Phillipa Lepley is an iconic name in London bridal, celebrated internationally both for her exquisite tailoring and for her ability to deliver timeless designs. Now celebrating a very special anniversary, she has a special Chapter Forty collection that showcases her atelier’s unique signature
Phillipa Lepley wedding gowns need no introduction – and they are easy to spot – sublime tailoring, signature corsetry that works miracles enhancing and elongating the body (yet is very comfortable to wear) and the finest materials. For 40 years, the Nottinghamshire-born designer has been making brides’ wedding-day dreams come true.
It’s a fitting time to celebrate what goes into a Phillipa Lepley gown – and the choice she provides for brides – and that’s just what this exceptional collection does.
There was tailoring in Phillipa Lepley’s family – both of her grandmothers had a refined sense of style and excellent skills and one had even been a court tailoress. Inspired by their example, she knew from an early age that this is the world she wanted to inhabit and, following an Art Foundation course, studied at London College of Fashion.
“She was working round the clock, but Phillipa Lepley saw demand for her gowns grow rapidly”
This led on to an apprenticeship with a high-end designer. Phillipa Lepley was learning more about the business of high-end bridal, but also testing out her own designs by creating client pieces during evenings and weekends. It meant she was working around the clock, but she saw demand for Phillipa Lepley originals grow rapidly.
Her eponymous label was born in a small atelier in South Kensington, and word-of-mouth recommendations saw it grow into a ‘must visit’ for brides to be. It relocated to Chelsea where it expanded to offer both bridal couture and evening gowns.
While there’s always a timeless and fairytale elements to these gowns, the craft that goes into them is what makes them so unique, and also so respected within the bridal industry.
Phillipa Lepley is supported by a skilled team in her London atelier, delivering the tailoring and details used in her couture and bespoke collections.
There are always lovely details that go into a gown – from beautiful embroidery and refined lace to clever corsetry designed around the bride (so she wears the gown, not the other way around). Indeed, it’s the element you don’t see (the underneath part) that makes these gowns so eminently flattering and wearable. Good corsetry enhances every figure, lengthening the body and ensuring all-day elegance without compromising on comfort.
While there are many traditional styles in the mix with the Chapter Forty collection, Phillipa Lepley gowns also incorporate bolder elements – very much in tune with the changing nature of wedding celebrations and brides’ wishlists.
This includes the Ursula gown – showcasing the clever ‘watteaux’, a removable skirt that lets a bride change up her look. The team at Phillipa Lepley say these removable elements are a key part of modern bridal. Perhaps no surprise since it means that one spectacular dress can take you all the way from formal service to informal after party.
There are some exquisite uses of colour in the Chapter Forty collection – marking her 40 years of designing for brides. This incorporates new elements but also some brides’ favourites down the years reimagined for this anniversary year.
It’s a glorious collection, and many brides will also be tempted by the super glamorous options in the evening gown collection – designs to consider for an evening or multi-party celebration (and possibly very tempting to mothers and sisters of the bride).
Colour also comes into play on the classic white and cream gowns in, for instance, bespoke embroidered flowers or other romantic motifs. This is a lovely way to add unique points of interest to a gown which will most certainly be a family heirloom piece.
“The atelier can incorporate personal motifs and monograms – or messages – that make each veil unique”
The atelier’s veils are another way to include extra points of interest. The silk tulle and lace used in every Phillipa Lepley veil is woven on 200-year-old looms in France – so ultra traditional – but the atelier team can incorporate personal motifs and monograms, messages and other details that make each veil unique – and uniquely romantic.
While brides are welcomed at the London atelier for consultations – the options are couture, bespoke or made to order – Phillipa Lepley also works with many international clients and can design a seamless process for creating a bridal original or perfectly fitted gown from the collection. Many clients will also choose a veil at the same time as they decide on the dress, although separate veil consultations are also available.
However they choose their gown, Phillipa Lepley brides are guaranteed a unique experience with a truly glamorous bridal design at the end of it that will make them feel at their most beautiful on their wedding day – and stand the test of time in wedding photographs and movies long after the celebration.
To find out more about Phillipa Lepley’s Chapter Forty collection, and her couture and bespoke services, visit phillipalepley.com
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