When asked to describe her new bridal collection, Emilia Wickstead doesn’t miss a beat: “It’s very British,” she says from her London atelier. What does that mean, exactly? For starters, it exudes a reserved romanticism, forgoing sequins and tulle for subdued laces and embroidered Italian jacquards. Then there are the silhouettes, which feel almost architectural with their square necklines, rectangular trains, and streamlined bodices that would be visually at peace within a stately Georgian home. And most of all, it’s the ethos: when making her wedding gowns, Wickstead studied portraits by Cecil Beaton, the English photographer who captured the fashionable elegance of high society women from Princess Margaret to Coco Chanel—as well as designed the costumes and set for My Fair Lady.
His muses (especially Audrey Hepburn, Wallis Simpson, Jean Shrimpton, and Vivien Leigh) served as particular inspirations: all three women continue to be celebrated as style icons long after their deaths. “I think everything needs to be timeless,” says Wickstead. “I love an old-world reference.” Indeed, one dress comes in the same gentle ivory as the Duchess of Windsor’s own wedding dress and echoes its nipped waist, while a pillow-box fascinator resembles one Hepburn wore in the 1960s pages of Vogue. One of Wickstead’s favorites is a gown with an embossed floral brocade, which took its cues from a gown worn by Leigh: “It exudes the dramatic allure that she had,” she says. As an ode to her historic muses, Wickstead even shot her campaign in the English countryside in Wiltshire at Reddish House, Beaton’s former home.
She also worked hard on perfecting an under-appreciated element of the bridal gown: a petticoat, which gives the gown its shape. “I believe in the petticoat—and all the workmanship that goes into it!” Wickstead says, with a laugh.
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The offering isn’t just classic wedding-day gowns for brides, by the way: acknowledging all the auxiliary events around modern-day nuptials, Wickstead also made several party-ready designs meant for the dance floor. One, for example, has shimmy-ready tassels, whereas another boasts sequins that will reflect light better than a disco ball. A dress with delicate pearl clusters, meanwhile, is perfect for the demure bride who still likes to have a little (or a lot of) fun. Then there are the bridesmaid dresses, which come in four different silhouettes and 10 different colors. “I really feel that there’s a niche in the market for very sophisticated, beautiful, simple—but extremely flattering—clean lines,” she says.
The bridal market is a busy one, with a slew of high-end designers now offering their own lines—many of which show at New York’s dedicated Bridal Fashion Week, taking place this week. So how does Wickstead see herself fitting in? “I dress a woman who likes elegance, simplicity, and tradition—but still loves it when a sort of twist comes into play,” she says. “You’re the woman wearing the dress, not the dress wearing you.”
