As seen in...

Lifestyle Asia

I was recently approached by Lifestyle Asia, the highest selling Chinese weekly magazine in Australia for a Q and A session to tie in with the cover story about weddings in Sydney.  Check out the questions and my answers below! 

1.         How and when did you start out in bridal wear design?

I had moved back to Australia from the UK and started designing day & eveningwear. A few brides commissioned me to make their wedding gowns, which I enjoyed making but did not see it as a full time proposition, my (now) husband suggested I worked on a wedding gown collection, I did not want to design traditional gowns as I was more interested in stunning eveningwear. We moved the business to a new location in Perth and at the same started a collection of wedding gowns and it worked extremely well from the beginning that I made it my main focus.  It has now come full circle because last year I started work on a new eveningwear collection again!

I started the original store in Perth around 20 years ago but moved to Sydney with my husband at the end of 2000 for the business (and because we love Sydney).

2.       How would you describe your signature style? What do you think makes your designs unique? 

I think I design a beautiful gown that complement’s our brides varied and unique personalities.  They are more fashion orientated and a bit edgy in design.  We make all our gowns in Australia in our Sydney workroom and I am very focused on the fit and quality of each and every gown. 

3.         What is your favorite thing about designing wedding dresses?

I get to work on what I love, making a stunning piece of art, which you get to wear on the most important day of your life. There is a great deal of skill and craftsmanship behind each gown and I love the challenge and excitement designing new gowns brings.

4.       Do you have a personal favorite style of bridal gown, and if so, why? 

I love them all for different reasons (or else I would not design them) I design for all different styles of brides and for different wedding days. My absolute personal style has a vintage 1950’s edge that cinches in the waist and has a fuller skirt reminiscent of the New Look by Dior.

5.       What inspired your latest collection? And what type of fabric and embellishment feature in the latest collection? 

My inspiration this collection is for feminine vintage layers using textures and mixed fabrics that work with many different silhouettes. Some of my favourite looks from the latest collection include belts and motif accents with diamante features complimenting sheer and floaty fabrics with a structured base.  I also love reinterpreting the classic all over lace gown this time with a slim fitted silhouette and playing with proportion with a fishtail silhouette.

6.      How far in advance do you recommend purchasing a wedding dress?

Six months order time is an industry standard, but my real answer is as soon as you know this is the gown you would love to walk down the aisle in – pay your deposit and book it.  At Karen Willis Holmes we are very flexible with the time frames because we make the gowns to order. If you only have a short time period and we have the fabrics and space in the workroom of course we will make it for you. However, we do not have all of the fabrics all of the time. I recommend you book as soon as you know you want it. Of course, it is not unheard of for brides to want to loose weight, you can book your gown so everything is locked in but we can resize the gown for you closer to the wedding date.

7.       Can you provide a retail price guide for both your bridal wear and your line of accessories? 

Evening collection $489 to $600

Ready to wear bridal gowns - $1489 - $3989

Couture gowns - $6000 upwards

Jewelry and accessories - $79 upwards

8.       What advice would you give brides who want to have their dress custom-made? 

The first thing I recommend to is to do some research for your gown, look at lots of images (magazines and the internet are great) to give you an idea of what you like get a little collection together. You might find most of the images are from one or two designers.  The next is to work out your budget – and look at stores, which are at your price point.  Shop around, ask for recommendations, find out what do you get from each store? As services provided are very varied so you need to know what is included and what is not with each store.   Lastly, your wedding gown is a huge decision to undertake and brides usually want a second opinion.  Choose the people whose opinions you trust – you will get honest answers and opinions and will not be inundated with several conflicting opinions and comments. 

Have a great weekend

Karen x

Spring has sprung at Cosmopolitan Bride

As Spring slowly starts to show itself – hurrah! – we are also excited to see the Spring releases of some of our favourite bridal magazines, including the ever popular ‘Cosmopolitan Bride’.

One of the best sources of inspiration will always be the red carpet, and Cosmo Bride serves up a range of ideas guaranteed to meet the needs of any bride in “Spotlight on You” (page 30). This issue, Elizabeth Banks is very much channelling our lovely ‘Nicole’ gown (page 31), and with its slim skirt and high neckline, it is simple elegance defined in a gown.

Featured in “Love Story” (page 91) is the Karen Willis Holmes Ready-to-Wear ‘Dakota’ gown. With its pretty cap sleeves and lace overlay, this gown has a lovely vintage feel to it.

