Here Comes the Bespoke Groom!

Who said that the bride should be the only one to get a custom-made outfit for their wedding day? With  more and more grooms being involved with what their wedding day will look like - it's only fitting that the groom should also get some bespoke clothing for his big day as well!

You no longer have to go to Italy or get an appointment at Ascot Chang in NYC to get custom-made shirts. Once only attainable to the wealthy, bespoke clothing brand J. Hilburn has brought custom clothing to the everyday man! Which is a perfect solution for the groom who wants to stand out!

Launched in 2007,  J. Hilburn delivers high-quality custom tailored men's apparel at affordable prices. So what does this mean for the groom who wants custom? J. Hilburn can help you design your wedding apparel from an array of fine Italian fabrics and style options, all from the convenience of your office or home! Giving you the opportunity to make sure you and your groomsmen look perfect for your special day. An added bonus for the groom is...since J. Hilburn sells directly to you...you are able to choose from the same exact fabrics offered by other luxury clothiers at significant savings and I mean SIGNIFICANT! This is the J. Hilburn advantage.

Need help? With J. Hilburn, planning what the guys will be wearing and how to get them outfitted is an easy task. J. Hilburn Style Advisor, Kathy Everitt can help with you with all your wedding style needs and how to best achieve them. And get this...you get a PERSONAL style consultant for NO CHARGE - imagine that! A full personal tailoring experience at the convenience of your own office or home AT NO CHARGE! Talk about moving on up! 

I recently interviewed Style Advisor, Kathy Everitt, regarding the J. Hilburn experience and I want to share with you excerpts from the discussion. 

What makes J. Hilburn special? 

Simply put, J. Hilburn is about value, extraordinary customer service, exceptional quality, great fit at below retail prices, and a welcome convenience for men who don’t have time to shop. J. Hilburn will come to your office or home, take your measurements on the spot, help you pick from a selection of 250 fabrics, design a shirt, and place an order with no minimum required. your measurements and selections are sent to J. Hilburn's specialty tailor. The garment is meticulously crafted to your specifications and will arrive a few weeks later. 

Isn't that level of service going to cost me an arm and a leg? 

With all the high-quality features and personal options J. Hilburn provides, one would expect to pay an arm and a leg. Not so. The fabrics are sourced directly from Italy’s Tessitura Monti S.p.A., where state-of-the-art technology is used to ensure the highest standard of quality. The company's custom products range from $79 for a dress shirt and up to $185 for made to measure Italian wool trousers. 

Since I am looking at custom clothing is it better to go formal or unique? 

What is your wedding style? Are you having a traditional wedding or a destination wedding by the ocean? Do you want a traditional wedding where all your groomsmen wear tuxedos or do you want them in beachwear? From formal to “anything goes” weddings,  J. Hilburn offers men’s attire to help reflect the unique and personal style of the groom and the bride on their wedding day.

Let me give you an example. If you are looking at a formal or black tie event you might want to look at J. Hilburn's bespoke tuxedo shirts which can be worn with any tuxedo style. The tuxedo shirt comes in two styles: (1) the classic point, and (2) the wing tip collar. The front two panels are chosen per the customer’s taste, and the rest of the shirt is made from a standard white broadcloth. Unlike a regular dress shirt, the tuxedo shirt comes with a strip that allows the top four buttons to be removed and replaced with studs.So as you can see - we will make sure these pieces meet your expectations. 

My groomsmen live all around the United States. How can we make sure we get the correct fit and styles for each of them? 

After meeting you for the initial style consultation, J. Hilburn goes the extra mile by scheduling appointments with your groomsmen for personal fittings. With a network of 650 style advisors nationwide, Kathy Everitt can easily coordinate measurements and fittings for the big day - no matter where your groomsmen may be.  Additionally, there's no need to stress out about the groomsmen picking out the wrong shirt or pants since our style advisors will have all the parameters from your consultation on file. 

Can I give these as gifts to my groomsmen? 

J. Hilburn is the perfect gift for your groomsmen. It's a great way to show your gratitude and appreciation. In addition you can give your most important men in your life a J. Hilburn gift card to order a custom piece when they want. Other great J.Hilburn gift ideas for the guys include cashmere sweaters, handcrafted silver cufflinks, exotic belts, and grooming products.

For more information about J. Hilburn or to schedule a personal fitting and consultation, please contact Kathy Everitt at (972) 523-3288 or at kathy.everitt@jhilburnpartner.com

Finally a coupon to use for trying their services!

