Monday, May 2, 2011

THAT dress...

Hello to you... did you watch Kate n Will's wedding over the weekend? According to the media (who are never wrong) an estimated 2 billion people tuned in to the big event; a figure which equates to a third of the world's population, which to me seems a bit rich when you consider what is going on in some of the countries around the world presently....

But anyway - I put the kids to bed, kicked the husband out and brought out my secret stash of Easter eggs to watch the wedding in all its spectacle. I have to admit, I loved almost every moment... The trees lining the isle in that church. The ecstatic crowd. The beautiful music. And THAT dress.

No pressure on Kate. I mean, everybody stresses somewhat about what to wear to their wedding. Can you imagine facing that dilema knowing that every camera in the Western world will be pointed at you, scrutinising every detail to muse over for decades to come?

But I think most of us will agree the girl got it right... What an exquisite, regal, modern-meets-traditional gown it was. Let's face it, Kate is a stunning girl who may well have looked glam in a hessian sack. She was always going to wow the crowd, and wow she did. I loved the lace and that simple veil (layered over a deliciously un-simple tiara by Cartier!) and the detailing on the back of the dress leading to that beautiful train... the only thing I will say that disturbed me just the tiniest bit (and quite possibly I am the only person amongst 2 billion who feels this way) was the way the dress formed over her bust; at first I thought she was a bit 'nipply' at the front until I realised it was the way the dress was made. I don't love that cut, and if it were me (I wish!) I would have gone a bit more flat-across-the-front. That's just me. What did you think?

But THAT dress made me think about my OWN dress. And how it made me feel wearing it. And how I feel about it now...


I got married almost seven years ago, back when wedding dresses were all tight-across-the-bodice strapless numbers... when I picked up my first bridal magazine, I knew I was in trouble. I am not overly 'traditional,' and whilst I thought those gowns were lovely, they didn't have me melting in my heels. My shoulders are not my favourite asset, I couldn't see myself doing strapless. Flick flick flick flick, these samey samey gowns weren't doing it for me. And I began to get worried.

I drove past the bridal stores, but their window displays didn't lure me in.

And then. I was flicking through yet another bridal magazine when an image caught my eye. In it, was a girl wearing quite possibly the most stunning dress I had ever seen. It was so totally unlike every other dress in that magazine and in that moment I was in. Love.

I rang the number listed in the advertisement. The lady I spoke to explained that they were a Perth-based bridal couture boutique. Great. Only a 12 hour round-plane-trip to buy my dress, then?! But luckily, they had plans to open up in Paddington, Sydney. I left my details.

A month later, I was on my bicycle halfway to Melbourne, dressed in top to toe lycra a million miles away from couture when the phone rang. The boutique was opening in Paddington, and would I like to make the very first appointment?

You betcha.

This was about eight years ago, but I clearly remember that first time I ambled down that narrow sidestreet in Paddington clutching the address in a bit of scrunched up paper. The unassuming terrace door yawned open and I stepped inside heaven.

The label? Pallas.

Inside the terrace was a couple of racks with quite literally the most beautiful dresses I have ever laid eyes on. To this day. I whipped my clothes off and slithered into the first one. Half an hour later, I found the one. And in November of 2004, I walked down the isle in my Pallas Lolita gown floating on a cloud.

When I bought my dress, no one had ever heard of Pallas. And no one had ever seen the shimmery, luminescent crushed silk fabrics and cuts that adorned their dresses .Years on, they have established themselves are one of the leading couture designers in Sydney and tons of celebrities have sashayed down the isle in their gowns. Which kinda rocks my world as I sit here typing in my jammies, knowing that on that one occasion I absolutely got it right, and that all these years later I still love that dress and would pick it again tomorrow with no hesitation.

It was risque. It was risKY. It was the type of dress your grandmother would cluck disapprovingly at. And it was ME.

Here's a few happy snappys of THAT dress. My dress.








How do you feel about YOUR dress all these years on? Shall we toast the royal nuptials with a dress-off? Why not post and share YOUR wedding dress pics, then linkup below -- I'd LOVE to see your wedding frocks! x


13 comments:

  1. Oooo la la, Nicole, how gorgeous is your dress I love the little train and the Wooooo low cut front and back and you def pulled it off beautifully!
    I still love my dress, it was just simple strapless a line, if I had my time over I would maybe have put little lace capped sleeves on it but I still love it and had lots of lovely comments. Thanks so much for sharing your day. Looks like we got married just 6mths before you guys!
    Jxx

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  2. Oh your dress is lovely. I love the low cut back.

