Adele's dresses are truly beautiful and unique. She infuses eco-conscience elements like organic hemp and silk, vegetable dyes, fabric remnants, and hand cut designs, offering brides and eco-friendly option with all the luxury of a couture gown. 

ECO GOWN COLLECTION ... Noted gown designer Adele Wechsler has created a new ecologically responsible collection, "For the bride who cares about the world in which she lives," says Adele. 

"I think it is essential for each of us to make individual efforts on this earth, no matter how small, in order make an overall difference. 

"The Eco Couture Collection is my way of offering the bride an option of doing something for the world on her special day." 

Adele Wechsler Adele Wechsler 

The collection features simple, modern silhouettes made of fabrics which are certified organic hemp and silk, and are then vegetable-dyed. "We've also incorporated remnant fabrics and lace, and every piece is produced with Fair Trade Labor in Toronto, Canada. 

"For me it is not just about designing another gown and a new collection," says Adele. "It's about designing a gown with heart and soul. For our bride, it's about finding a dress that speaks to her personality and inner beauty, while also letting herexpress her concern for the environment. 

"It is always an honor to play a role in a woman's special day," says Adele, who now has two eco collections. 
...
Adele Wechsler  

Agape provides a personal and special experience for the bride-to-be. We ensure a friendly and caring approach is taken to assist you in finding your dream Bridal Gown, Bridesmaids Dresses and Mother of the Bride and Groom outfits to customers in the Cheshire area, which we can then accessorise.

Everyone is treated with respect and will be pampered by our friendly and professional team. We provide a fine selection of designer and couture bridal gowns.

Karen Warburton who is a qualified fashion designer will help to advise you through the process of fitting the perfect dress for your perfect day - All fitting an alterations are personally carried out by Karen ensuring that your gown fits to perfection. 

Karen also offers a bespoke service on all ranges - including customised wedding dresses.

To us ‘There is nothing more beautiful than a bride on her wedding day’ and we will dedicate ourselves to you to ensure all your wishes come true. Agape is in Knutsford, feel free to visit and view our extensive range of dresses, gowns and accessories.

 

Famed Italian ready to wear and evening wear designer Alberta Ferretti creates breathtaking bridal gowns in her signature intricate and airy style. This ready-to- wear bridal collection is a perfect choice for brides who do not have the luxury of ordering a gown months in advance. The gowns are mostly diaphanous, sheer and ultra-feminine, perfect for destination or less traditional venues. 

Alfred Sung is a Canadian designer with an international following. Based in Toronto, Sung created designs primarily for women, though he has on occasion produced for men. The most recognized of Sung's creations, however, are his fragrances, as well as bridal collections and accessories.

The hallmark of this Shanghai-born designer was simple, chic design created to be worn by women who needed stylish yet wearable clothes for busy lifestyles. Sung's designs evinced a classic feeling for line and detail, and his clothes were made from high-quality fabrics he himself had been known to design. He created separates, dresses, evening clothes, and jeans. His simple shapes were easy to wear and chosen by people in the public eye because they are neither trendy nor outrageous, and because they were somewhat conservative. His designs always complemented rather than overwhelmed their wearer; he worked towards an understated chic for real life, not for the runway.

Sung has long been a perfectionist who lived and breathed the world of fashion design and often eschewed other concerns of life. He has, however, faced more than his share of challenges as his career developed. A native of Shanghai, Sung was originally named Sung Wang Moon, which meant "a door in the cloud." When his family moved to the British colony of Hong Kong, his father changed his son's name to Alfred. From an early age he painted, drew, and wanted to continue study in this field. His father sent him to Paris, though not to study painting but fashion design at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Sung soon learned draping, cutting, and sewing garments by hand, obtaining a sound grounding in design and clothing construction basics.

Sung studied at the Parsons School of Design for a year, and worked on Seventh Avenue in New York City for several years, eventually moving to Toronto, Canada, where he worked on Spadina Avenue for Lindzon Ltd. Wanting to be self employed, he opened a boutique named "Moon." For three years, he was responsible for all aspects of the design process, from designing, cutting and sewing, to marketing. He developed a devoted following of young people who delighted in his well-designed clothes.

