Spotted: Glamour Closet, San Francisco

Who doesn't love designer clothes at a good bargain. Why can’t it be like that for wedding dresses? It is - at Glamour Closet! Rick Wee, Co-Founder, explains: “We felt that if you could buy designer goods from the likes of Gucci, Prada, and Coach at designer outlets across the country, why couldn’t you get a similar offering from Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, Reem Acra, Amsale and other luxury bridal designers?”


Glamour Closet is an elegant, boutique-like environment with outlet store price tags. They offer an incredible selection of unique, sophisticated and elegant gowns - all off the rack - including couture and well-known designers at 25 - 75% off retail prices. They work closely with designers and salons across the country and receive showroom floor and runway samples and excess inventory on an ongoing basis. So what this means for you is if you go once and don’t quite your dream dress, plan to go a few other times. No appointments are necessary, they provide one-on-one expert consultation with their style consultants, and luckily, photos are allowed!


So in between those 4am wake-up-calls to those one-day-only sample sales, visit Glamour Closet. It's one of the only ways to save money on your wedding without sacrificing designer quality or the shopping experience itself. They even like to say, “It’s a sample sale everyday!”

Glamour Closet

114 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco

Tel. (415) 391-1515

http://www.glamourcloset.com/

Scene & Heard: Gowns, Gowns, Gowns

Hey Brides-to-Be, here are a couple of great opportunities to check out some beautiful potential - or simply inspirational- gowns:

May 21 & 22, 11am-5pm: Oscar de la Renta at Marina Morrison
Book your appointment and oogle at Oscar de la Renta's Spring 2011 Bridal Collection at Marina Morrison in downtown San Francisco. Making its debut straight off the runways from New York Bridal Fashion Week, Marina Morrison is the only bridal retailer to carry Oscar de la Renta wedding gowns in Northern California.

Where: Marina Morrison-30 Maiden Lane, 4th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94108
RSVP @ 415-984-9360

May 22 & 23, 10am-6pm: Alix & Kelly Trunk Show at Bella Bridesmaid
Book your appointment to view the 2010 Alix & Kelly Collection at Bella Bridesmaid Los Gatos. Cake and champagne cocktails will be passed, and get this: save 10% off all orders placed by June 6th, 2010.

Where: Bella Bridesmaid-465 N. Santa Cruz Ave.Suite ALos Gatos, CA 95030
RSVP @ 408-399-4649 or losgatos@bellabridesmaid.com

Happy looking!

Planner on Patrol:A Dress with Flair

On a day when all eyes will be on you, a uniquely beautiful and memorable dress is a must. But sometimes finding a dress that really captures your personal flair means stepping outside of the bridal boutique. Get some ideas on alternatives to the standard wedding dress from the Refinery29 crew here. And the added bonus? A dress you can actually wear again!

Spotted: Brilliant Idea, Nailed

As many brides know, Essie nail polish can’t be beat. Their simple design, vast array of relevant shades and their no-chip reputation make Essie the queen bee when it comes to painting your nails and toes. Spotted: the perfect wedding day colors shown on the Wedding Collection display at Pure Beauty on Fillmore Street in San Francisco. They also package a mini set of four colors for $12.50; what a thoughtful idea to hand out to your bridesmaids as part of their gift from you. After all, just like we can’t have enough black shoes, we can’t have enough pale nail polish colors either!

To take a peek at the line, visit The Wedding Collection.

Julia's Fashion File: Beauty and The Brooch

Adorning your bridal ensemble with a brooch, like jewelry, needs to be done tastefully or it can go terribly awry. However, unlike your typical drop earrings or dainty pearl necklace, a brooch can add something extra special and unique to your overall look; it's different, fun, and if done properly, will have people wishing they'd thought of it themselves.

As I was perusing the net this morning to find some pieces that I felt would enhance a bride's beauty, I was surprised to see that there weren't a whole lot of pictures out there showing brides how to use them or where to put them. Here are a few of the ideas that I found useful on Bride.net:

1) Use it as a hair pin and put it in your favorite up-do (like in the top above). You can work with your stylist to incorporate it in.

