“Romance and antique lace, blossom trees and billowy sleeves…
…this is what young love should feel like.”
Last night I took to Twitter to participate in the #VintageWedHour – which turned out to be not just fun but pretty fascinating too! Lots of talk about people's favourite eras and how they would go about translating them in to weddings. Interestingly, the 1970's popped up as an era that folk would like to see more of an influence in when it comes to bridal style. My book (see my blog on Thursday for details of how you can buy it now!) addresses the 1970's and provides lots of ideas on how you can translate the beautifully bohemian styles of the times in to your wedding day.
Today, I'd like in introduce you to one of the best suppliers of 1970's bohemian style original vintage bridal gowns that there is on the web…
"I'm Brittany Castanos, and I am the founder and owner of Daughters Of Simone – an online store supplying one of a kind vintage wedding gowns, reception dresses, and
various bridal accessories, along with our first 9 piece
vintage-inspired gown collection called 'We Are Just Lovers'. We are located out of San Francisco, California however we sell almost completely, to our brides all over the world, from our website…"
All Imagery on this page Copyright (c) 2013, Daughters of Simone
Whilst they are located in the US, Brittany is keen to reassure Love My Dress readers they rest assured when placing any international order…
"We're sure buying a dress *online* sounds pretty sketchy, so we definitely understand feeling apprehensive, however we would encourage all Love My Dress readers to check out our reviews on our Etsy page and on our website. Next to the US, the majority of our gowns are actually ordered from our neighbors in the UK. Which I think is so cool."
Below, the beautiful 'Jude' dress from the We Are All Just Lovers' collection, by Daughters of Simone…
"Thus far, we've received nothing but praise. We also take huge pride in responding to each and every e-mail we receive in a timely manner. So feel free to ask as many questions as you want, we will gladly send over additional photos, etc until you feel satisfied. Wedding planning is stressful enough without having to worry about the dress!
So we try to always keep that in our central focus. If you're still not convinced, come on in to our San Francisco space and try them on for yourself. We'll be sure to put the champagne on ice and Etta James on the radio!"
Below, the 'Hallie' dress from the collection of original 1970s vintage wedding dresses at Daughters of Simone. Hallie is a 1970′s crocheted white vintage wedding gown featuring a gorgeous structured
neck-line, loose three quarter length sleeves, and stunning detailing
throughout. It is fully lined with fitted waist and zipper in the back…
"In the beginning, I wasn't crazy about the idea of doing bridal, when the thought first came up. The whole thing sounded so old school to me… stale even. However, when I started doing the research I began noticing these small pockets of people doing these completely different weddings, tossing out the "rule book" and making them their own. It was about the couple, who they were, and what they wanted out of life, conventional or otherwise."
"It was then that I realised this was something I could really connect to and wanted to explore. So when I first started conceptualising what the bridal business was to be, I knew we wanted it to stand along side the movers and the shakers in the wedding industry. We were definitely focused on flipping the whole marriage concept on it's head, and instead make it for the chicks that didn't need a man but had somehow, against the odds, found "the one". And so, went for the leap!"
"In researching for our business, we came upon a philosopher named Simone De Beauvoir.
She was a rebel of her time going against the then social norms of
standing behind a man. She created her life solely around what she stood
for in a time where being your own woman made you a radical.
I'd like to think that our brides are just this way. And because of courageous women like Simone, our generation is able to look at marriage in a whole new way. Rather than a cultural mandate for women, marriage is a choice surrounded by something completely about love, and about an lifetime adventure together. This is our muse – thank you Simone!"
Below, 'Lissie' – one of the beautiful 1970s original vintage gowns currently on sale at Daughters of Simone…
"It's a cool feeling to know that what you do depends on people finding love. Love so strong that they're willing to bet there lives, being together, on it. Hope and romance twisting around is it's truest form.
Next four images, taken from the 'We Are All Just Lovers' collection, by Daughters of Simone…
"From a practical position, I've found something that I feel excited to do when I wake up. I like that it's my own, and I like that I am in control of what I want to do. I like that there's always something more to learn. I like that I'm apart of something that I really believe in. It's been truly inspiring seeing where marriage in the US is going. Wedding pictures from brides are the best too. Typically you'll never see a more beautiful/happy woman than in those pictures, you can really tell.
In our earlier beginnings we use to source vintage gowns from every era but quickly we realised that certain fabrics usually stiffened, were prone to tearing, or yellowed over time. Since then we've managed to get our vintage gowns down to a science. We know which fabrics will hold up well, and we always do our best to disclose if there are any stains or tears in our gowns descriptions. Our clients can trust that any gown they invest in from us is going to be exactly as described – often near perfect condition."
Above and below, the Ada dress from the new 'We Are All Just Lovers' collection by Daughers of Simone.
The Ada dress is a short all-lace gown with 3/4 length sleeves, fitted just past the elbow.
It features a scoop neck in front and flowy baby doll skirt. The bottom hem meets just
above the knee…
How refreshing and fascinating to read how a business specialising in wedding dresses has approached the whole idea from such a radical and thoughtful perspective. I really admire Brittany for this, let alone her gorgeous collection of bohemian bridal wear.
Daughters of Simone vintage wedding dresses range from $55-750, and the gowns in the We Are Just Lovers vintage-inspired collection range from $280-1,100.
You can explore the full collection of largely 1970's original bohemian vintage wedding dresses on the Daughters of Simone website here. Daughters of Simone are also on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
I'd love feedback from any boho-bride lovers out there.
Much love all,
AnnabelLeave a Comment!