Fine Designs

On Friday I came across some designs from Australian designer Anna Campbell and I was impressed. The goddess-like pieces are twisted, wrapped, draped, plaited and tied around the figure to create the most gorgeously feminine shapes possible. Anna's Bridal Collection features exquisite and distinctive embellishments including bows, ribbons, hand-made silk flowers and beaded fringing. Her gowns are perfect for the fashionable bride who dreams of a beautiful, romantic dress without restrictive and uncomfortable corsets, hoop skirts and stiff trains which make her designs perfectly suited to garden, outdoor and beach weddings. All Anna Campbell pieces are custom made to measure with brides able to take pieces from different designs to create their dream dress. The Anna Campbell Boutique is now open and is located at 309 Victoria Street, Brunswick in Victoria. For more details on her bridal and bridesmaids collections or to find an alternate stockist visit the website at www.annacampbell.com.au.











Posted by Emilie Harrison

Prettiest Pink

I was lucky enough to receive a package brimming full of pink treats today - there was a pink fortune cookie, pink streamers, a pink lollypop, a balloon and many other goodies. All this pink goodness was a gift from Polka Dot Bride who launched their lovely new website today. Apart from a fresh new look, there is now lots more to enjoy including categories for grooms, honeymoons and weddings – it's well worth a revisit, just allow lots of time to really enjoy it.



Posted by Jane Cameron

Sample Pallas for Yourself

If you're on the hunt for your dream wedding gown I suggest you make an appointment to attend Pallas Couture's sample sale, being held from 29 July - 1 August at their Paddington studio in Sydney. The sample sale will feature more that 100 gowns ranging in price from AUD$100 - $1,500. The sale will incl. gowns from past seasons to styles that have evolved over multiple samples or have even just been too costly to put into production. Pallas' co-design directors, Joy Morris and Cathy Thomas, will be on hand to offer advice, tips and opinions to prospective brides. There will also me a number of paper silk gowns available which can be dyed for red carpet, school balls and other formal events. Sizes will range between an Australian 8-12. No walk-ins will be accepted and all gown flaws (if any) will be clearly maked. For more info on this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime sale visit www.pallas.com.au or call Kathryn Prior on 0417 188 836 or email info@pallas.com.au.



Posted by Emilie Harrison

Prize Winners

Congratulations to Penny Johnston from VIC and Emily Colvin from NSW who have won our kikki.K guestbook competition. A wedding guestbook will be heading your way soon.



Posted by Emma Henderson

Rachel Gilbert spring/summer 2010

I am loving the new Rachel Gilbert dresses from the spring/summer 2010 collection. These are a few of my faves.


Pearla Dress


Alexandra Short Dress


Alexandra Long Dress


Rachel Dress

Check out Rachel Gilbert's website for stockist details.

Posted by Emma Henderson

Very Valentino - Haute Couture autumn/winter 2010/11 #2

There's no question that Valentino is known for ultra feminine, pretty, show stopping pieces that are always accompanied by the most divine accessories. His recent autumn/winter haute coutre show proved this point very clearly. Delicate layering, sorft ruffled hems, intricate detailing and bold injections of colour all combined to create a beautiful show. The gowns were largely understated in their styling however the use of exquisite silks and organza's showed you don't need to go over the top to have a truly glamorous look. The short red cocktail dress is just gorgeous. I also loved the black gown with organza overlay. A modern take on a typically classic gown. The accessories were my favourite part. Shell encrusted bow kitten heels and short cropped leather gloves with oversized bows added a mod element. I also adored the oversized rosettes on the gowns. Details have never been prettier.











Posted by Emilie Harrison

Suave & Silky

These Pedro Garcia Swarovski crystal embellished Elisha pumps are just soooo pretty. With a heel of 4.5 inches they're the perfect height if you're not into kitten heels but don't want to be a towering giant. The grosgrain ribbon frill around the edge is the perfect detail and in ivory satin, opposed to white, they're sleek and shiny. Available to purchase online at www.net-a-porter.com or visit www.pedrogarcia.com to view the available collections.


