In today’s final fabric 101 installment, Henry tips us off on taffeta.
Taffeta is sleek, elegant and regal; it exudes vintage, has body, holds its shape and it drapes like a dream. Michelle and I love to use taffeta because, like Lace (see yesterday’s 101), it is classic and can be used in both traditional and fashion-forward ways.
We feature taffeta in the following Henry Roth designs
1. Choose ballgown Ireland if you adore the regal elegance of traditional taffeta festooned and flounced featuring stunning lace and Swarovski beading.
Ireland gown by Henry Roth
2. The combination of taffeta, tulle and gorgeous beaded appliqués is dreamy in style Kaz, is ideal for garden and beach weddings.
Kaz gown by Henry Roth
3. Kathy has just about all the asymmetrical glamour that we can handle with its contoured bodice with divine beading and scalloped edging lace on the tulle skirt
Kathy gown by Henry Roth
Who wears it?
The romantic and traditional as well as the relaxed and fashion forward who are looking for just a touch of glamour. One of our favourite brides who chose Taffeta last year was Real Bride Athena who wore her Ireland gown twice over, once at a ceremony in Wiltshire UK and all over again at a country ceremony in the Australian bush (check out a selection of Athena’s photographs here: http://www.henryroth.com/realbrides/athena.html and here: http://www.henryroth.com/realbrides/athena-1.html
Tags : fabric 101, Henry Roth, Ireland, Kathy, Kaz, Real Brides, taffeta
Lace is a traditional fabric for wedding gowns. This is where mine and Michelle’s signature is very strong because lace exemplifies our “future vintage” style. We take old school silhouettes and interpret them into modern shapes for the quintessential Henry Roth signature style which Michelle and I love to delve into.
For this reason, we adore using different laces in different ways.
1. Chantilly lace which is light and malleable creates a romantic, feminine bridal look. A quintessential Henry Roth style as seen on Ina/Diana.
Ina (Aus) or Diana (US) gown by Henry Roth
2. Lace appliqués from Alencon lace is a technique which has its origins in France. It is corded and is used on gowns to punctuate the fabric styling by giving it gesture and flair in gowns such as Helena, Kalea, Darcy/Inga.
Inga (aus) or Darcy (US) gown by Henry Roth
3. All over lace which is lighter and malleable and easy to work with. Have a look at Kara.
Kara gown by Henry Roth
4. In styles like Karissa light Alencon lace is delicately beaded with Swarovski crystals to give texture and the glistening effect of the beading gives more lustre to the lace.
Karissa gown by Henry Roth
Who wears it?
Lace is having a huge trend revival because of the way it is used with shapes in such a creative way. Michelle and I love taking contemporary, gorgeous striking silhouettes and waving a magic wand using lace. This is for brides who want to make a fashion forward statement or look to more classic styles for a twist on 21st century modern princess.
Tomorrow we conclude Fabric 101 with Silk.
In the meantime… Remember to Rock Your Frock!
- Henry
Tags : fabric 101, fabric advice, future vintage, Henry Roth, lace, Michelle Roth, wedding dress
Today, Henry is continuing on his Fabric 101 “course” with a look at timeless and ethereal organza. Romantic, whispy and other-worldly, organza is ideal for the bride seeking a particularly romantic silhouette.
Over to you, Hen….
What is organza? Organza is a whisper-light fabric with body. If you were to look at a veil which is tulle (net) and almost translucent, chiffon is much more flexible and more lank. Meanwhile, organza is opaque and has more body to it; although it is light it is wonderful to use in gowns that have more structure. It is far lighter than satin (please refer to yesterday’s Satin entry).
The organza that we use at Henry Roth is a man-made fibre though indeed there can be a silk content organza. Michelle and I tend to use the manmade organza because it is a fraction of the cost of the silk, and contains fewer potential flaws and catches, though it still has virtually the same effect as silk organza
Lets look at the flexibility of organza and why we love using it so much.
