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WEDDING DRESS COLLECTION

 

SERVICES:

made to measure adj. specially made to fit a particular person or thing.

couture n. the design and manufacture of fashionable clothes to a client's specific requirements.

My name is Chantal & I specialise in creating made to measure, one off gowns designed specifically for each client - the service I provide is the ultimate couture experience:

 

  • All clients are seen by & deal exclusively with myself from initial consultation to pick up.
  • Orders can be taken from the samples gowns in the 'Gown Portfolio' or you can take advantage of my wealth of ideas & have a completely unique design created for you.

I have a file of design sketches 2 inches thick & a highly unusual array of fabrics samples to choose from. Your final design may involve the use of silks, velvets, lace, printing, embroidery, appliqué, beading with Swarovski crystal components /pearls / other beads or the subtle addition of tiny Swarovski crystals called hotfix. Swarovski hotfix crystals look wonderful applied like a shimmer of jewels to light, transparent fabrics like georgette's.

There are no more costs involved to have a completely new design created for you. You can order something completely unique to you, a gown like one of my samples or one very similar to one of my sample designs.

The samples in the Gowns Portfolio serve as inspiration. Each sample design I have chosen to make up fills a gap in my collection. Yes, it is a beautiful design in it's own right but it also serves to show brides a different type of fabric made up, a new sleeve, new trimmings, new neckline, new skirt; that the bride can try on & mix & match to help cement her own vision of her perfect dress.  

'Sweet Tooth'

Image: Copyright Hannah Duffy.

  • The patterns I work from are my own creations. New patterns are drafted for each client & the corsets etc. made up in a toile version first (calico cotton mock up) to check the fit & that the client is happy with the progress of the design.
  • I make up each commission myself, nothing is sent to outworkers. There are also hours of hand work involved in the creation of a couture gown, much of which is on the inside of the corsets & never seen.

I am a Couture Designer first & foremost but a designer who chooses to continue to make up the commissions herself, so as to have complete control over the commission from start to finish & maintain true couture standards.I detest the use of outworkers used by many designers, some of whom do not even possess the skills to fashion their own creations from initial design through to completion.

I am also therefore, by default, a couture dressmaker & I believe there is no reason, other in the pursuit of more financial rewards, why the designer should not also be the person who creates the vision - the design can alter & grow all the way through the commission & there is no one more qualified to create a gown than the designer themselves.

I pride myself on being able to follow through from even the wildest design concepts on paper, to a design that looks like the original design sketch without needing to rely on a team of highly skilled cutters, seamstresses & beaders without whom, for some 'designers', there would be no finished product. In my mind, if you do not understand how to cut & construct your idea, you cannot truly call yourself a designer.

  • As part of the service I provide, clients can seek my advice as a designer & stylist on the rest of the bridal party's outfits, the Bride's hair & make-up, flowers, jewellery & accessories etc.

  • I can also be booked to be on hand as the Bride's stylist on the wedding day itself.

 

My gowns are created in house at my studio in the UK.  

 

 

Please note: Many designer & manufacturer gowns being sold in the UK are not made here but are made in China. Furthermore: In some stores MADE TO MEASURE does not mean 'made to measure' & can mean made to a standard size in China & altered here at additional cost to the client.

Please pan down to the bottom of the page to read more & to understand the differences between Manufacturers, Designers/Couturiers & Dressmakers.

 

 


SERVICES:

Answers to the most frequently asked questions:

Can a gown be made in another colour?

Yes, providing the fabric you want comes in that colour or we can source an alternative.

 

Can I change the skirt style? Most typically these questions relate to having a smaller full skirt & less 'fitted' straighter skirt than the fishtail

Y es, there are many skirt options we can discuss most of which can be adapted to suit your figure, without compromising the overall design.

 

Can I have something different to the gowns on the site?

Absolutely! Please do, I can share ideas & brain storm with you. Please feel free to challenge me.

I recently made a sassy, couture 'Chantal' take on 'Alice' for a Alice In Wonderland meets Lady Gaga photo shoot.

However that said, please don't ask me to copy other people's work & I do not make up designs a bride has designed herself, though obviously I will work with her to encompass her ideas into a one off design. If you have something you have completely designed yourself, you will need to find an appropriately skilled dressmaker or costumier, whichever seems appropriate or a designer who is not so precious about making up designs that are not their own.

The way of working showcased by Project Runway / Project Catwalk where by, on the wedding dress episodes, the models hand the designer a sketch & say 'make me this', in no way reflects the reality of working with a designer & is not how the process works. Those episodes are both cringe worthy & embarrassing to watch. Neither do we trot off to Berwick Street with our clients to pay retail for the cloth, we have a much larger selection of samples & shade cards from the UK silk suppliers*. Project Runway / Project Catwalk reflected how the process works with a dressmaker, this is not what you should expect from a designer.

*        The world is your oyster.        *        The sky your limit.        *

 

PRICES & TIMESCALES:

My gowns start from £2760 for straighter styles & £4200 for full skirted designs(subject to change without notice).

Gown prices include all consultations, fabrics & necessary fittings & there are no additional fees to have a gown designed especially for you.