Fortuitously, in 1979 Sung formed a partnership with Joseph and Saul Mimran. The brothers took over the business end of the operation, allowing Sung to concentrate on designing. Based in Canada, the three men developed an operation that at one point included boutiques under the Alfred Sung name in Boston, Washington D.C., and Short Hills, New Jersey. In 1981 Sung was named one of the top new designers by Saks Fifth Avenue. Sung licensed luggage designs, sunglasses, and created his first fragrance in 1986. Unfortunately, the group licensed to manufacture Sung's clothing designs went bankrupt, creating a void in the production and distribution of his work. In spite of these problems, Sung continued to design and formed a new firm, Alfred Sung Collections Ltd., with the Mimran brothers and Michael Waitzer, formerly of Marks & Spencer.

All seemed bright for the latest Sung enterprise; the designer had new apparel lines, a bridal collection, and eyewear and fragrance deals. His three women's fragrances had been highly successful, especially the original and aptly namedSung (1986). A new scent, Forever, debuted in 1995, followed by Pure in 1997. Yet while Sung fragrances were perennial bestsellers, the designer was not so fortunate. After more lows than highs, Sung was forced once again to confront bankruptcy. His longtime backer and partners, the Mimrans, terminated his licensing agreement in 1996 and Alfred Sung Collections Ltd. had to file for bankruptcy in 1997. Three Sung stores in Toronto were closed and assets liquidated to cover more than $1 million in debt.

Despite his financial woes, Alfred Sung remained an integral part of the fashion industry. His bridal collections and accessories, licensed by the Algo Group, experienced booming sales at the end of the century, as did his stable of six fragrances. Sung's latest women's scent, Shi, was released in 2000 and won an HBA International Package Design award in 2001.

 

Alice Padrul was born in Moscow, Russia, where she began her formal education in fashion design. She was exposed to classical art instruction in drawing, painting, art history and historical costume design. After graduating from Moscow Textile Institute and relocating to Chicago she enrolled at the School of the Art Institute Chicago in 1978, where she continued her studies in fashion design and received her degree. After working with several leading designers, Alice opened her own company in 1983, which was dedicated to special occasion gowns. At this time Alice's designs were selling to five major department stores and three hundred specialty stores throughout the world. High praise and consistent recognition led her to the World Trade Fashion Fair in 1990 in Osaka, Japan, where she presented her line. 

Several years ago, Alice naturally transitioned from special occasion designs to bridal couture exclusively. She created her signature bridal collection and in fall of 2004 Alice launched her bridal couture line. The highest standards of workmanship, a unique style and attention to detail have made her line successful. The press absolutely loves Alice Padrul and featured her designs on a covers of Brides magazine. Highly publicized and admired, she has editorials in Elegant Bride, Modern Bride and InStyle magazines. Her line is available at select bridal salons in United States and in Europe. 

Looking for the space to see and work with brides, Alice opened Bridal Studio- Boutique in Chicago, in a West Loop. Each dress is designed by Alice Padrul and hand-crafted by her expert staff in Chicago studio. Alice oversees the production of every gown down to its ornate detail. 

Casablanca Bridal was established in 1997 and has since become one of the fastest growing, well known manufacturers of bridal gowns in the industry.

 Casablanca Bridal is committed to designing and manufacturing bridal gowns that reflect superb quality, original design, and attention to detail.    Our privately owned factory allows us to ensure all phases of production from start to finish are to our exacting standards.  Every Casablanca gown is made to order one at a time.  We take great pride in the fact that we do not mass-produce our bridal gowns.  Each gown is unique from the hand beaded designs & exquisite laces, to the fit and customization for every bride’s specific needs.

 Casablanca Bridal understands the importance of finding the “perfect” bridal gown for your wedding day.  Our gowns are available in stores across the US and around the world.  There is sure to be a location near you that you may visit to try on and view our gowns in person.  Casablanca Bridal discourages the sale of our gowns over the Internet.  We recommend that you visit and place your order with a full service bridal salon that can provide you with the personal service and attention that a bride deserves. 

For a list of authorized Casablanca Bridal retailers, please use the store locator on our website to find a store near you. 

Casablanca Bridal is extremely honoured to be recognized by the bridal industry receiving multiple nominations for awards of excellence in design and service.  Casablanca Bridal is the proud recipient this past year of the prestigious 2008 Debi Award for Bridal Gowns from the Chicago National Bridal Market and the 2008 Desert Rose Award for "Best Selling Bridal Gown" from Las Vegas the Market.  We have also over the past years been fortunate to receive the 2003 Diva Award for Bridal Manufacturer of the Year, the 2004 Dallas Fashion Award for Bridal Design and the 2005 Desert Rose Award for Best Rising Star in bridal.

