District Weddings

THE DRESS. Where do I even start? Well, let me first say that whether you have imagined every aspect of your dress since you were little, or if you are simply waiting for inspiration to hit, you have to check out dresses by The Cotton Bride. Feminine and romantic, The Cotton Bride takes natural fabrics and creates couture dresses that made any bride look absolutely fabulous. Here is a lovely conversation I had with Chris Kole, designer and creative director, of The Cotton Bride. Be sure to feast your eyes on all of the beautiful dresses at the DC CWC Bridal Show!

Brides look into all sorts of styles and materials to find the dress that is perfect for them- So… why cotton??

My original intention was to create a collection of airy, easy-to-wear, comfortable bridal gowns which I felt was missing in the market. As I started researching fabrics, I kept finding all kinds of different cotton fabrics that felt amazing and looked incredible.

By the time I was actually ready to start designing the collection, the vast majority of the fabrics I had chosen were either 100% cotton or cotton blends. Even though the collection includes silk and linen dresses, I thought it was only appropriate to name the collection by its most featured fabric.

How does The Cotton Bride distinguish itself from other couture bridal collections?

On an obvious level, it distinguishes itself through its choice of fabrics, laces and even beadwork. On a less obvious level, most other couture bridal collections are named after the designer him/herself whereas I decided against. It was very important to me that the name itself be part of the collections image.

In a few words, how would you describe the essence of Cotton Bride bridal gowns? Where can our readers find them?

Unassuming, unaffected, natural, down to earth but always very feminine, very fluid and very romantic.

Starting this month, the collection will be available exclusively through the LIC Bridal Studio in New York City. The Studio is part of our design and production facility and it allows us the opportunity to house every gown in the collection under one roof. It also allows us to work directly with the brides themselves and offer them near-wholesale prices.

Indulge our readers- what are a few new styles, fabrics, or silhouettes that you will amaze us with at the DCCWC Bridal Show?

This is the first season we showed gowns which have zip-off skirts that allow the dress to be worn as a long gown or a short cocktail. We also used many new laces that we had not used in prior seasons including a French Strip Cotton lace and a Rosebush Cotton Lace both of which are exquisite.

Zip-off skirts to convert your dress from gown to cocktail style??? Amazing!! I cannot wait to see this! And in case you need another reason to attend the DC Couture Wedding Consortium Event at the Decatur House this Saturday, you might win a gorgeous $2,500 gown by The Cotton Bride!

As promised, our DC Couture Wedding Consortium (DC CWC) vendor interview series starts today! We are off to an amazing and EXTREMELY fashionable start with Robin Fisher of Polished Image and Style.  A fashionista from a young age, Robin takes her skills and your tastes to reinvent your image…

When did you discover that you had such a talent for style and personal transformation? How did you create your business and become a successful style consultant?

It all actually started very early. My grandmother owned a high end vintage store in San Francisco, and this began my exposure to fashion and styles all over the country where I began developing my own eye for fashion and individual expression.

Seven years ago a close friend told me they wanted to pay me to shop for them because they loved my personal style and when we shopped together she was always more happy with what I selected for her then what she did. I took her up on her offer and within six months others started to hear about me and the next thing I knew I had clients!

At that point I had been working in the fashion industry for fifteen years in numerous positions that spanned from technical designer, international production manager, department store buyer, and product planning and marketing manager.  I always knew I would start my own company, and when I was ready I went to London to train with the best and then started my company.

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