Dear All – what a fantastically busy few months we’ve had, and it’s been quite a whirlwind with wedding guests, brides, mother of the bride’s commissioning some particularly gorgeous pieces. The variety of styles, looks and colours has been beyond belief!
We were delighted with the stunning sunshine for Royal Ascot for all race goers this year, and especially as Scarlett Gray, Founder of Glow and Dry Beauty, was wearing an Allison Rodger design. Although a regular attendee of Ascot, this was the first time she had commissioned a couture piece.
Moving away from these shores, sunshine and the heat of Greece in June were an important consideration for bride to be Patricia when discussing the design of her very special wedding dress.
Reimagining of an iconic outfit worn by Princess Diana
I have known and worked with couture milliner Edwina Ibottson since the 90’s, and this spring she recommended us to Scarlett Gray who was searching for a designer to recreate an iconic blue and white outfit that Princess Diana wore to Ascot in 1989. This was Scarlet's first bespoke commission and we were delighted that she put her trust in us to deliver her vision, with Edwina's stunning take on Diana's turban style hat!
After a chat with Scarlett, and approval of sketches for the design we met to take measurements and look at specially sourced fabrics - a white and electric blue wool satin with a beautiful sheen - checking with Scarlett that the colours matched her chosen accessories. At Scarlett's toile fitting the design evolved - the exaggerated ‘80s style shoulders were cut away to give a more contemporary feel, and reveal Scarlett's shoulders. The pocket angles were changed on the hipline, button positions worked out, and the dress was taken in and up to flatter Scarlett’s body and proportions.
A few minor tweaks were made at the fabric fitting and then collection day arrived. It was wonderful to see the finished look come together, the contrasting blue satin covered buttons and dramatic collar making the whole design pop, with Edwina's hat looking magnificent and completing the whole look. Witnessing Scarlett's joy when she tried the finished dress on for the first time was wonderful and the reveal of the SG Ascot 2025 label, created by Initially London who specialise in monogramming here in Fulham, was an extra special finishing touch.
We loved watching Scarlett wear her dress so stylishly at Royal Ascot 2025, she looked gorgeous standing in the sunshine, on the immaculate grounds, with press photographing away and capturing her look. We know this dress will be worn again and again, that it's already a treasured outfit with memories of a special day and hopefully it will have many more special outings to come. “The dress looked incredible and in turn I felt incredible in it." – Scarlett
Watch our reel following the process of Scarlett's commission on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLXkNJJo69O/?igsh=NGdsdW5xbWtyYWY0
Bride of the month
Patricia had chosen Greece as the setting for her wedding at the end of June. The brief for her wedding dress was that it needed to be corseted but as light as possible for the hot weather conditions. Her corset was made using body mesh, with underwires and boning to perfectly fit and hug her body. Her corset was the base upon which 20 meters of the finest Italian silk chiffon was draped on to.
The feature waistline was decorated with a beautiful hand embroidered piece depicting olive branches and leaves, complimenting the design of Patricia's headdress. This was carefully positioned then hand appliqued, holding the finest chiffon drapes in place, around the waist and on the shoulders. This took many hours of hand sewing - a real labour of love!
Photographer: https://www.fotissidweddingphotography.com/
Patricia also commissioned a special dress for her party the night before the wedding day. She fell in love with a shot chiffon in peacock, a perfect eye-catching colour on her, and against the vibrant blues of the Greek sea. Again, this dress was to be as light as possible and corseted inside. The design had to be different to Patricia’s wedding dress, so the party dress was designed with an empire line draped with chiffon over the bust, falling to the ground at the front. A draped cowl at the back, with tails falling from the shoulders to catch in the breeze, made the dress a stunning statement from every angle. We loved receiving beautiful images from Patricia's special day and she said: "it was magical
- thank you, thank you, thank you!”
We also enjoyed seeing photographs of Patricia’s friends Dalia and Justine who were guests at her wedding. We designed a simple long evening dress for Dalia in a beautiful beaded taupe silk georgette, and Justine wore an orange dress of silk satin chiffon, bias cut with a deep ruffle hem, topped with an orange beaded French lace crop top. We so enjoyed hearing about the wedding on their return, how much they loved wearing their dresses and seeing them together in Greece all wearing Allison Rodger Designs really was quite magical!
SALE
Who doesn’t love a bargain? We’re having a good clear out at the shop in preparation for a new collection and more autumn/winter pieces so do take a look at the SALE page on our website https://www.allisonrodger.co.uk/collections/sale
Alternatively feel free to pop into the shop and browse the rails. If you know someone who is getting married, and their budget won’t stretch to a bespoke dress, there are some gorgeous bridal samples in store that can be altered to fit.
Lottie dress & jacket was £1400. SALE £900
Black French lace A-line dress with corset size 10. Was £1500 SALE £450
Aubergine heavy silk crepe wrap dress with beading trim, size 10-12. Was £1200 SALE £400
Gianni Versace Retrospective
You may remember reading our March newsletter, about the Gianni Versace Retrospective exhibition which I saw in Malaga. The exhibition is now in London and I’d highly recommend a visit if you fancy travelling back to the 90s fashion scene.
I went again as there were pieces which I didn’t see in Spain and critics have been raving about the London show. The exhibition is being held in the Arches, near London Bridge, showcasing over 450 original pieces including iconic looks worn by Princess Diana, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss to name a few, perhaps the infamous Liz Hurley safety pin dress is featured? More information here https://archeslondonbridge.co.uk/gianni-versace-retrospective
"With all the boring ideas around, someone has to break the rules" - Gianni Versace
That’s all for now. I’ll be back with more news in the autumn, until then have a wonderful rest of summer and don’t hesitate to get in touch if I can turn any of your fashion dreams into a reality.
