Talking frocks with Tony
It is now just a few weeks until our Civil Partnership. So the perfect time to reveal the mastermind behind our wedding looks: it is the wonderful Antonio Berardi! There he is above at our place with me, Mary, Yazzy and lots and lots of fabric and colour swatches. He was over in London working with a couple of A-List stars (actor, diva) and very lucky us!!
Excuse me while I jump up and down and make squealy noises and generally effervesce in a quite ridiculous and embarrassing way.
I've known Tony since he began his fashion career in the late 90's; and for those of you who don't know his work, you really should be aware of his talent. Let me tell you, he designs the most flattering, sexy, cooly elegant and fashionable dresses I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. He knows exactly how to cut a dress that makes the most of ones legs without showing too much; how to enhance and minimise curves where appropriate, and generally make you feel like a woman. All at the same time as satisfying my need to feel that I am living in this very moment in both fashion and the world at large. Oh and did I tell you that the quality, fabrics and finish is nothing short of perfection? No? Well they are. The inside of his dresses are as exquisite as the outside...
When I went to Harrods to play dress up with different labels in the name of wedding research, I was amazed at how labels such as Lanvin didn't suit me the way I expected them to. All those soft layers and gently scrunched fabrics did nothing for me. Likewise in Bottega I felt like I had gone to a fancy dress party as a 1950's Italian starlet.
I did like the full-length dark aubergine draped jersey gown I tried on at YSL (the boutique on Sloane Street) and the long scarlett bias-cut Roland Mouret dress (Browns), but when I slipped into a Berardi dress I looked in the mirror and thought "Hello You!" All but one of the five Berardi dresses I tried at Harrods made me look better than I could have dreamed I could look all in the space of five seconds. And that was without hair and make up, heels, jewellery or a fake tan. YAY!
So it was a good thing really that after his fiercely sexy and elegant AW10 catwalk show in London I went backstage to give him a hug, and - in the manner of a blethering fashion editor airkissing enthusiastically backstage - blurted "we would love you to design our wedding dresses" and immediately regretted my blurt. I was supposed to be congratulating the brilliant show first, after all.
Tony accepted on the spot, and the process is now in full swing. Mary knew what she liked, and as soon as she was enrobed, made me sick with jealousy at how effortless her search had been. She looks sensational. Now its my turn to step up to the plate.
We have decided our wedding dresses, now all that remains is a final fitting in Italy.
I'm excited and nervous.
My Antonio Berardi personal order for next season!
One of Grazia's senior editors will have one of these come Autumn
Gwyneth Paltrow wore a lined version of this last week at a premier for Iron Man 2
Photo credits:
Catwalking.com;
Fashion Editor at Large