Ethical Designer Spotlight: Vivienne Westwood

"People should not consume without thought, buying up stuff all the time. Buy less and make it last; if you love something, wear it all the time. Find things that suit you." - Vivienne Westwood

We stumbled onto this quote recently and loved it - it fits in really well with our ethical vibe: reduce, reuse, reconsider! We thought we'd do a little spotlight on Vivienne Westwood, since our views seem to align so well! :)

Now, unless you've been living under a fashion rock, you are likely to know who Vivienne Westwood is. Previously recognisable by her shock of red hair (she's recently shaved it off) and her inimitable style, she's been working the scene for decades and most people know of her, her collections and her spunk. 

Source: Autumn/Winter 2014-15 Campaign featuring Vivienne Westwood and photographed by Juergen Teller

What you might not know, however, is that she's doing her best to combat climate change and to shift the view on the world of fast fashion. For Dame Westwood less is more, so in celebration of that we've picked some our favourites from her stunning bridal range (well, that plus the fact that they're just beautiful!). Not everyone will want to spend a lot of money on their wedding dress, but if you do have the budget you could definitely do worse than picking up a Vivienne Westwood gown...

Couture long ball tie dress with embroidered lace, feathers & crystals

The detailing on this dress is sutble, but we can imagine that up close it's breathtaking. We're also fans of the champagne colour - a nice detour from the traditional white or ivory.

Ready-To-Wear long ball tie dress

Vivienne Westwood also has a ready-to-wear bridal collection - we love the demure nature of this dress, with the lacy shoulder caps keeping things elegant and timeless.

Couture princess dress

If you're looking for something with more of a statement style, then this princess dress is worth considering- even with the dipped hem and layers of tulle it still manages to look elegant, not over done.

Made-To-Order long cocotte dress in printed ivory organza with sequins

We just can't resist sequins, so this made to order cocotte dress is right up our street. Can you imagine how it would sparkle under a spotlight? Heaven! :)

Ready-To-Wear long glazing dress

Lastly, this one shoulder ready-to-wear dress is understated but still with that trademark Westwood glamour. 

Aren't they beautiful? If you're still not sold on a designer dress, just remember - if Vivienne was good enough for Carrie Bradshaw... ;)

Wedding Wednesday // Dressed in Blue

Ever thought about having your wedding in Blue?

Pantone (the global authority on color) has surveyed the global Fashion weeks to bring the most important color trends of the season... This Spring/Summer it has brought 2 beautiful shades of blue! Perfect for all you quirky brides to be, get in your 'something blue' on your wedding dress!

We're a huge fan of unique dresses at E&W and are in fact already in the making of our first blue silk Wedding dress for a very wonderful bride. As we cant show any progress on this one (its all hush hush!) we thought we'd put together our little montage of the most beautiful blue gowns we could think of!

Some old and some new, but you'll have your something blue on full show!

Image credits: 1.Dior S/S 11  2.Marchesa Resort 2014  3.Monique Lhuillier Pre Fall 2012  4.Claire Pettibone 2012 

5.Ellie Saab Haute Couture S/S 14  6.Yolan Cris Evening wear 2013

Check out Pantone's full color report here

Let us know what you think of a colored wedding dress! Would you wear one down the isle?

♥

Eva...

My re-designed version of Eva! 

Eva is a chiffon and lace dress

The delicate lace bodice has capped sleeves and a full button opening down the back. 

Eye lash fringed edging is hand sewn to the neck line, sleeves and at the waist. 

There is a silk wrap around waist tie made to match the color of the under dress.

The chiffon is gathered and full at the bottom to give an elegant floating skirt.

Pair Eva with our champagne under dress for a vintage feel.

Beautiful Bride

One of our wonderful Brides Lucy got married today (Congratulations!), so we can officially release out photos of the stunning champagne and ivory dress we made for her. 

You may remember our post Here comes the Bride showing the preliminary sketches and designs for Lucy's dress. A champagne satin under gown with a beaded lace overlay and stunning keyhole feature in the back. As far as I'm concerned I'm still new at working with lace, especially of the beaded variety, but I'm so pleased with how this turned out!

Complete with a button up bustle train to dance the night away!

The sash is optional, appliqued over the champagne under satin with a tie back.

We hope Lucy had the best of days and wish her all the best for her future! Enjoy your beautiful dress

♥

xoxo

Here comes the bride

This week I'll be sharing one of my current projects with you guys - a 20s-inspired wedding dress!

The bride, just like so many others before her, couldn't find an off-the-peg dress quite as perfect as the one she imagined, so she contacted Ears and Whiskers and challenged us to create a unique gown.

Besides preferring the corset-free style and slinky cuts of roaring 20s fashion, the bride also had a special request: a "keyhole" cut-out back!

I set to work immediately, designing a few different styles which matched various fabrics for overlays and underskirts, and short-listing lace samples (I normally use this site for my research, because their vintage laces are just to die for!).

After a bit of testing and consulting with the bride-to-be, we decided on the final look: beaded lace overlaying a bias cut satin gown. Subtle but memorable, just as a truly dashing 20's dress should be!

For us the hard-work is yet to begin. Awaiting are long hours of cutting, pinning, fitting, sewing and hand-finishing all sorts of details, including a full row of beautiful pearl buttons and a scalloped edging to trim the keyhole back.

We'll keep you posted on our progress! :)

The bouquet toss

We love making our special wedding bouquets. It's incredible to start with a pile of unconnected bits and pieces and end up with a unique composition that will mean the world to someone. This particular bouquet includes flowers made from the same fabric as the bridesmaids dresses, pearls, delicate paper flowers and tons of tiny details.

It's a piece that will last a lifetime - a real ornament. And it is so personal that I don't think any bride would even dream of tossing it into a wild sea of single ladies! Yes, the bouquet toss can be considered an extreme sport, but it has granted me some of my funniest memories. That's why today I'll be sharing with you this gem of a list: the Top 50 WeddingBouquet Toss Songs!

The number one is, of course, Single Ladies by Beyonce, and the top 5 includes all the same tired numbers: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, It'sRaining Men... But after that the list throws up some hilarious titles like: Another One Bites the Dust, You can't hurry love, Eye Of The Tiger, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, and Maneater.

Which one would you choose?