Wedding Dress - Royal Collection by Reem Acra

I feel like going back in time and looking for something Grecian.

This style of dress is a bit hit and miss for me.  Somedays I love the style but then other days I think the style is too loose.

Why I like this dress?

I couldn't get many pictures for this dress but I love the divine look it presents.  The ruffles on the dress and the chiffon shawl across the shoulders will make any bride look like a goddress.

Royal Collection by Reem Acra

One of the reason why I like this dress is the comfort factor.  It is a loose dress so perfect for a casual and laidback wedding.

But is it the dress for me?

I think this dress is suppose to be worn loose do not think you can pile on the pounds before the big day.  I think a couple will be fine but don't over do it.

Unfortunately it is dress which could be mistaken as just an ordinary dress which is great if you want to wear it again but for those of you who don't care about this then maybe you should look for something else.  Personally I like the casual feel of the dress and if the dress looks as light as I imagine in the photo then you could have some lovely wedding photos if the breeze catches the dress layers. 

Wedding Dress - ?? by Altier Amiee

Sometimes I fall for the fairytale style wedding dress and when I came across this one, I just thought, I want to try this one!

All the dresses from this designer are out of some sort of Cinderella book and it was hard to choose but I like this one the most.

Juliet and Romeo by Atelier Amiee

Why I like the dress?

I couldn't get a picture of the front of the dress but it was the back detail that drew me to the dress.  I love the curves and folds in the back and the flowers just set it off beautifully!

Of course with this much detail on the back, I love how the designer just kept the long train plain rather then overloading the dress.  

Second thought?

If you are as silm as the model on the photo then the dress will look lovely but I can see this dress not working on quite a few people.  For example, if you have wide shoulders, the last thing you want is to make them even larger and the flower detail may make this happen.

Another example is if you have a short neck, in the picture you can see how elegant the lady looks overlooking her shoulder but if your neck is short, all you will see is the lower half of your face covered by the flowers.  Not the worse thing in the world if you are camera shy but some relatives like to have photos of your whole face.  I know strange people ;).

Wedding Dress - Paola by Lyn Ashworth

Time for a classic style wedding dress and sometimes the simplest styles are the most charming!

So what is a classic style wedding dress?  Well for me it is a dress which looks beautiful no matter what else is in fashion and can easy be passed on to future generations.

Paola by Lyn Ashworth

Why I love this dress?

This dress just has enough of everything to make it stunning.  A little bit of lace at the top to give it some detail and to reveal a little bit of flesh while the three quarter length sleeves provide the modest that looks timeless.

Then there is the skirt, it is just layers of lovely fabric which is not weighted down my beading or embroidery so if you plan to give it to your daughter it would be easier to alter.  Hey one must think practical when it comes to these matters.

Hmmm there must be something wrong?

Unlike some of my previous dresses this one will not stun the crowds with originality.

I think one of the problems in wearing something timeless is that people will not be shouting about your dress.  They will say you look lovely and how the dress really suits your styling but if you want to turn peoples' heads then you will probably want something more spectacular.

However a wedding is not about putting on a show but rather a celebration of two people staying together for the rest of their lives.

Wedding Dress - Faith by Tobi Hannah

Time for another Tea length dress and this one is from Tobi Hannah.

This British designer creates only short dresses and they are all gorgeous but this one just makes me smile! 

Faith by Tobi Hannah

Why do I love it?


I love it for its simplistic design!  It may not be the a dress which shouts weddings but it has a classical charm to it and would be perfect for a intimate wedding.

It is beautiful tailored which gives the dress a lovely vintage feel while the three bows at the front make it feel youthful and playful.  And it can easily be made quirky with a colourful petticoat underneath and some funky peep toe heels.

Hmm maybe not the one


Apart from being a little understated for a wedding dress, this is just a beautiful dress.  The only area of issue which I could see is the sleeves because they are three quarter length one and if your arms are large then they could emphasis them.

Koi Embroidered Obi - Part one!

I have always admired the embroidery on obi because they are always very vibrant and interesting.

BUT they are very expensive and I can't bear the idea of buying something that I am too scared to wear so for the past few months I had the idea of embroidering my own one.

Nothing too complicated or I will never wear it outside the house but something that is striking enough for me to showoff.  However what sort of embroidery should I do?

I wanted to try something like sashiko but creating regular running stitches isn't easy as I realised when I made my first kimono and I didn't want to spend the time drafting a pattern.  So I made a sort of a compromise,  last month I rediscovered tambour beading and I saw an example of the stitching used in this technique could be used to embroider pattern!

Perfect I thought, something that will create an easy running stitch which doesn't require me to plan where I have to stitch.  Of course, the tambour hook which is used need a little bit of practice but once I could do the basic stitch, off I went to find my black fabric.

I decided to embroider a koi because I don't have a koi pattern in my wardrobe.  I cheated here and searched the internet for a picture that I liked and then copied the style.

I drew it on using ordinary tailors chalk and once I was happy with the outline, I began to sew!

As you can see the progress I made wasn't bad and by day one I had the fish outline done!

The following day I filled in the scales which gave the koi a little bit more texture.

And of course we must not forget the water waves.

I am actually quite pleased with the result.  If I was to do it again, will need to add some colour but at the moment I am in a black and white mood.  Now I just need to make it into an obi.