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The way to wedding dress success
By Michelle Zhang |
April 13, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A Shanghai bride, if not anywhere else, needs to prepare at least four dresses to wear on her special day.
She needs a wedding gown of relatively simple design when she greets the guests and a complicated, giant ball gown with sequins, beads and ribbons for the formal indoor ceremony at the evening gala. She also needs to change into at least two evening gowns - one in Western style, another in the traditional Chinese style, or at least inspired by the Chinese style - on the night.
When Xuan Yanni's best friend was about to throw a big wedding party two years ago, she asked Xuan, who used to work for a high-end clothing line founded by the late artist Chen Yifei, to accompany her in search of the perfect dresses. The two had looked all over the city, only to find that it's hard to find one ideal dress, let alone four.
Most of the dresses were either very poorly made or were outrageously expensive. "I was like, 8,000 yuan (US$1,223) for a dress like that? I can make much better stuff at much better price!" she recalls.
That experience inspired her to launch Mimosa, her own tailor-made wedding gown line. Besides formal wedding dresses, Xuan also customizes evening gowns and bridesmaid dresses.
"Of course you can go for brands such as Vera Wang if you don't care about the price tag, or you can go for cheap, mass-produced gowns in Suzhou," she says. "But what Mimosa offers are more 'practical' pieces - in short, quality dresses at an affordable price."
Xuan sources fabrics from all over the world. Most of her wedding dresses and evening gowns are handmade in a factory in neighboring Hangzhou city.
Most wedding dresses from Mimosa are priced between 4,000 yuan and 8,000 yuan. The most expensive one costs 13,500 yuan. For evening pieces, a traditional Chinese-style-inspired ball gown is 1,280 yuan.
"My customers from the US always tell me that a dress priced at 3,000 yuan in my studio would most likely cost US$3,000 in the US," she says.
According to Xuan, Shanghai brides prefer to wear romantic dresses featuring big trains, ribbons and beads. "Sequins and beads are a must for the glittering effect they bring out under the spotlight, as Chinese weddings are often held indoors in the evening," she says.
But more and more have also come to realize the disadvantages of big dresses - they can be extremely heavy which makes it difficult for the brides to move.
"I'd suggest they try dresses made from organza, which are much lighter compared with those made from traditional gauze or lace, but at the same time maintain a beautiful, voluminous shape," Xuan says.
Some brave brides are also willing to play the color game with their dresses, starting from the evening gowns. Local girls' favorite colors include royal blue, aqua, scarlet, fuchsia and violet. Surprisingly, the color pink is not on the list.
"In the Chinese traditional way of thinking, pink wedding gowns are only worn by those who have been married more than once," Xuan explains.
As for the most important wedding dress, no one would opt for any other hues but ivory and opal.
The designer once added a black ribbon on a white tiered dress. It looked amazingly elegant - Vera Wang did similar things before.
But no one wanted it, because the color black indicates "bad luck." Even if the bride herself liked the design, her parents would definitely say no.
"I've seen many Western wedding dresses featuring chic gray ribbons, which is also a 'no-no' in China," Xuan points out. "Chinese people only accept ribbons in champagne color or scarlet."
She needs a wedding gown of relatively simple design when she greets the guests and a complicated, giant ball gown with sequins, beads and ribbons for the formal indoor ceremony at the evening gala. She also needs to change into at least two evening gowns - one in Western style, another in the traditional Chinese style, or at least inspired by the Chinese style - on the night.
When Xuan Yanni's best friend was about to throw a big wedding party two years ago, she asked Xuan, who used to work for a high-end clothing line founded by the late artist Chen Yifei, to accompany her in search of the perfect dresses. The two had looked all over the city, only to find that it's hard to find one ideal dress, let alone four.
Most of the dresses were either very poorly made or were outrageously expensive. "I was like, 8,000 yuan (US$1,223) for a dress like that? I can make much better stuff at much better price!" she recalls.
That experience inspired her to launch Mimosa, her own tailor-made wedding gown line. Besides formal wedding dresses, Xuan also customizes evening gowns and bridesmaid dresses.
"Of course you can go for brands such as Vera Wang if you don't care about the price tag, or you can go for cheap, mass-produced gowns in Suzhou," she says. "But what Mimosa offers are more 'practical' pieces - in short, quality dresses at an affordable price."
Xuan sources fabrics from all over the world. Most of her wedding dresses and evening gowns are handmade in a factory in neighboring Hangzhou city.
Most wedding dresses from Mimosa are priced between 4,000 yuan and 8,000 yuan. The most expensive one costs 13,500 yuan. For evening pieces, a traditional Chinese-style-inspired ball gown is 1,280 yuan.
"My customers from the US always tell me that a dress priced at 3,000 yuan in my studio would most likely cost US$3,000 in the US," she says.
According to Xuan, Shanghai brides prefer to wear romantic dresses featuring big trains, ribbons and beads. "Sequins and beads are a must for the glittering effect they bring out under the spotlight, as Chinese weddings are often held indoors in the evening," she says.
But more and more have also come to realize the disadvantages of big dresses - they can be extremely heavy which makes it difficult for the brides to move.
"I'd suggest they try dresses made from organza, which are much lighter compared with those made from traditional gauze or lace, but at the same time maintain a beautiful, voluminous shape," Xuan says.
Some brave brides are also willing to play the color game with their dresses, starting from the evening gowns. Local girls' favorite colors include royal blue, aqua, scarlet, fuchsia and violet. Surprisingly, the color pink is not on the list.
"In the Chinese traditional way of thinking, pink wedding gowns are only worn by those who have been married more than once," Xuan explains.
As for the most important wedding dress, no one would opt for any other hues but ivory and opal.
The designer once added a black ribbon on a white tiered dress. It looked amazingly elegant - Vera Wang did similar things before.
But no one wanted it, because the color black indicates "bad luck." Even if the bride herself liked the design, her parents would definitely say no.
"I've seen many Western wedding dresses featuring chic gray ribbons, which is also a 'no-no' in China," Xuan points out. "Chinese people only accept ribbons in champagne color or scarlet."
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