It was quite the process, but a fun and rewarding one!
It was April. I’d cruised around a few department stores hunting for the perfect mother of the bride dress. Something pretty and summery and not too matronly. I was quickly overwhelmed.
Then I searched online. I’m still old-fashioned, I like to feel the fabric, try a dress on (especially because sizes fluctuate wildly these days…wow! I’m a size 4! I’ll take two! But I digress) and look in the mirror without having to worry about boxing it up and sending it back.
April turned to May. I was starting to panic. The wedding was two months away.
I had met Georgina Chapman at an annual summer beach dinner thrown by our good friends Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict. I adore them both and they (for the most part) have exquisite taste in friends. Georgina sat across from me and she was lovely. Totally unpretentious, curious, and, on a superficial note, drop-dead gorgeous. She is divorced from Harvey Weinstein. We’ve never discussed that, but I can’t begin to imagine what that whole ordeal was like. I instantly liked Georgina for Georgina. So I called her since she’s the co-founder of women’s fashion label Marchesa.
“Georgina. Help. My daughter is getting married in two months and I have no idea what I’m going to wear. Do you have dresses that might be suitable for a mother of the bride that are fresh and not frumpy?” Without a beat, in her lilting British accent, she told me that I was welcome to come to the showroom and look around.
I had perused some of her dresses online and one had caught my eye. It was a strapless blush pink number — shorter in the front and longer in the back with velvety flowers in the fabric. (And it was on sale! Anyone who knows me knows I like a deal!) I thought I might be able to pull it off since my clavicles and ankles have stood the test of time. I figured I could start lifting hand weights to tighten up my flesh flags — you know, the stuff on the back of your upper arm that keeps moving even when your arm stops?
I tried it on and…well, it kind of worked! But since Ellie’s was going to be a quintessential summer wedding, I wondered if the fabric might read a bit heavy.
After draping some beautiful, lighter flowery prints over my torso, I spied a pink dress hanging among the row of exquisite frocks. I grabbed it and gingerly inquired, “Could this fabric work? Does it have enough weight?” (Fashion design has never been my forte. I got a C in home ec for messing up my dirndl skirt.)
Georgina and her amazing team contemplated. Yes. It could work. I went home with a little pep in my step, realizing that help was on the way. But that didn’t stop me from scrolling. I saw another dress with basically the same cut with some pretty appliqué flowers. I texted it just to say I kind of liked that look.
I sent another gorgeous dress, worn by an equally gorgeous gazelle-like model because I liked the colors. I’m pretty sure I was driving them crazy.
Georgina sent a few fabric samples in the pink family. Did you ever get your colors done? Am I dating myself? I supposedly look good in gem tones and bright colors — I’m drawn to more blueish pinks than coral-y pinks.
We decided the pink piquet was just right. And the appliqué would work well on that fabric. Then Rita, Marchesa’s head pattern maker, and the talented team went to work!
I loved my dress! It was truly fresh and not frumpy. I think it echoed the lines of Ellie’s gorgeous bridal gown (thank you Monique Lhuillier!) and it was comfortable and easy to dance in! The skirt hid a multitude of sins, if you know what I mean. And it worked well with Carrie’s dress, which was so pretty and so her!
The coolest thing about this whole story? It’s now going to be in Marchesa’s collection!
Now, I know not everyone can pick up the phone and call Georgina Chapman. BUT…I think you can, if you are so inclined, probably find a talented seamstress and work with her (or him) to create something you really love. Or you can just buy a dress online! But the whole process was so much fun (albeit at times, slightly nerve-wracking given my propensity for procrastination!). And I’m so grateful to Georgina and her amazing team for helping a sister — well, a mother out! So now you know how I said YES to the dress!
