Next Sunday, many of us will be brunching, cooking, buying flowers and just enjoying some quality time with the mothers of our lives. That’s right, Mother’s Day is right around the corner!
In our world at Valencienne, mothers are always special and always given that super star treatment. Though we have many beautiful brides grace our store with their glow looking for the perfect dress, we probably help just as many, if not more, MOTHERS!
Moms of all shapes and sizes come to us to help them look their best for their child’s big day (a not-so-easy task here in Toronto). With fewer and fewer gown stores these days, many moms are left with either prom-like styles or a dress more suited for grandma. None of that here! We love creating custom gowns for moms so they feel equally as dazzling and special as the bride and groom on a day that is very special to them as well.
What is the number one thing moms come in for? “Something that covers my arms and my tummy” and "I DO NOT want to look matronly". Pretty much a 100/100 answers in our store, and we are always happy to design a gown that not only “covers” those areas, but is chic, luxurious and enhances every woman’s natural beauty.
When it comes to designing the perfect mother of the bride or groom dress, we tend to lead with a few guiding trends and styles. What are our favourite trends for moms?
- Pastels. Taking some tips from our favourite royal mothers, we love using soft mint greens, blush pinks, dove greys and robin’s egg blues to give moms that touch of colour while keeping to a soft and subtle colour palette. Whether in a flowing chiffon fabric for summer days or a crisp taffeta or satin to give that extra tailoring to the figure.
- Jewel Tones. For moms with deeper skin tones or who are looking to emphasize a lean silhouette, we love deep colours of Navy, Ruby and Forest Green. These colours create a stunning contrast with the bride’s classic white dress in all your perfect family portraits.
- All in White. If you’ve been to a Hamptons party, an all-white dress code is no stranger to you, and we LOVE it! Adding texture to the dress while keeping to tones of ivory and white create a seamless vision for the mom and bride without upstaging her gown. Going white? We recommend a shorter gown done in a contrasting fabric to the bride’s gown.
- Lace. Following Princess Kate’s wedding, lace sleeves with a contrasting skirt fabric have been a common request from our moms and works with a variety of colours! Add that texture or sheer element to a gown with a demure French lace pattern and voila, chic!
- Sleek and simple. Take a page out of Princess Meghan’s wedding style and opt for a simple and sleek style in a classic colour. (we love blues and greens!). Our beautiful seam work enhances and trims a woman’s natural curves and creates a stunning elongated chic silhouette.
- English Jackets. Like the rest of the world, watching the ins and outs of royal life is our obsession, and so are their hats and morning jackets! From the likes of Alexander McQueen and Catherine Hooker, slim, tailored luxurious jackets are a favourite look for the modern mom. Chic, effortless and oh-so trim, we love creating jacket and slip styles for those summer garden weddings or as a morning church outfit.
7. Flowing grecian gowns. Compliment the soft flowing gowns of the bridal party and choose a silk chiffon for the perfect mom dress. We love taking this classic style and adding a gorgeous sleeve and light embellishment to enhance every mom and allow her to be one of the girls but also a woman of honour throughout the day.
Still stuck on the perfect mother's gown?
We've created a quick list of tips to help you find the perfect dress!
- Bring your favourite dress from your closet to your appointment. Try it on for us so we can see how it fits you and ask you about what you love about it, why it's your favourite and what elements from it you would like in your new gown.
- Visit a proper lingerie store. You must know by now that 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra. Well this does not help us get that great fit and beautiful shaping in your bust and figure. Before your appointment visit a proper lingerie store in Toronto and invest in a great bustier or bra before you come in so that you already feel like a million bucks under any gown.
- Know the wedding colours. Ensure you have some idea of the bride's vision for the bridal party, her gown and what she envisions the moms wearing. Does she want you matching, complimenting or totally standing out. This can help us narrow down your colour.
- Bring inspiration. We LOVE Pinterest for finding the perfect mother of the bride inspiration. Whether it be celebrity moms like Tina Knowles or Kris Jenner or just a designer's look book, we love seeing what catches your eye both in style and in fit.
- Go out and try on some dresses. Visit a few department stores and try on some options. Get an idea of necklines you liked, how fabrics felt so we can help guide you to the perfect fabric and begin sketching your dream dress.
And there you have it! We are ready to create a custom, one-of-a-kind mother of the bride dress sketch and bring it to life right here in our Toronto atelier.
Happy Mother's Day to all your moms our there! You are fabulous!