    I was just looking at wedding pictures from our special day. Will do a post today I think :)

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  3. I was similar to you....actually we seem to have gotten married in the same year, same month as well! I was never one for pouffy big dresses and strapless wasn't for me either, luckily the first dress I tried on was the ONE. Posted my pics over the weekend on my blog!

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  4. We got married 5 years ago, and I was in the same boat. I saw a Pallas dress in a mag and HAD to have it. My girlfriend and I went to the Paddington store in Sydney, and you're right- it's like a little bridal heaven in there! The dress I wanted was really out there, and it actually wore me, rather than the other way around, so it was a no go. BUT... I did try on the dress I would eventually wear (I had it made as the $6k price tag was a bit much).
    Now? I still love it, but I'm not sure it's a 'me' dress today- it was very slinky and revealing. I had the body and the confidence to pull it off then, but now? I'm not entirely sure I'd do it again. Here's the link for some pics...

    http://imhermum.blogspot.com/2011/04/fiveten.html

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  5. Love the new look blog! Very swishy!

    Also totally loving your wedding pics..divine! yay you for being so ahead of your time ;)

    Love how the wills and kate have so many women around the globe reliving their own nuptials :)

    I did a post on my day..

    http://duncombediary.blogspot.com/2011/04/weekend-rewind-duchess-of-ninja-towers.html

    Duchess of Ninja Towers xx

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  6. You look beautiful, the dress is divine. I wouldn't expect any less of Joy and her team, they are fantastic there. I love the back, it's just beautiful.

    I chose a Pallas dress too, I've never felt as pretty as I did that day...

    Thanks for sharing those, I love seeing wedding pics! And I loved Kate's dress, I think she is one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen, just lovely.

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  7. Do you know, your wedding day stands (still) as one of the best days I have ever had! From staying in the hotel in the vinyard, to getting to help set up the center pirces, to the string quartet, to watching you sashay down the aisle with dad looking AMAZING, to bawling like a bloody baby, to watching you have your first dance with Dan, to hearing your impromptu speach, to THAT white chocolate wedding cake (YUM!!!), to cousin Martin being the 'token drunk' reletive.

    What a day!!! I have never been so impressed, so proud, and so in complete awe for my big sister :_)

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  8. What a great post Nicole, stunning dress which looked beautiful on you - love the low back. I've joined in the wedding gown fun too at my blog x

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  9. Lookin hot lady! I totally had the strapless number- same as EVERY OTHER BRIDE! eewgh. I'm thinking i'll post a pic too. Amanda, I'm heading over to check you out!

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  10. Believe it or not, I rented my dress!!! At the insistence of both my mum and my MIL, both of whom said that, while they loved their dresses, they just sit in a storage bin, they'll never wear them again, they didn't think I should wear either of them, and they're a pain in the butt when you move! :) So I walked into a local shop - tried on the first dress they showed me, loved it and booked it pronto! Also I was planning my wedding from 1/2 way across the globe, so it made things a little easier. The bridesmaids dresses? That was another story :)

    I really like the back design of your dress - beautiful and unique!

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  11. ahahahiee, im so not offended! It was/ is such a common style! And I don't offend easily, especially not over wedding dresses ;). My 19 year old self thought that dress was so cutting edge!

    xo em

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  12. Love the post Nicole :) And love, love, love your dress!! Gorgeous.
    Like you I didn't want strapless. I thought it was too over done, that's what everyone seemed to be wearing, and I actually didn't think I'd feel comfortable and look good in one. Fast forward to the bridal dress store and after trying on I think maybe 2 or 3 non-strapless dresses I was HATING wedding dress shopping, feeling very ugly, and not sure what, if anything, was going to look good. The assistant then brought me another dress, which was strapless. I was reluctant to try it on but she was adamant that it would look good. She was right. My girlfriend looked at me and said, that's the one. And it was. Like you with yours, I loved mine from the start. As I'm sure Kate did with hers - she looked stunning!
    Pics of mine up at botswanababy.blogspot.com

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