  • If you are thinking of having a unique dress designed for you, the gowns in my 'Gowns Portfolio' should be used as guide prices. These reflect the realistic price you would expect to pay for something to be made with a similar level of hand work, complexity, trim & in fabrics which are similarly priced.

 

For example: Three designs, the second two are more elaborate reworkings of the first & use more expensive components:

Prayer:

Plan silk.
Piped seams.
Some beadwork - hand strung straps & hand beaded cross.
Made to measure - all fittings at the showroom included.
Price as is: £4400.

Elizabeth with straps:

Silk brocade.
Hand beaded seams.More complicated design & cut - especially the fans for the bust area.
Hand strung straps & hand beaded cross.
Made to measure - all fittings at the showroom included.
Price as is: £5500

Coquette:

Silk tafetta, French tulle & lace.
Hand tinted lace.
More complicated design & cut - especially the fans for the bust area. Additional detailing around the waist area inc. appliqued lace.
Bow & pearl droper for a more Tudor / lingerie feel.
Made to measure - all fittings at the showroom included.
Price as is: £5200


  • When deciding whether to book a consultation, please apply a realistic budget, based on my advertised prices, to the style of dress you have in mind. Brides have in the past come to discuss Damsel, for example, assuming I can create the same dress, for them, for less than the advertised price or that a different fabric will shave thousands off the price. 

The prices are published for a reason & I will not work with substandard & unsuitable fabrics to reduce costs - I have to put my name to that creation & will not compromise on my high standards & the exclusivity of my work. The gowns are fairly priced for the amount of work that goes into them & superior fit, especially when compared with off the peg dresses*.  Prices quoted are for made to measure & include all design consultations & fittings undertaken at my studio & underskirts, hoops, etc., (where appropriate)*.

* Note: Prices for off the peg designs have risen sharply in the last couple of years despite many now being made in manufacturer's Chinese factories & shops often charge for alterations to fit the standard size ordered to the client & charge extra to buy or hire underskirts brides may have thought were included when they first tried on the dress/underskirt combination in the shop.

I make a very limited number of gowns a year & pride myself on my made-to-measure corseted gowns fitting like a glove - a fit that is achieved by starting the gown in the 6 - 8 weeks before the wedding. With this in mind, it is essential that you contact me as early as possible, so that should you choose to commission me to make your bridal gown, you can secure the block in my diary closest to your wedding date.

 

 

2011/12 PRICE LIST

 
DESIGN CONSULTATIONS:

To view my collection you will need to book an appointment for a design consultation.

What to expect:

We would normally start the consultation by sitting down & getting to know eachother over a cup of coffee & whilst you browse through my portfolios, we chat about your plans, what sort of gown you are after, what image you had in mind, colours etc. This gives you a chance to see if we are on the same wave length & could work well together & gives me an opportunity to find out who you are & what you want & need from your wedding dress, so that I can best advise & guide you when you start trying on pieces from the collection.

You are free to try on as many gowns as you like during your consultation, the idea being to find out what design details & design elements you like & flatter your figure the most.

At the end of the session we sit down & make some provisional sketches based on our discussions, look at fabric samples & I will provide you with a quote.

Consultations generally take anywhere between two & four hours.

'Princess Dolly'

Image: Copyright Nasir Hamid.

 

Appointments:

Appointments are available seven days a week, with evening appointments available on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. For more information or to book an appointment, please submit an inquiry via my contact page or telephone: 07973 777849.

Showroom location:

My showroom & studio is in Luton, Bedfordshire, five minutes from junction 11 of the M1 & about forty minutes by Thames Link train from London.

You can catch a Thames link train, which runs from Bedford to Brighton, from the following London Underground stations:
Wimbledon,
Elephant & Castle,
London Bridge,
Blackfriars,
City Thameslink,
Farringdon,
King's Cross Thameslink,
Kentish Town,
West Hamstead Thameslink.


For a complete list of all stations the train calls at plus timetables, please use this website: www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk

 

 

 

CONSULTATIONS & FITTINGS - a typical scehdual of appointments:

Appointment/stage 1) Design consultation - a design is decided upon & fabrics chosen (sometimes clients choose to come back for
a second consultation).
Appointment/stage 2) Measurements are taken & the finer details of the chosen design discussed.
Appointment/stage 3) A corset toile will be fitted & alterations noted. A number of design elements will be checked & fitted.
Appointment/stage 4) The boned base of the final corset is checked for fit & a number of design elements will be checked & fitted.
Appointment/stage 5) The corset, which is partially made up is fitted for a final time. The hem length of the skirt decided etc.
Appointment/stage 6) The finished gown is picked up.

Overseas clients (Clients outside the UK)

Understandably 6 or 7 visits to my showroom are often not possible for clients living outside of the UK. Click on my 'Overseas ' link to read about solutions which can reduce the number of appointments required & number of times you will need to visit the UK, suggestions on how we can work around your time constraints & how we can make your visits run as smoothly as possible & be as productive as possible.

Image: Copyright Nasir Hamid.

