Oh my darling readers, I hope that you’re having a wonderful (snow?) day. I won’t beat about the bush this morning as we’ve a lovely treat to share with you to kickstart Friday.
We’re giving you a chance to win a VIP wedding dress appointment with the marvellous Kate Halfpenny of Halfpenny London, as well as complimentary alternations on your bridal gown, so that it fits you like perfection.
With Kate by your side, choosing and styling your wedding dress will be an absolute dream, one of those ‘never to be forgotten’ moments in your wedding planning journey. So, let’s hear more from Kate herself…
For readers who are new to your label, would you like to introduce yourself?
“My name is Kate Halfpenny and I’m the owner and designer of Halfpenny London. I adore my job creating the dresses of your dreams, right here in London. I’ve always been obsessed with fabrics and studied for an MA in Textiles from Central St. Martins after my degree before working as a costume designer and stylist for gorgeous people such as Kate Moss, Erin O’Connor and Emilia Fox.
“I designed lovely Emilia’s wedding dress and was inundated with enquiries so Halfpenny London was born! Now, I split my time between our boutique and atelier in Bloomsbury and my family home in Faversham, Kent.”
“I wholeheartedly believe women should celebrate their uniqueness and express that in their own way, making the wedding dress work for them, not frantically working out for the dress!”
Can you tell us more about your wonderful new collection?
“The Air That We Breathe collection includes sixteen beautifully crafted designs. I’m so in love with sourcing unique fabrics and embellishments and it important to me to incorporated couture techniques to finish my dresses off beautifully. The delicate textiles I always work with are interesting laces, soft tulle, silk organza, satin back crepe and sequins.”
“This collection is perfect for the modern bride who wants to be a polished version of themselves! It’s romance re-invented.”
What are the standout features in the new collection in terms of fabrics, styles and embellishments?
“This season I’ve used some heavenly pleated tulle which has been cut into scallops for one dress and layered to make a wonderful jacket too. I love pushing the boundaries of fabrics to make them even more interesting.”
What was the inspiration for the new collection?
“At the very beginning of my career as a designer and stylist, I would draw the same silhouette – a structured, corset-style bodice nipped in at the waist, accentuated by a huge billowing skirt made up of layer upon layer of soft, almost translucent, tulle. At that point, bridalwear was fairly limited and traditional and the option to express your own sense of style by experimenting with fabrics or simply adding a cool jacket or cape was unheard of, yet always made complete sense to me”.
“Now, twenty years later, I have revisited and reimagined those original sketches by creating a capsule collection of gowns and separates designed to work together. This new collection will captivate our Halfpenny brides who desire effortless style and romance.”
“Inspired by my recent life-changing move from London to the Kent coast, each piece is named after a significant place in London for me and my family so I feel like it’s a nice tribute to the city I love so much.”
Can you tell us more about how you go about designing a brand new collection?
“I’m so inspired by everything around me: architecture, art, textiles, nature… Once I have the central theme I want to explore everything happens organically after that. Sometimes I’ll start with an epic fabric or piece of embroidery and the designs will grow before my eyes. Other times I have a silhouette in mind and I let my hand draw whatever it wants.”
“I’m a very tactile person so I love to place the fabrics on a mannequin and see them come together, I’m very much still inspired by the old moulage technique of draping on the stand. Sometimes it’s the only way to get the shape you want.”
Do you have a favourite design from the new range?
“I love them all, of course. Each one is special to me but if I have to choose one it has to be Mayfair. It’s like the dresses I dreamed of when I was a little girl. Those incredible organza sleeves are to die for and the frills of silk organza on the light as a feather skirt – who doesn’t dream of wearing a gown like that? We’re just making in a very subtle nougat pink for one of our clients for the BAFTAs.”
Did you have a specific bride in mind when you were designing this collection?
“This collection does have a certain nostalgia weaved into it but I would say that’s more a reflection on me and how I was feeling as I designed each piece. I wanted to revisit that fairytale silhouette from my youth, armed with all my knowledge and experience since then and create a fusion of the two. To be honest with you, at Halfpenny we don’t have a typical bride, perhaps because I never design like that. I think this is perhaps why my collections are so diverse and suit all different wonderful women.”
“However, one thing all our brides have in common is that they all know who they are. We’re always saying ‘be the bride you want to be’, and that’s what I live by.”
What advice would you like to give brides who are looking for their perfect wedding dress?
“Firstly, ignore all the trends! I can’t stress this enough. Forget any notion of having to lose weight for your wedding too to squeeze into something that simply isn’t you. You are gorgeous and you are you so your dress should be the perfect reflection of you. It should work for you rather than making you work out for the dress!”
“Don’t take too many people with you when you’re trying dresses on as too many opinions can be confusing. Don’t be afraid to try things you wouldn’t normally and trust your gut. Not everyone has the emotional ‘this is the one’ moment and some brides keep looking after they find their perfect dress hoping to have it. If you feel like the best version of yourself wearing it and love it, and kind of don’t want to take it off, then it’s highly likely this is your dress.”
“Also don’t take pictures – it’s all about that feeling and not a rubbish iPhone shot that was taken on a funny or sneaky angle. Never make an edit of favourites from pictures if you do take any snaps. Revisit the ones you remember you loved.”
To enter the competition to win a VIP appointment with Kate and complimentary alterations on your chosen dress, just complete the entry form below:
Good luck everyone and have a fantastic day.
To find out more about wedding dresses by Halfpenny London, just take a look at their heavenly website.
Love,
Tamryn x
Terms & Conditions
- This competition will run from Friday 1st February through to midnight on Sunday 17th February 2019.
- Winner announcements will be be made Monday 18th February 2019.
- Reasonable effort will be made to contact the winner, but if they can’t be reached within 5 working days of initial contact, Halfpenny London reserves the right to offer the prize to another entrant.
- Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.
- The alterations package is only valid with Halfpenny London pieces purchased via the Bloomsbury boutique.
- Any alterations that include pattern changes etc aren’t included in the basic alterations package will incur an additional fee.
- VIP appointments are subject to Kate’s availability and will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- This prize is not transferrable or redeemable for cash.
- In entering this competition, you must be aware that your email will be added to both the Halfpenny London and Love My Dress mailing lists – from which you will be able to unsubscribe at any time. We will never share your details with a third party and promise only to use your email for basic communications/occasional newsletter distribution purposes.
Tamryn Settle View all Tamryn's articles
Self-confessed wedding addict Tamryn spends her days in her Berkshire studio writing about all things beautiful and romantic with her black Labrador for company.
