Joelle: Strapless sheer boned bodice ballgown with organic texture pleating and organza scallops
One of my inspirations for this collection was witchcraft and enchantment. I think that’s exactly what comes through in this wild A-line skirt: you can feel the sense of wonder, and beguilement, and the tug of that other world! The two tones together in this split skirt, especially with the black against nude, gives just a bit of that sense that the rational world is coming apart at its seams. It’s a peek into the something we don’t understand. That’s just why lingerie is so powerful, and why I drew on that vocabulary – because it’s powerful, it’s mysterious, but in such a fun, frothy way. It’s an irresistible flourish. When the bride is moving, the skirt is billowing, roiling, drifting, and conjuring up all kinds of associations. The distressed tulle bounces and folds and sweeps. It’s almost like something you might see just before falling asleep, into a very beautiful dream – a dream that carries you away before you can make sense of it.
With the bodice, I’ve chosen to create a study in restraint. From the back, when you’re not looking full-on at the full frothiness of the skirt, this is almost a simple, classic gown. The bodice is one piece, with a defined waist that’s a seductive counterpoint to the softness of the skirt. It shows off our bride in such a bare, beguiling manner. It’s racy, but simple: effortlessly sensual. The boning of the corset is exposed: again, simple, refined. But far from innocent. This is the confident sorceress, the siren, who seems to have some element of her own private fairy world still attached to her, as she moves through our world. Beauty will always be mysterious, and that’s why its call is so irresistible.
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