Now, after an editorial I usually just archive the relevant pics…but there’s something so magical, so unwaveringly ethereal about this particular shoot that I just can’t seem to put these photos to rest like the others. It’s as if the stars aligned and everything just fell perfectly into place, a miracle of creation. Every aspect so perfectly in harmony with the rest; that’s when it becomes art for me and that’s what happened here.
Unearthing these old pics of one of our classics, the quintessentially bohemian Catherine Dress (one of our all time favorites), I was struck again by the timelessness of the piece. I feel like it won’t matter whether you look at these pics a hundred years from now, they’ll still be absolutely exquisite and I think that any bride would love to be able to say the same about her own wedding day pics.
That is what I intend to achieve for her with my designs. That’s the thing about simplicity and that’s the thing about Boho. That’s why Dreamers and Lovers is here, doing what we do.
Looking at the windswept model against the backdrop of Palos Verdes (a coastal town very close to my studio), I’m taken back to when I first started my line. At the time I had only my three initial styles. My husband and I would come to this location to do impromptu (unprofessional) shoots…he was the photographer and I was the model, so maybe this location holds a special place in my heart, either way.
This too was an impromptu shoot; I’m lucky enough to have a good friend who happens to be a fashion photographer. This was one of the three boho wedding dresses that we had in the line at the time which we thought would be ideal for a laid back seaside wedding. Nature didn’t seem to be on our side though; with the day uncharacteristically cold and windy…but something kept us fighting on through the day and at last this batch came out, epic. The moody light and emotive quality of the sea, the sky and the vast horizon, it’s effortlessly romantic and I know this dress takes it there. We entitled the shoot: Windswept. I can only say that I’m truly proud of it.
There’s nothing contrived or pretentious about the shoot, the dress feels like a true expression of the model’s soul, effortlessly romantic and eternally feminine, she is a force of nature at home in the midst of these elements. Indeed, she doesn’t fit into the view or fall short, she crowns it without overpowering it, and she’s a benevolent queen. This is exactly what I want the Dreamers and Lovers bride to do and be on her wedding day.
So we take our inspiration from the beauty in creation, the miracle of nature and the wonder of love, we are true romantics and we know our brides are too. It’s not about constriction or transformation…it’s about using our instincts, respecting the forces and the elements and designing dresses which take their place in nature, no matter how the whether changes. It’s about highlighting the best and taking it easy on the worst, loving ourselves enough to be comfortable.
Every boho bride is at home against a backdrop of late afternoon sky and sea, even one as stunning as this. It’s the dress that needs to live up to the bride, to do her justice so she can take her place and really command the view in an unassuming way. So she can do what she does best and steal the show (without shouting out loud that she is trying to do so).
Luxurious, lightweight silks and vintage style laces in boho tones of off-white and ivory with minimal fuss and minimal frill. They catch the wind and look the better for it. A barefoot bride might pick up mud on her hem after a surprise wedding day shower. Somehow the dress looks the better for it. That’s what we’re all about – Simple wedding dresses. Bohemian Wedding dresses. Because we’re complicated girls and we need a little balance!
Our Catherine, she’s so fearlessly boho, as simple as can be, as beautiful as can be. The cleanest lines, comfortable, enhancing the form but changing nothing… just like art, which just falls into place, the perfect, ethereal balance.
She’s feminine and modest, revealing just enough at the back to bridge the gap from youthful bride to boho goddess.
What I love the most about this dress is the fact that I can literally see how comfortable the model is and, where comfort usually means some visual sacrifice, in this case it’s exactly the opposite. It’s so laid back and at the same time so exquisite! Looking at this dress I know that I’ve truly achieved what I set out to do when I started my journey as a wedding dress designer. This is a dress I’d be proud to wear and I can only hope that by applying the same standards to every design I’ll be blessed with many more classics like this in the future.
The Catherine Dress has always been a favorite of ours and it’s not hard to see why. It’s something we can only hope to achieve in every one of our designs.
You might be quintessentially Catherine but if not there’s a long list of names to chose from these days. I want to be sure there’s something for everyone so I’m not resting in my efforts, not to mention the fact that I thoroughly enjoy what I do.
Every time I see photos of the latest happy Dreamers and Lovers bride, I feel the aspects of my life fall into place, like art, it makes me so grateful. Every wedding is different, every body, every day, I just keep love in mind, design from the soul and trust my instincts. Somewhere in our range you’ll find a dress that’s quintessentially you, a name (like Catherine) that you’ll never forget, like a friend who’ll fill your heart with joy and help you to make magical memories that you can treasure forever.