1. Frills and flounces – Organza has body and lightness so it makes great frills and flounces without going too bulky and too heavy (Karina).
Karina gown by Henry Roth
2. Organza drapes beautifully because it has texture yet is translucent. We often use organza as the top layer with satin underneath to give substance. Karola is a perfect example of a clean a-line gown with the second layer satin and the top layer organza. We then drape the organza and leave the satin untouched as a frame. Then the piece de la resistance of a gown like Karola are the appliqués which are virtually like gown candy.
Karola gown by Henry Roth
3. Organza swirls – if you look at our Nicole gown you will see that this is on trend with gowns that have become almost sculptured and very “red-carpet celebrity” in style. Here we take organza and drape it in swirls at the front and create layering in the back for an almost soft ethereal and cloudlike effect.
Nicole gown by Henry Roth
4. Organza in light bodied a-line gowns like you can see here in Kendra, for which we have used our organza overlay in a modified clean a line skirt satin to frame the skirt. This gives a lightness and airiness that just using satin would not achieve.
Who loves wearing organza?
The people that love organza love the fact that it has an element of formality and lightness. Organza is worn by brides who enjoy a play of texture fabrication and who love that airy light feeling that organza brings.
Next up tomorrow? Tulle.
Until then,
Stay fabulous,
Henry xo
Tags : Australia, dress advice, fabric 101, fabric advice, Henry Roth, Michelle Roth, Organza, silk, USA
Henry Roth
Welcome to fabrics 101. All this week, Henry is going to give us the scoop on the best fabrics in bridal wear. Today, we start with one of the most popular of all: satin.
Satin is a man made fabric, which either has a silk content or a non silk content. The beautiful thing about today’s technology is that the new generation satins have a softer thinner texture which are silk-like at a fraction of the silk cost.
Michelle and I like to work with a non-silk blend as silk can catch and show flaws more easily than customized polyester. The three satin fabrics that we adore at the moment are:
1. Matte Sheen Satin – If you look at the style Kay (and 3-4 new styles in the pipeline) the fabric is treated in a special way according to our specifications that we call “matte sheen” – the fabric literally glows. When designing using this fabric we have used a lot of draping so that the draping is thinner so is less bulky.
Kay gown by Henry Roth
2. Tissue Satin – This is even thinner than Matte Sheen Satin and the beautiful thing is that it drapes beautifully. It has been created specifically for outdoor and lighter weddings. Take a look at Horton/Helen which is light and airy and perfect for lighter weddings.
Helen gown by Henry Roth
3. Traditional Satin – is slightly heavier and used by Michelle and I when we have more elaborate beading or more of a traditional style because the fabric lends itself to a kind of look when we want to achieve regal styles. Please take a look at Ivanka which gives an indication of a grander more ’established’ fabric that is used for this kind of look.
Ivanka wedding gown by Henry Roth
A question I am often asked is: How do I know if the fabric is satin?
The tell-tale signs are that Satin has a smooth texture and is soft to the feel. It comes in various degrees of malleability and flexibility. Even the classic and heavier weight satin has a wonderful weight and flexibility.
Brides love satin gowns for the classic feel and look. Michelle and I love using new-generation satins which are cut in gorgeous contemporary shapes. We like to use them in our signature look that we call ‘future vintage,’ such as our gorgeous Georgina gown.
Georgina gown by Henry Roth
Who loves wearing satin?
Fabric is a really personal choice some choose because of the feel, some because of look and the sense of formality which comes with the use of satin which other fabrics can’t give. Satin does not need to be over-embellished, it provides striking silhouettes without clutter and overworked design.
On Tuesday, we talk about Organza.
Until then,
Henry xo
Tags : classic, fabric 101, future vintage, Henry Roth, henry roth bridal gowns, henry roth wedding dresses, matte sheen satin, satin, tissue satin, traditional satin
