Sometimes simple accessories are all you need when your dress speaks for itself.
Jenny Packham
Accessories are the perfect way to add something special. A hair comb or a beaded clutch can be a lovely detail to finish your bridal look.
There is definitely a 'red carpet moment' to a bride's wedding day, but when designing for bridal, it is important to focus on the details that will captivate and capture the imagination of the bride - she has to fall in love with the gown.
There is such an emotional connection between the bride and her wedding dress, whereas in ready-to-wear you may just be focusing on color or prints for that particular season.
All I ever aim to do is make beautiful evening wear.
Don't be too influenced by what's 'in fashion.' Just be a bit more individual about it.
From the 1920s through to the 1970s, bridal was related to the fashion of the times. Then in the 1980s, it became more historical, decadent, and ornate.
My job is to make sure there's something about each dress that ignites the bride's imagination.
With an evening wear collection, each piece has to be quite individual.
With the bridal wear I love the fact that people show me their pictures about what I've done for their special day. It's lovely that I'm a part of someone's history.
With a wedding gown, I have to make sure that people fall in love with it and that the details are very specific and special. There has to be a big story behind it and a great deal of integrity when it comes to the design.
Think about the style of the occasion before you plan your outfit.
It's always a fantastic moment for me when someone wears one of our designs.
Wonderbra is such an iconic brand with strong design values and great sense of humour.
I really enjoy the diversity of the people we dress.
I like the challenge of dressing ladies in lots of different things.
Both of my grandmothers were needlewomen, so I grew up around dress design.
Research the venue and location before outfit shopping, as it helps set the mood and style focus: a traditional wedding in the countryside offers a different set of sartorial rules to a tropical, beach vibe, for instance.
There's nothing standard about a wedding dress or shoes anymore.
A lot of my designs are inspired by the 1930s, when people were fabulous at dressing up. Then it just all kind of fell away.
Having made all the decisions, I think a wedding day is a day when you want to forget what you are wearing and be in the moment.
I think, for us, as an evening wear line, anytime someone on the red carpet wears our dress, it's an endorsement.
When I design, I think about the desire someone might have for it and why. I want them to fall in love with it.
With the Bond girls, they've always been these sexy but quite strong women, and that's a nice combination to design for.
We've found that the more niche you are, the better off you are.
I always design with the occasion in mind, so I particularly enjoy creating bespoke pieces; it's always an exciting challenge for me creatively.
I hated the '80s for years, and now I look back and think, actually, there was something really cool about it.
If I can get someone to put on a dress, walk in a room, have them feel great, and have everybody think that they look lovely, too - that's my job, as far as evening wear goes.
Sometimes you listen to a piece of music that inspires a collection. You listen to the music, which creates the mood, which creates the clothes.
I love Elizabeth Hurley. I have met her on a few occasions and was stunned by her beauty and her attitude. Very cool and easy going.
I'm so fond of abstract design in the style of Vanderbilt and David Hicks and that whole 1970s era. They took the 1930s and gave it a bit of technicolour.
We've been seeing a lot of brides buying two dresses for their wedding, especially in America, and a lot of brides are talking about changing shoes halfway through. It is a very long day to be wearing one pair of shoes, however comfortable they are. It is about marrying that combination of style and comfort together.
I felt my design point of view was more welcomed in New York, that I could show my collections in the way I wanted to show them.
Young girls - like friends of my daughter's - always ask if we do prom dresses, and we do dresses that would be lovely, but £2,000 isn't realistic for most girls. The Debenhams collection will hopefully be great for that sort of event because the price point is much lower.
The Wonderstar collection is a fantastic fusion of Hollywood glamour and Wonderbra's technical genius.
I have always loved to create pieces that are special, unique. It's very important to me that the dress means something to someone. I've no real interest in making something that's an everyday item.
Nobody is going to buy one of our dresses because it will do, or as something to hide away in their wardrobe and wear at some dimly undetermined point. They always have an event of some kind in mind. They want to walk in the room and for everybody to think how amazing they look. That's the job, really.
I play with those two eras a lot. The '70s did actually take quite a lot inspiration from the '30s. I love the '70s, the bold color. There's something very sophisticated about it now, looking back.
I do think there is a bit of Liberace in me.
I like to come home and completely forget about work.
I like the American style. I love L.A. They have a completely different way of dressing.
I think in L.A., every night they're going out somewhere. So you have this culture of dressing up.
Our customers are worldwide themselves - the Middle East, the Far East, Europe.
Most of our customers want something glamorous. They want to be looked at, but not for the wrong reasons.
I love travelling and use my time abroad to be inspired.
I always love the domineering, slightly wicked women on screen.
I feel our brides are empowered women who know what they want and have a strong sense of their identity. Obviously, they love fashion and glamour.
I think it is very hard to design in colours you don't feel right about.
I always love long shirt dresses with hand painting on it. It's just wonderful.
It was our belief we should have a customer base and that the catwalk was actually supporting and increasing the business.