 

 

 

Copyright:


All the gowns & accessories featured on this site are Chantal Mallett original designs. Both the designs & photographic images on this web site are copyrighted to Chantal Mallett (unless otherwise stated).

 


Understanding the differences between Manufacturers, Designers/Couturiers & Dressmakers continued:

 

Many designers / bridal stores in London & throughout the United Kingdom are having their off the peg & 'made to measure' gowns made in China or other countries like India because labor & fabrics are cheaper, so when visiting other designers & stores, do not assume your gown will be made in the UK, do ask questions.

In one London shop a lady was told that the 'made to measure' £2500 gown she was discussing would be made in Italy but later on she was told the gown would be made to a standard size 10 in China & that she would have to pay a further £400 for alterations - I was told that this store was not the only one in that street having their gowns made in China though other stores were honest about it.

The rule of thumb is that fittings are an inherent part of making to measure, as is making the gown to fit an individuals measurements - altering gowns can loose important details & fabric is not always available in the right spot to fit the gown as it should be - altering will never achieve the same result as made to measure & customers should not accept it, if sold a 'made-to-measure' gown.  

This is a sorry state of affairs, whilst it feels great to order a made-to-measure gown from a smart London address, it certainly does not feel as chic to discover your gown is being shipped in from China & is no more made to measure than a gown bought from Debenhams - stores have cut prices but only by compromising on quality & service. It does however explain why more & more bridal designers & manufacturers advertising in the bridal press display a Union Jack.

 

Manufacturers, Designers, Couturiers, Dressmakers - know the differences:

Manufacturer's company names or collections very often include words like 'Designer' & 'Couture' which make it confusing for Brides to identify the manufacturers from designers or indeed what the difference is between:

  • Manufacturers - mass production in factories, dresses cut often with economy over design in mind, fabrics, trims & zips etc., often bought in with price over quality in mind, variations in shades between batches of fabrics so the dress ordered may be a different colour to the sample dress in the shop & changes to designs, often without notifying the stockists, so dresses ordered can be different to the sample dress when it comes. Shops regularly having to chase up dress orders with the brand's UK office, which in turn faxes China or wherever The UK office doesn't come back to the shop, the shop calls again & is told they're waiting for the factory to get back to them or it's stuck in customs & so it goes on.
  • Designers & Couturiers - generally smaller companies - some have work made up in factories at home or abroad (see above) or have outworkers but I would expect better quality work, cuts & finishes, especially from anyone using the term 'couture', than from the big manufacturers. Others work alone & make the dresses from start to finish themselves.

If you are not sure, a rule of thumb is that if a label has a lot of advertising in the magazines - a run of several pages or is in most of the top magazines on the shelves (You & Your Wedding, Brides, Wedding) it is almost certainly a manufacturer (small companies can neither afford to do this level of advertising or need to, to fill their order books). Another rule of thumb is that if an advert lists stockists the label is a manufacturer & another that if it's stocked in a normal bridal shop it is probably a manufacturer's label & therefore mass produced. If you want to know where a dress is made - check the label or ask - the shop will know & if they say they don't, they are either not privy to that info - in which case ask the manager/owner or do not want you to know. My friend who supplemented her own range with manufactured ranges (hence my knowledge of manufacturers mentioned above) knew where all the brands came from & often had to consider effects like Chinese New Year on the league times she was quoting clients.

During my friend's 'manufacturer' time she experienced dresses coming in, in very different shades to the sample, the wrong dresses coming in, other shops orders being sent to her marked 'urgent' & it taking days for the company to have them collected & redirected, another dress came in with the wrong colour trim (style change), unfinished dresses - boning missing, etc. & the stress due to the aforementioned & dresses not arriving when they should, people not updating her & brides chasing dresses that she wasn't in a position to tell them when their dress would arrive or indeed what stage it was at because no one was telling her.

Dressmakers - most normal dressmakers would work from standard shop bought patterns & would have limited pattern cutting abilities. They normally wouldn't be able to offer their services with regards to design & often require clients to buy in their own fabrics. Standards of workmanship can vary wildly - some are very poor indeed, a few sew to couture standard, most, one hopes, are a happy medium between the two. Though I have rarely been impressed with the workmanship I have seen on Bridesmaids dresses clients have had made using local dressmakers & in some cases I have been truly shocked & in one case I ended up making the Maid of Honour's bodice because, after two attempts (one from a pattern I had cut for the client because their dressmaker could not make hers fit) the bodice was still terrible & the dressmaker had made it clear she wasn't doing it again. When using dressmakers, ask to see examples of their work & photos of clients in dresses they have made. If your design is very different to the usual styles they make, satisfy yourself that what you're asking them to make is not outside their comfort zone. While is it possible to come away with a dress that is sewn well & meets your brief if you find the right person for the job, it is also possible you can end up with a dress that looks terrible & would not meet the standards for a mass produced shop bought garment.

For adult Bridesmaids dresses I think it's always worth looking at evening dresses at Christmas time (& shoes) & Monsoon, Karen Millen, etc.
The above notes are made based on this designer's opinion, experience & knowledge gained working in the wedding industry.

To go to Chantal Mallett's home page click here www.18thcenturycorsets.com