminous complexion and elegant vintage glamour. I'll sign off with a picture of Joan at her happiest, at her own 1939 wedding to actor Brian Aherne.
HVB vintage wedding blog - Remembering Joan Fontaine, in her 1930s wedding dress
Happy and beautiful at her own 1939 wedding to Brian Aherne
Thanks for stopping by today.

Love 
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides


Monday 16 December 2013

Heavenly Recommends... delicious vintage-inspired lingerie by Rose Fulbright

Dear Reader

On my vintage wedding blog today, I'd like to show you another lovely vintage-inspired atelier I recently discovered. 
HVB vintage wedding blog - Heavenly Recommends luxury lingerie by Rose Fulbright
Rose Fulbright launched this year, making the most wonderful, luxurious satin underwear - in a range of simple and stylish shapes all inspired by original 1930s designs.
HVB vintage wedding blog - Heavenly Recommends luxury lingerie by Rose Fulbright
Rose's range comes in a choice of delicious colours - graphite, blush and pearl. All are beautifully made in Britain. And to make them completely unique, each piece can be monogrammed in a range of styles.
HVB vintage wedding blog - Heavenly Recommends luxury lingerie by Rose Fulbright
Perfect for a honeymoon. (Or even just for Christmas... it's still not too late to drop those hints today, girls..!) You can find Rose's gorgeous range here on her website, or on her facebook page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Love
Helena 
Heavenly Vintage Brides
HVB vintage wedding blog - Butterfly logo in violet 2013



Friday 13 December 2013

On the blog today, beautiful vintage brides of 2013

Dear Reader

Clients often remark to me that I have a lovely job... absolutely right! I do take great pleasure in helping all my clients find that special wedding dress. Today on my vintage wedding blog, I'd like to showcase a few of the beautiful girls I've helped to find their dream dress in 2013.

KATHRYN
Kathryn wore 1950s tea-length 'Blanche' from my Heavenly Collection of vintage inspired dresses, for her Liverpool wedding. 
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Kathryn in 1950s lace wedding dress
Kathryn looked wonderful in the dress. In her own words, 
"The dress was stunning - I felt amazing in it! A massive thank you, Helena, for everything you did. "
If you'd like to see more of Kathryn's wedding, there's a great post on Rock My Wedding.

One of the best things about choosing a vintage wedding dress is the range of styles. I never get bored with my job, since each era is so unique. Today I'd like to show you three more lovely brides in three very different styles - the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

CLARE 
For her Summer wedding, Clare chose a 1950s strapless tulle dress with a matching lace coat. 
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Clare in 1950s lace wedding dress
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Clare in 1950s lace wedding dress
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Clare in 1950s lace wedding dress
Clare has a wonderfully dainty, ladylike air about her - and the dress suited her so well! In Clare's own words...
"Everyone commented on how beautiful my dress was and I absolutely loved wearing it!  It worked so well with the venue that we decided on, Luton Hoo. Many of our friends said they felt they had stepped into Downton Abbey for the day!
Thanks again for looking after me during my appointments with you.  I would not hesitate to recommend you to other brides looking for that special dress."
SUSIE 
Susie was an absolute delight to work with. She chose a gorgeous full-length original 1960s lace wedding dress for her very stylish wedding. 
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Susie in full length 1960s lace wedding dress
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Susie in full length 1960s lace wedding dress
In Susie's own words, 
"On the day I felt like a princess - I felt lovely and extremely comfortable all day. The dress was perfect, it fit just like a glove! Everyone loved my dress and I am so happy with the silhouette it gave me, it was just a dream to wear!"
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Susie in full length 1960s lace wedding dress
I was thrilled when Susie wrote a lovely note explaining why she enjoyed choosing her dress with Heavenly...
"I had discovered Heavenly Vintage Brides whilst doing some research for a friends wedding and I would regularly go on line to have a peek at the lovely dresses! I was thrilled when I got engaged and contacted HVB immediately! Helena was very helpful from day one, emailing me about dresses that maybe suitable. I was blown away when I went to visit for the first time, it is such a treasure trove of wonderful gowns and Helena made the experience thoroughly relaxing and delightful.
I was absolutely spoilt for choice, there were so many beautiful dresses and Helena was fantastic, allowing me plenty of space and time to go through and select the ones I liked the best. My mum and I had a lovely time chatting with Helena whilst enjoying the best cup of tea I have ever had! 
It was wonderful to see so many dresses and talk about their history as Helena's collection stretches across the whole of the last century, so there is something for everyone. I cannot recommend HVB highly enough, I had such a fun time choosing my dress and I was so happy with my choice, I thoroughly enjoyed wearing it and felt very special, I just wish I could wear it more! I had so many lovely compliments on the day and I was just so pleased that Helena is part of my happy wedding memories!"
LAUREN 
Lauren chose a floaty lace 70s dress. She looked gorgeous in this bohemian and relaxed style. And in her own words,
"The dress was so comfortable. I really did feel as if I floated around all day." 
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Lauren in full length 1970s lace wedding dress
And here is the same dress in pictures from my studio... though of course it looks more beautiful on Lauren herself!
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Studio picture of full length 1960s lace wedding dress
HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Studio picture of full length 1960s lace wedding dress
...Just a few of the lovely girls I've been lucky enough to work with this year.

Thanks to all of you who have visited Heavenly - I'm looking forward to meeting many more of you next year! And thanks for dropping by my vintage wedding blog today.

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides


HVB vintage wedding blog, Real Vintage Brides feature - Heavenly Butterfly logo 2013
Kathryn's photos, thanks to S6 Photography
Susie's photos, thanks to Stella Fakiyesi 
Clare's photos 1 and 2, thanks to Martin Castein 
Heavenly Vintage Brides studio photos, thanks to Robert Lawler