In the beautiful editorial, “Sealed With a Kiss” (page 116), the Karen Willis Holmes Ready-to-Wear gown, ‘Allegra’ (page 124), looks fantastic with statement, black accessories. We love the lace bodice and extravagant tulle fish-tail shape of this gown.

“Anatomy of a Dress” (page 148) provides brides with a great breakdown of a gown to help them understand what they are getting in terms of value when purchasing a gown. The Karen Willis Holmes Couture range has been mentioned in this article, featuring the ‘Maddison’ gown (page 158), and the ‘Chantilly Lace Bodice’ and ‘Pleated Ruffle Skirt’ combination (page 159).

We are always thrilled to see one of our bride’s weddings splashed across the glossy pages of Cosmo Bride, and Shannon and Gregg (page 184) are no exception. We thought Shannon looked amazing in our Ready-to-Wear ‘Sharon’ gown when she married Gregg in November last year.  And what a perfect day! Gorgeous location with fantastic weather – couldn’t ask for much more than that!!

Beyond the beautiful gowns, Cosmo Bride has some fantastic articles in this issue that we are loving here at Karen Willis Holmes!

“Love Blossoms” (page 49) contains some stunning floral arrangements and ideas, which will help any bride in her quest for the perfect bouquet  – keep your eyes peeled as we will be featuring one of our favourite florists on the blog soon.

These days there are so many politics surrounding gifts for weddings, “Cash or Gift” (page 99) provides you with all the best ways of broaching the situation politely but also so that you can get what you really want and need (instead of 3 new toasters).

Planes (or helicopters), Trains (or water Taxis), and Automobiles… “Ride of your Life” (page 164) offers up some fabulous alternatives for every bride to consider to show up in serious style for their big day!

For more amazing advice and ideas for your big day, head to your local newsagent and pick up your copy of Cosmopolitan Bride today.

A Little Bit of Luxury...

A little bit of luxury…

The Luxury Weddings Yearbook second annual edition

A special media review to share today – it is exciting to reveal the second annual edition of the ‘Luxury Weddings Yearbook’ is on newsstands and ready for every bride-to-be to take hold of and never let go.

The yearbook works to provide a summary of the best of the best for every aspect of the wedding, including everything from fashion and jewels, to photographers and receptions and even destination weddings and honeymoons.

We are very flattered for Victoria Black and the Luxury Weddings team to have included Karen Willis Holmes in their bridal Haute Couture section of the publication.

The stunning ‘Satine’ gown holds pride of place at the opening page of the section, with its combination of contrasting textures, the gown looks simply fabulous on such a sparse page layout.

Karen Willis Holmes ‘Satine’ gown

The Karen Willis Holmes advertorial showcases some of our favourite gowns here at Karen Willis Holmes. All true to Karen’s signature style with simple lines and a hint of drama, these gowns show all the different elements that can take a gown to the next level.

Karen Willis Holmes ‘Angelica’ (top left, and bottom left), ‘Alisha’ (second from top left), ‘Maddison’ (third and fourth from top left), ‘Gabriella’ (full right page) gowns

Karen Willis Holmes ‘Sophia’ (left) and ‘Angelica’ (right) gowns

We love these photographs, especially the way the soft tulle of the Sophia gown is scattered up the stairs and then the shot of fiery red hair of the model, just enhances the crispness of the ivory in the gown.

And Karen Willis Holmes is keeping good company in this edition, with Cartier, Wills Quills and Studio Impressions also being featured, each of them offering brides the best possible service and product for their sector.

The only problem we find with the ‘Luxury Weddings Yearbook’ is that it only comes out once a year – if only we could have it quarterly with all the other publications, we would be living the life of luxury.

Modern Wedding - Winter 2010

The next bridal publication to have hit the stands is the Winter 2010 issue of ‘Modern Wedding’ along with a special Free Receptions Magazine – a great supplement showcasing some of the most amazing locations for the post-wedding party.

Modern Wedding magazine is like a Bridal Bible for pulling together all the elements of a wedding, from the ceremony right down to the finer points of consideration, like music selection and playlists. Modern Wedding is a one-stop shop for brides who are building their dream wedding.

With a special announcement in the ‘Modern News’ section of the publication (page 20), there is a small piece divulging the details of Karen Willis Holmes’ big move from Woolloomooloo to Newtown that took place late last year for the couture studio and head office.  With mentions of the stunning building space in which the new studio is located, ‘The Flourmill Studios’, it is exciting to see how well the new space is being received. The couture ‘Sharon’ gown in this feature also looks simply stunning!

