YolanCris Archives - Smashing the Glass

With weddings on their way back in a BIG way, it’s time to get excited about bridal fashion again! And to help us do exactly that, I’m turning to the best of the best: this Thursday, July 15, at at 8 pm GMT / 3 pm EST / 12 pm PST I’ll be going live on Instagram with Maria Yiannikaris, owner of beloved London bridal boutique Mirror Mirror and designer of in-house bridal line Mirror Mirror Couture, all about what’s going to be in as we get back into the swing of weddings!

Image courtesy of Pronovias

Maria’s got the scoop on some of the season’s hottest gowns: she’ll be giving us the very first reveal of some luxe pieces from Pronovias’s exquisite EDEN 2022 line, modeled by members of the fab Mirror Mirror team!

Image courtesy of Yolancris

She’ll also be sharing some dresses from Yolacnris’s new collection, plus an exclusive first look at a brand new Mirror Mirror Couture style (so fresh off the presses we can’t even share a photo with you yet)!

Image courtesy of Yolancris

We’ll also be chatting about how to make your dress your own, whichever style you choose – Mirror Mirror are the absolute masters customization, so whether you need some tweaks for a little extra coverage under the chuppah or whatever else, they’ve got you!

Image courtesy of Pronovias

We’ll be chatting in real time, so you can ask Maria and me anything you want during our live broadcast, or you can submit a question in advance by emailing karen@smashingtheglass.com.

Tune in this Thursday 15 July, at 8 pm GMT / 3 pm EST / 12 pm PST to instagram.com/smashingtheglass

On Monday I attended The White Gallery in London’s Battersea Evolution which is essentially the London Fashion Week of the bridal industry. It’s a trade event for UK and international bridal designers to showcase their 2017 collections to press and buyers, and it feels like stepping through a vortex into the bridal apparel future.

The show took place in the heart of a blossom-filled Battersea Park inside a pavilion that was transformed into an elegant showroom, complete with catwalks and press lounges. The event ran over three days and offered press and buyers access to a diverse range of designers, runways, and of course industry lovelies!

You may have already seen a few sneak peeks of my photos on Instagram, and live commentary and video on Snapchat (and if you’re not yet on Snapchat, you’re missing out on ALL the fun and behind-the-scenes footage!). This post takes it up a notch with my favourite wedding dress and wedding shoe designers, and my six key bridal trends for 2017 as spotted at White Gallery.

If you’re currently on the hunt for your wedding dress or shoes, I do hope that this post will inspire you. All the gorgeous images (unless otherwise stated) are by the super talented Kate Nielen who accompanied me to the show. Feel free to pin and share them to your heart’s content!

Below: clockwise from top: Sassi Holford catwalk show / Emmy London / YolanCris

Stephanie Allin Couture

Stephanie Allin designed my wedding dress and is genuinely one of the loveliest people in the business. What appeals to me about Stephanie, besides her wonderful service and giving nature, is her contemporary take on classic couture and her desire to create wedding dresses for the ‘real bride’ as opposed to what looks best on a model. Her latest collection is inspired by the Italian lifestyle and artistic flair, and incorporates compelling fabrics including metallic jacquard prints on silk organza, and concepts like bridal separates of bra-lets teamed with dramatic skirts.

One a side note, Stephanie definitely gets the award for the most inspired creative campaign (shot by Matt Bird). How uh-mazing is the shot below taken from Stephanie’s new Bellisima collection?!