Day 12

I've been studying for a history test for the last couple of hours and my head is full of Christine de Pizan, Magellan, Cortes, Pizarro.  I discovered an easy way to remember which guy conquered which South American nation:  CorteZZ AZZtec MexZZico vs. PPIIzaro IInca PPeru.  Doubt I'll ever forget that now...ha.

Let me look through some pictures...

Aha!  Back in February, I heard through Yellow Bird Fabrics blog about Anne Barge coming to Alta Moda Bridal in Salt Lake for a trunk show and lecture.  I know that's a lot of links but you will not regret clicking on them if you like pretty things. 

I asked my lovely mother if she wanted to go with me (Laresa couldn't or something, I don't remember why) and we headed up to the Salt Lake City Library for the lecture.  I was surrounded by fashion students from SLCC and at least one of the owners of Alta Moda, so I felt a little intimidated.  I think mom and I were the only civilians there!  I got to take pictures of the four gowns Anne had chosen to display, and I got to meet her.  I felt like a GIANT because I had at least 6 inches on her, but she was so gracious and friendly and put us all at ease.  She talked about how she became a bridal designer (she was at Priscilla of Boston sketching the dresses on display and was offered a job as an assistant!  The ODDS!) and how much she loves pretty things and wonderful fabric.  Anne is one of the designers who will gladly alter a design to make it wearable for an LDS bride (you can see some examples on the Alta Moda website), and she sources her own fabrics.  She works with mills in India that create fabric just for her.  Actually, they'll send out samples to all their clients, and the client who likes it most or chooses it first is the one the rest of the fabric goes to.  It was a really wonderful day and I learned so much!  Thanks for going with me, mom. :)

(several) Pictures:

Close up of the fabric of the dress on the left--this was made in India.  If you look closely and if the quality is good enough, you can see that the texture is applied fabric, almost like applique.  Gorgeous.

Bodice detail.

Skirt detail.

The backs of the four dresses.  We sat right up front!

Skirt applique detail.

Gorgeous bodice detail--the beads are applied with chain stitch right onto the bodice--painstaking and beautiful work.

It looks like rivets, but it's gunmetal or bronze colored sequins.  The ribbing in the fabric is a custom weave for Anne Barge.  There is an example of this dress for LDS brides on the Alta Moda website.

I think all these styles are still on the Anne Barge website as they're from her Spring/Fall 2010 collection.  Her prices are relatively high because the quality of the gowns is also high (I've seen a lot of wedding gowns in my time, and these are some of the highest quality) and she uses a lot of silk.  I told her how grateful I was to see something different from the glorified prom dresses around here.  Don't get me wrong--the glorified prom dresses are (mostly) pretty and if you want one, I won't stop you!--but it was refreshing to see something more mature and elegant for a change.