‘Expertise Me!’ (page 82) – answers for every girl who needs a little guidance at the start of their planning process. Broken down so that those who are completely new to the idea of a wedding are able to get their head around who it is they need to be speaking to, what they need to consider, and even how to get the language down pat. As always we are happy to offer any advice and support to brides in their quest to find the perfect gown for their big day – just head into any of our stores.

We love the story ‘Kick Up Your Heels’ (page 182). While we can offer you our expertise regarding the dress, the next step is to find the perfect shoe for your big day and this piece gives sound advice beyond just the appearance of your Cinderella slipper that people sometimes forget. Remember you are going to be wearing your shoes all day you need to be 100% confident in what you put on your feet. So finding the perfect accompaniment to your gown just got easier with the checklist already in place for you.

‘High Season’ (page 266) puts forward ideas for how you can take the seasons as the inspiration for your big day. Whether it be a winter wedding, or a summer celebration – this piece shows how to get the best ideas from the most simple source of inspiration – Mother Nature. We always feel it is important to consider the time of year you are getting married when you are picking your gown. Fabrics and styles are more suitable to particular seasons. For more information on this just ask our staff in any of our studios.

And finally, some brilliant beauty tips that aren’t just relevant to brides but for any woman wanting to nail a fantastic beauty routine. ‘Beauty and the Best’ (page 277) serves up the knowledge needed to get yourself looking your most magnificent in the lead up to your wedding day.

So with the winter issue done and dusted we now look forward to the next Modern Wedding release, sending us all the spring specialties to savour.

Bride to Be May-Jul 2010 issue

At Karen Willis Holmes we love our bridal magazines – such a fantastic source of inspiration and also a great place for brides to get ample information and advice that is really beneficial in their planning process.

One bridal publication that has just released their new issue, setting the tone for brides to be in the chilly winter months, is the appropriately named, Bride to Be. With 8 issues per year, editor Amelia Bloomfield always manages to pack the best in bridal onto her beautiful pages and the May-July 2010 issue is no exception.

In this issue, Amelia and the team at Bride to Be have given us plenty to love: “A Venues Special” (page 249), which is a special highlighting over 40 different locations for your ceremony and reception; “Your Day” (page 69) which features 16 fabulous real weddings and an opportunity to take inspiration from other brides; and the “Ultimate Gown Guide” (page 201) an amazing resource to help you choose the best gown for your big day. 

Bride to Be magazine 

Of course, for us, the “Ultimate Gown Guide” is our favourite piece in this issue!

With options ranging from dramatic and attention-grabbing, to simple, understated glamour, there is literally something for everyone. There are also small titbits of advice on each page from the Bride to Be team to help you choose the perfect gown in relation to your personal preferences, whether it be related to length, style, or features.

We are so flattered to have three Karen Willis Holmes gowns featured also. Two of our stunning couture gowns - ‘Gabriella’ and ‘Satine’ provide real wow-factor for your special day, while ready-to-wear option, ‘Greta’, is a slim, empire line gown, which creates a sexy and sophisticated look.

Karen Willis Holmes couture ‘Gabriella’, and ‘Satine’

Karen Willis Holmes Ready to wear ‘Greta’

The major feature editorial for this issue was taken out into the wilderness of Tasmania resulting in a truly breathtaking photoshoot. Our couture gown ‘Maddison’ was shot perched high on a mountain top with a truly stunning backdrop. The amazing natural scenery creates such a fantastic contrast to the starkness of the gown, making it really pop on the page. 

 Karen Willis Holmes couture ‘Maddison’

Something exciting and new to share is the launch of Bride to Be’s new online shop. You may remember that we did a feature on the blog recently where we mentioned that Karen had the fortune of being invited to celebrate the introduction of Bride to Be’s current issue as well as being one of the lucky first to find out about the online store. Well the store is now open to the public!

Providing a space for a range of goods to meet the needs of every bride, from adorable wedding favours to amusing cake toppers, invitations and decorations, bridal shower supplies and even a range of parasols which offer a perfect alternative to a bouquet. The Bride to Be online shop has all the little things you need to make your wedding complete.

Between the magazine and the store, every bride will be able to find whatever ideas they could possibly need to help put their mark on their own big day with the help of Bride to Be.