Back in January, when speculation of who would be designing the Royal Wedding dress was starting to get really busy, I was lucky enough to visit Phillipa Lepley – one of those hot on the list of designers favoured to be creating the wedding dress of the century.
And whilst since then, her press office have issued a ‘it is definitely not us’ statement, my opinion on exactly who will be the one straightening out the train on Catherine’s gown on Friday morning, will remain open until all is confirmed. I asked Phillipa of course, and she told me it wasn’t her, explaining how actually, it had been a total nightmare with regards media intrusion and members of the press even rifling through the bins outside her personal home (Phillipa mused that Bruce Oldfield could be the designer).
For those not in the know, Phillipa Lepley is one of London’s leading couture bridal designers – many would argue the leading couture designer of bridal wear in fact. With the average price tag of a gown sitting comfortably around the £20k mark, Phillipa is your ‘high end’ designer, favoured largely by the Home Counties girls and those for whose parents, let’s face it, money is no issue.
Phillipa has been designing wedding gowns for over 20 years now and her signature style favours feminine, understated elegance with beautiful clever use of exquisite fabrics. Lepley is all about true romance and fairytale, and real wedding dresses that show off off a womans shape to the full.
As I meet Lepley for the first time, I’m greeted by quite a quiet person dressed comfortably all in black, softly spoken and unassuming in character. She is a beautiful lady with great posture – I wondered briefly if she might have once been a dancer.
As the morning progresses and we start to talk ‘frocks’, Phillipa moves into her own, speaking fluently and with great enthusiasm about her designs and of her great pride that everything is made in-house, in England.
I also learn that she personally tries on each of her frocks during the design stages, to ensure they are perfect in cut, fit and finish.
I got a strong sense of ‘family’ at Phillipa’s London boutique {located conveniently on the Fulham road – number 48}, in that the other two members of staff I met there very excellently represented the Lepley brand and spoke about it with confidence and pride but also genuine enthusiasm; Phillipa has trained her team to understand her design philosophy and become an extension of her ‘eye’ when it comes to guiding discerning brides to finding the dress that is the most flattering in terms of shape and proportion.
And when it comes to design materials – Phillipa Lepley has access to the best couture silks and laces in the world. in-built corsetry, and exquisite, unique hand worked embellishment techniques are her specialism – the corsets are designed to cinch the waist in by a slimming 2 inches, enhancing the overall sense of elegance.
“Our couture service is extensive and flexible in terms of design choices, as the dress is made entirely to your measurements from your own personal pattern. The making starts with creating a pattern and making a calico toile. (This is a mock-up of your dress).”
“From this your actual dress will be cut and made in our London based studio. The Couture process typically takes between 6 and 8 fittings, and we like to have a minimum of 6 to 9 months, but we have never been known to turn away a frockless bride.”
The cost of having a dress made in this way varies depending on the style and fabrics you choose, and start from around £5000.”
Client’s visiting the Phillipa Lepley store can expect a luxurious 1.5 hours consultation with one of Phillipa’s expertly trained design consultants. The upper part of the boutique is light and airy and full of all of Phillipa’s gorgeous gowns, hanging in their resplendence for you to browse through at your leisure – the examples on this page are but a small illustration of the designs I saw on show – each of them just exquisite beyond words in their detail.
The minimalist style decor inside the Fulham Road store includes various French vintage antiques, including a long distressed wooden counter and a striking vintage chandelier. Stairs lead down to a large, carpeted and very comfortable private fitting area, which further showcases Phillipa’s fine silk veils and accessories.
Visitors to the Fulham Road boutique can also expect to have their sense of smell assaulted with the most beautiful aroma of natural oils – she is a huge fan of Tuberose.
As well as offering a couture service, Phillipa Lepley sell a selection of showroom samples. Sample wedding gowns are generally in a size 12 and depending on fit and proportion, the in-house couture seamstresses can make alterations. As the garment is already made, it typically takes 3-4 fittings to reach the perfect fit, resulting in considerable savings in time and cost. Sample gowns start from £3900 – which is actually incredible value for a gown that has been designed by, many would argue, London’s leading couture bridal wear designer.
Brides looking to meet with Phillipa Lepley for an initial consultation will be handed a £30 fee which is redeemed against the fee of the bridal gown or veil.
I really enjoyed meeting Phillipa Lepley, and found her to be extremely down to earth and approachable. She clearly loves and adores every one of her designs and her passion to make Brides look and feel beautiful is very obvious from the moment you meet her.
To find out more, visit www.phillipalepley.com or telephone 020 7590 9771 to arrange to book in to the Phillipa Lepley boutique.