2) Add it to your sash in the front or in the back of the gown (bridesmaids dresses, too!):

3) Place it on your bouquet's at the base where the stems are gathered:

4) Add it to your flower girl's basket or ring bearer's pillow:

5) Strategically place it on a more simple gown to add flare:

There are countless ways to enhance your ensemble with a tasteful brooch. Play around with it and get a few opinions on where it looks best on the gown you've chosen.

Now where do you find an amazing brooch that feels right for you? The Internet (eBay will have tons!) again, will be a fantastic resource for you. As well as antique shops, second hand stores, and vintage jewelry shops.

I found a few I really love on Wedding Factory Direct and Emmaline Bride: http://www.weddingfactorydirect.com/index.html and http://emmalinebride.com/index.php.

Now go forth, my beauties, and find the brooch that makes you excited!

xoxo

Jules

Planner on Patrol: Vera Wang for David's Bridal

Ever dream of getting your hands on a designer gown without having to fight your way through a sample sale or paying the equivalent of a down payment on a house? Now you can: Vera Wang will begin designing dresses for David's Bridal and will include some priced below $1,500. Considering how much some dresses cost, this is a super deal. Read more here

Oh, and (more) affordable priced shoes and accessories from Vera are also on the way!

Julia's Fashion File: Make or Break, Headband or Tiara !

We all know accessories can make or break an outfit and when you're walking down the isle, this is an especially important thing to keep in mind. The last thing you want is to look like a gaudy mess. Your guests should be transfixed on your beauty and elegance, your husband and the gorgeous gown you've chosen. I've always been one to step outside of the box a little when it comes to jewelry but as a bride, I would stick to a few elegant pieces that I adore.

With today's post I'd like to focus on headbands. They can often be overlooked or misused. You can go very (VERY) wrong when choosing a headband (e.g. tacky rhinestones, too much embellishment, huge princess tiara...eeeeek!) and that could be why some brides steer clear. However, I have seen some gorgeous selections that have topped off the dress, hair, and jewelry beautifully.

When I embarked on my search for a couple perfect headbands I came across this gorgeous Swarovski crystals and Freshwater Pearls tiara (I don't like the term tiara but that's technically what this is classified as) on http://www.bridalfashionmall.com/. I had to sift through a lot of the aforementioned fashion no-no's but this one really stood out to me. It's delicate, sweet and with the right dress, will only embellish your style.

A great alternative to the more traditional style headband is wearing one from ribbon. For example, this one is made from sheer ribbon, is delicate and ornamented gorgeously. Wearing a ribbon option could also help with those pesky headaches that we so often get from wearing a metal or plastic headband.
If and when you decide to choose a headband, my advice to you gorgeous brides is to stay true to your authentic style while keeping in mind that you don't want it to overpower all the other things you've worked so hard at putting together.

xoxo

Jules

Best Man on the Street: Lanvin Store Windows, Rue St. Honore, Paris

Julia's Fashion File: Authentically, Fashionably, Uniquely...Me

I'm not anywhere near ready for marriage and if I'm really honest with myself, I was never one of those little girls dreaming of her wedding. I haven't planned, picked, or conjured up any ideas regarding my future big day. I have however, always known two things: 1) that I would have an absolutely FABULOUS dress and 2) that I wanted something authentic and uniquely me. That can mean a lot of different things to different people and since I myself am not planning a wedding, I look forward to helping you all uncover some of those rare, unique, elegant and simply divine wedding fashion finds that a bride like you will love.

What better way to start than looking at vintage dresses! I just discovered http://www.antiquedress.com/ and while a lot of the designs they sell are completely over the top (although, to each their own...if it inspires you then go for it!) there were a few that had my head twirling with possibilities.

For example, take this fringe, floor length vintage gown in ivory with a low v-back. This is a dress that when its rock star owner rightfully claims it, will take down the house. There's nothing more thrilling than seeing a woman work a dress down the isle that only they can pull off.

Or this Audrey Hepburn bubble dress with a v-back. I LOVE this dress and could actually see myself pulling off a similar style with soft gold jewelry.










The possibilities are endless when it comes to picking a vintage gown that's right for you. If that's a route you'd like to explore than the internet will be a great resource for you. I'll be sure to write about more sites like this in the future so keep an eye out!

xoxo

Jules