Princess Bride - Designers Design Gowns for Kate Middleton

When you are a princess...well...soon to be princess in this case, everyone wants to dress you for your fairytale wedding. Why wouldn't they since the world, will literally, have their eyes on her when she makes her way down the aisle.

Ever since the royal engagement of HRH Prince William to Kate Middleton was announced, the world has been speculating on what the wedding will look like and most importantly what the soon-to-be princess and future Queen of England would wear on her wedding day.

While we cannot speculate on what Kate (Catherine) will wear on her wedding day, we can only wonder if it's an established designer with a name people recognize or some unknown up and comer. Royal correspondent Yvonne Yorke recently told Vogue UK, "When the name is officially announced, it will come as a surprise to many, and catapult the designer to worldwide fame. For clues on the identity, I suggest looking at those who have made dresses for Catherine, her sister Pippa, and her mother Carole." The anticipation! How lovely would it be for her to walk down the aisle in a gown designed by her sister or mother?

At any rate, WWD recently invited designers to sketch their idea on what Kate's wedding dress should look like. What do you think?

Main dress sketch above by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli for Valentino

Yigal Azrouel

Vera Wang

Tory Burch

Tommy Hilfiger

Reem Acra

Rebecca Taylor

Rachel Roy

Prabal Gurung

Peter Copping for Nina Ricci

Nicole Miller

Nanette Lepore

Monique Lhuillier

Missoni

Lyn Devon

Lela Rose

Kimberly Ovitz

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Gilles Mendel for J. Mendel

J. Crew

Jason Wu

Frida Giannini for Gucci

Elizabeth Emanuel

Doo-Ri Chung for Doo.Ri

Christian Lacriox

Chris Benz

Ralph Rucci for Chado Ralph Rucci

Badgley Mischka

Alberta Ferretti

Wedding Gown Designer to Watch: Rosa Clará

Rosa Clará is the designer to watch and I would not be surprised if she was the go to wedding gown designer in the next couple of years. I'm in total awe after seeing some of this designer's gowns.

Rosa Clará has been in business since 1995. Her designs are known in Latin countries and on the European circuit but have not quite made an impact here in the US. She currently has some gowns being sold exclusively at Kleinfeld Bridal in NYC and some select styles can be found at premiere bridal boutiques throughout the US. A list of local retailers can be found on the Rosa Clará Website. Rosa Clará is based in Barcelona, Spain.

Rosa Clará designs are absolutely modern, gorgeous, and it transcends time. She states that her '09 collection is, "Inspired by two trends: One, simple lines with close fitting gowns. And the other, spectacular volume." All I can say is that her gowns are like none I have seen in recent years. You also need to check out the Rosa Clará '08 line and you will notice that things she was putting out last year are now being presented by other designers this year. She is definitely "wedding" fashion forward.

It seems as if she has taken aspects from different cultures and made them her own. You will see gorgeous draping on Grecian Gowns, Kimono inspired wedding dresses, Modern Princess Gowns and of course...an ode to Barcelona, Spanish influenced gowns.

Additionally, many of her pieces can morph into a second look by adding or removing lace jackets that she has designed to go with certain gowns.

Here's a sampling of the gowns I love.

Style #213 Languido - Organza dress with beading and a Chantilly lace jacket with hemstitch decoration. A lovely dress with two looks. When you take off the full-length lace jacket, you are left with a stunning strapless gown, perfect for the reception.

Style #248 Lua - Beaded bodice with a silk brocade skirt and train. This dress reminds me of a modern Kimono. The train detail is so wonderful with its multiple tiers. The dress is so simple yet so stunning.


Style #159 Lyla - Halter dress with floral neck embellishment and embroidered flowers on a full skirt. The ultimate playful princess dress. I love the embroidery on the skirt; it gives the gown a little spunk, but keeps it elegant at the same time. Cinderella would have been proud to wear this gown.


Brides...you need to check out the Rosa Clará line, there are so many wonderful gowns to discover on her site. Additionally she also a second line that is more affordable called Two by Rosa Clará and a link to her Complements line of veils, tops, shoes, and headdresses (used by Karl Lagerfeld in Chanel's Pre-Fall 2009 Collection Fashion Show).

I hope you will love this designer as much as I do. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us in coming years.

Jo Vull Rosa Clará!

-Percy

Photos from Rosa Clará