 

Amalia Carrara is a name that is constantly thrown around the wedding gown industry. As for an online presence, Eve of Milady and Amalia Carrara wedding gown collections teamed up for a stunning website built in flash to promote their designs. A classical opera track plays as the designs are shown one by one as a slideshow. The track had my computer speakers rattling the papers on my desk. The sensation that music brought about was one of classical elegance and perhaps of a romantic setting—like reliving a tale in a castle in a town far away. The presentation is spectacular. The Carrara collection is famous for the detailed beading work and stitching. The presentation of Amalia Carrara’s dresses is on a spotlighted model in various poses in what looks like a set of Versailles. There is provocative lighting to her presentation inducing a visitor to draw comparisons between the darkness of the background to the angelic, light-colored lines of the wedding gown fabric.

The dresses are categorized by alphanumeric codes. This one is the A20, a beautiful off-white ball gown style dress with sweetheart neckline. It is just one example of the talents of Amalia Carrara. 

Coming from a talented designer pool--her mother Eve, Amalia has put together one hundred percent silk gowns for the celestial brides. The Amalia Carrara beading work and stitching detail can be seen in the craftsmanship from bead to bead, fabricated beading on top of other beading, or a precise bead on top of a rhinestone. Her fabric designs are a thing to take another glance at too as she uses unique patterns and placements to create wedding gown phenomena. A friend from an Orange County bridal salon told me that the fitting of a Amalia Carrara dress, in extant, is topped by very few designers. Her trunk shows are scheduled online and brides are welcome to visit their factory in New Jersey. Photos and more information can be found atwww.eveofmiladybridals.com.

 

As I designed our 2009 collection, inspired by the constant desire to improve, I found myself asking: what must Clever Couture convey for 2009? 

Certainly a promise to continue to embrace our original company vision to provide superior design and quality at a fair price, to respect  honesty and integrity within our team, and to strive for excellence in customer service and in all aspects of our company and products.

But what about our planet?  Our economy?  And social issues?

I'm proud that we continue to produce all of our products in our own San Francisco design studio.  I believe in the importance of supporting our local economy and  I feel very fortunate to have such a talented team that extends beyond design and marketing to include our pattern-makers, cutters, and couture sewers.   We benefit by having complete control over our production process; we're able to implement energy saving techniques such as recycling our fabric waste and reducing consumption.  Our new pattern-making technology offers efficiences that translate to better gowns at better prices.  It's really quite clever.

And it's always fashionable to be charitable.  I designed our Hope gown as a symbol of our commitment to promote breast cancer awareness and to support research for this important cause by donating $50 to The Breast Cancer Fund with each sale of our Hope design.  

Exclusivity may be au courant when it comes to fashion, but when it comes to love, it's oh so passe.  I believe the freedom to marry should be a privilige for all, including our friends in the gay community.  I am committed to supporting marriage equality with fundraising events to raise awareness and benefit Equality California.

Does it make a difference that our dresses are made in San Francisco?   That we obsess over quality and design?  That we care about and support causes that we believe in?  You're clever, you're resourceful...and you care deeply about finding the perfect gown; I'm confident that you'll consider my new collection.  It's classicly feminine.  It's simple yet dynamic.  It's filled with vogue appeal.  So whether you choose to indulge, or play it safe...there's an abundance of opportunity for romance, decadence, and bliss, and even a little candy.  I invite you to take a look...call us to make an appointment at our San Francisco flagship or review our website to find a wonderful retail partner near you.

Yours truly,

Amy Kuschel

 

Maggie Sottero has been awarded a load of prizes and nominations over the years – a testament to this company’s amazing pieces and creative vision. Six “Debi Awards”, nine “Desert Rose Awards”, two “Diva Awards”, three “Dallas Rose Awards”, “The UK Bridal Buyers Awards” and the prize for the best wedding dress are just some of them. So let’s look at her 2010 collection to see where Maggie Sottero is taking us in bridal this season!

Hand-crafted pieces and the highest quality material create the dresses of any bride’s dreams. Every year, Maggie Sottero creates new styles, constantly adapting to new tastes and materials, but maintaining that delicate craftsmanship, reflected in elements like the use of Swarovski crystals to decorate the pieces.

Maggie Sottero’s aim is to ensure that brides can fulfil their dreams and in order to achieve this, the company invests the time of its best designers to create stunning dresses.

The Maggie Sottero 2010 collection is full of the 2010 wedding trend of light, airy material – embroidered organza, covered in floral and romantically-inspired motifs and tulle skirts and smooth taffeta are all present. While this company has traditionally favoured A-line dresses, the 2010 collection has some pieces that are a little different.