Pedro Garcia Elisha satin & crystal pump £230



Posted by Emilie Harrison

Neutral Remedy - Haute Couture autumn/winter 2010/11

There's something particularly special about the Haute Couture shows. The glamour, the intense detailing, the exquisite fabrics all make for a truly astounding show. The hours that have gone in to creating the collections are off the scale, the cost to put the shows on is equally eye popping.

Armani Prive and Givenchy chose a deliciously neutral palette of caramels, chocolates, nougats and creams. Feathers, sequins and beads amped up the glamour of impecably cut strapless dresses, mono-shoulder gowns and sheer skirts. Armani Prive's signature strapless dress was reinvented with gathers, tucks and draping, making them, no doubt, the choice for many famous ladies leading up to the start of awards season. Givenchy went sheer, mixing futuristic detailing with classic accents of sequins, tassels and cinched waists. Givenchy's pieces were a standout. Beauty doesn't get better than this. Visit Vogue Australia for collection details.


Armani Prive






Givenchy


Photos courtesy of Vogue.com.au

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Tasting Time

Tasting Time is one of my favourite stories in our Issue 15. It's simple but elegant and not too girly for me. I'm really happy with the invitation idea – it came to me in the middle of the night as often they do. I remembered we had some fabulous illustrations on file from Melanie Terrett who supplies the images for our Guide section. I wanted to design something interesting that would suit the theme and I think these piccolos, wrapped in an illustrated invitation really hit the mark. You can download the artwork for free from here.


The opening spread to our Tasting Time story showing the nifty bottle invitations.

Oh, and see that little pencil in the foreground...don't tell anyone, but that's from Ikea! I put my ever-growing collection to good use by painting them in a pretty colour to match the story and it worked a treat.

Our always-happy photographer Claudio Raschella shot this story in my husband, John's, restaurant – it meant everything we needed for the food and drink shots was right at hand. We took over half of the restaurant floor and had lunch customers looking on, critiquing our work and asking lots of questions. It was a fun way to hold a shoot actually, very different to shooting in the studio.


Emma filling the glasses with wine and Claude showing off his glow-in-the-dark cat t-shirt.


Emma holding the reflector and a close up of one of the beautiful dahlias Annabelle sourced for the setting. That bendy grissini stick made me laugh.


Claude shooting from over the model's shoulder and Annabelle reviewing the shots as Claude loads them.


Annabelle keeping a close eye on the images as they are loaded and a shot of a pic as it comes up on screen.

As with every shoot, it's a lot of planning, preparation, and work on the day. But we enjoy every second. I know the models did - they got to eat and drink til their hearts were content!

Posted by Jane Cameron

We're Flattered!

Emilie found a new wedding magazine in the newsagents this week. She brought it in to show me as she knew it would interest me. You see, there are a few pages in there that are strikingly similar to pages I've designed for previous issues. I guess there will always be similarities between publications, it's inevitable when designers take inspiration from the same sources, but yep, there was no doubting it for me - these were pretty close.


That's the new publication's page on the left, and our page on the right.

I contacted the publishers and they've kindly agreed to change the design for their next issue. We really are very flattered!

Posted by Jane Cameron

kikki.K Giveaway Reminder

A friendly reminder to enter our kikki.K competition, it ends tomorrow at 5pm. To win one of 2 fabulous Guest Book Questions valued at $49.95 each simply email competitions@styleguide.com.au with your name, postal address and answer to our simple question - What would you like to see more of on the Wedding Style Guide Blog?



Posted by Emma Henderson

FREE issue!

That's right - a FREE issue. If you haven't already, all you have to do is sign up for our email newsletter and then you can download a digital copy of our Issue 8 - it's as simple as that. We just know you're going to love it.



Posted by Jane Cameron.