Lucy Marshall ~ Exquisite Bridal Gloves and Vintage Inspired Accessories

Way back in 2010, around six months after I'd started blogging, I ran a feature on the most exquisite of bridal glove designers Lucy Marshall. 
Having recently worked with Lucy on the production of my very first, soon to be launched book (eek!), I'm keen to share details of Lucy's beautiful
designs with my latest readers.

Lucy Marshall is a mother and daughter partnership made up of
designer Lucy Griffiths and her mother, Maureen Marshall. Together, the
creative duo specialise in beautiful bridal gloves and vintage style
headpieces. Each design is created individually by hand using intricate
embroidery and beading techniques…

"We
started designing approximately eight years ago. For as long as I can
remember my mum was always working on a piece of embroidery but it was
only as I got older that I began to appreciate how exquisite they were. I
remember specifically one afternoon leafing through folders of her work
and being amazed at all the different embroidery techniques. I decided
then that I wanted to use these techniques but make them modern and
relevant." 

Love My Dress Wedding Blog ~ All Imagery Copyright (c) 2012, Lucy Marshall 

I adore the delicacy of Lucy's designs – it's a characteristic of her design that not even these beautiful close up images can truly capture.  Lucy
got in to design after she gained a degree in fashion design from
Manchester Metropolitan University and a Post Graduate from Central
Saint Martins in pattern cutting. Her mother Maureen studied embroidery
at the Royal School of Needlework…

"So often, embroidery is something you look at in a stuffy
costume museum and I wanted to create pieces you would wear today. We
initially focused on gloves as there was (and still is) a real lack of
anything beautiful in this area. We were then asked to design a range of
headpieces because, at the time, designers like Jenny Packham, were
creating these amazing 1920's dresses but there was nothing suitable to wear with them."

"We
both absolutely love the Art Deco period of the 1920's and 30's and
this is an underlying influence in our work, especially our headpieces.
However the initial inspiration for a design or a collection is often
sparked by an embroidery or beading technique that we really love and
want to recreate.

For myself, I also find a lot of inspiration from
decorative features which create beautiful shapes. A lot of our early
work was inspired by chandeliers and the elegant drapes that are created
by the crystals."

"Our signature style is definitely our unique approach of using
hand embroidery and beading to create our headpieces and gloves. This
really does give them a totally different quality, they are so intricate
and delicate and are incredibly light to wear. Often it is the subtle
differences in a piece of work and the attention to detail which makes
it a luxury item and this is certainly true of our designs."

"Obviously as we are creating accessories we think about the wedding dresses our potential customers may be wearing. Jenny Packham and Alice Temperley
are two designers whose work we really admire and is very relevant to
what we do. Some of the advertising campaigns Jenny Packham has run have
been amazing."

"For
our headpieces the three materials that we seem to continually use are
silver embroidery thread, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver chain.
The combination of these is perfect. The silver thread brings a modern
edge to the the embroidery, the Swarovski crystal creates a wonderful
sparkle and the chain is very elegant and sophisticated."

"Our studio is based in Manchester and brides are very welcome to visit us here to discuss ideas and try on designs.

For
those further afield it's still no problem to deal with us directly. We
work very closely with our customers through email and post, and we are
able to send out samples of designs that brides are specifically
interested in. Alternatively, several bridal boutiques across the
country stock selected pieces from our range. If you contact us we can
let you know the closest stockist to you."

Absolutely beautiful, exquisite design and amazing craftsmanship, I'm sure you'll agree.

If you fancy treating yourself to one of Lucy's designs, please visit the Lucy Marshall website for further information, or email Lucy direct on [email protected].  Lucy says 'if any Love My Dress readers are interested in a certain item, we're more tan happy to send them a sample to view in the comfort of their own homes. he cost of this service is £15, and providing an order is placed, the Sample Service fee will be deducted from the final price'.

You can view many more bridal accessory features on Love My Dress right here. You might also want to browse  through our 1920's and 1930's pages.

With much love,

Annabel