"Made in Italy"

-Former covers of White Sposa Magazine

Simone Polli, the editor in chief of White Sposa Magazine, greeted us today with one of the best company visits a girl could dream of, a bridal industry trade show! We were able to meet with five wedding dress designers. All of the designers produced haute couture bridal wear that is all made by hand. Four of the designers work in Italy and every aspect from the fabric to the construction were made in Italy. There was also a Spanish designer whose dresses were made entirely in Spain. As we met with each designer we got to learn about their individual inspirations for their lines as well as some industry information about how they present their lines to buyers. As a fashion merchandising major I understand what goes into the design process but it was still fascinating to hear what inspires each one of them and to see those inspirations come to life in their gowns was very inspiring. Some of the designers had dresses shown in different colors or white dresses with colored accents. They do this to grab the buyers attention not only to their designs but the details as well. Simone was explaining to us that the buyers don’t usually buy the gowns with the color; it is just for the presentation. Buyers also might buy the colored gowns as window pieces to attract brides and to entice them to come into their store. In the future I want to be a buyer and I really enjoyed hearing the insider information on what buyers look for at market.

            Another aspect of the haute couture bridal industry was the construction of the garment. In apparel quality analysis class I learned how to analyze fabric for quality. The craftsmanship of these dresses was unreal. From every little bead that was painstakingly sewn on by hand, to the draping of the trains all added up to the high costs of these gowns. These dresses are made to order. As a buyer, your customer would be very interested in the construction of these high priced designs. It was amazing that as you looked closer and longer at each gown the more detail and time you realized went into the making and design of that gown.