Everything You Should Do Before You Find Your Dream Wedding Dress With Kate Halfpenny

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1:42What is up? I'm Grace Beverley and welcome back to Working Hard, the podcast shared guidebook on how to improve your own life and achieve what you actually dreamed of doing. Because life's too short for boring podcasts and bad advice.

1:56What is up and welcome back to Working Hard. Today's guest is someone very special to me. Kate Halfpenny is the founder and designer behind Halfpenny London. She's built a cult following among brides for her unique approach and standout silhouettes. and she's not only an incredible designer but also a seriously impressive businesswoman from starting out as a celebrity stylist to launching her own label, building a team, opening her flagship store in London and becoming one of the most trusted names in bridal. She is also the woman behind my wedding dresses and today I really wanted to talk about everything from kind of how she built her brand all the way from being a celebrity stylist, starting out making wedding dresses on the side and I think a great lesson in just getting started, not necessarily waiting until you have this whole shiny business plan but I also really wanted to create an episode for brides-to-be, what you should be thinking about for your dresses, when you should be booking in your appointments, how to know when you found the right dress, all of these different questions that I was asking at the beginning of my bridal journey that I wish someone had answered.

2:47So we got into the nitty-gritty of all of that with her. Before we get into the episode, please don't forget to follow the podcast wherever you are listening to it on. It makes a huge difference for the podcast and it means that every Monday when I release an episode to help you improve your life, it's going to be exactly where you want it.

3:09Hey Halfpenny, are you currently more working hard or hardly working? I would love to say I am hardly working, but I'm actually working really hard. Selling season for the brides? Selling season. I've got a whole new team in the business and surrounded by amazing people. So yeah, we are all working hard and yeah, it's exciting. Ready for a new year of brides. Yes. Love to see it. Oh, I'm jealous of all the brides being able to come in to see you for the first time and be able to try on everything and such a nice process. Didn't we have fun? We had such a good time. I genuinely felt, I was like, I'm going to be so sad.

3:43Like selfishly, like I enjoyed the process so much that I feel like coming to the end of that, I was like, oh, what am I going to do? Like, what am I going to think about that's not like this? Because they were so, both of them obviously from scratch. And so it was so nice to be able to like have the designs unfold and the process unfold and all of that. I miss it already. there is a funny uh grief situation that happens between me and my brides and then I often get messages to say you know can we have a debrief like I messaged you I was like let's let's go look at the wedding photos I want to hear all about it and it's yeah I think I need to kind of make a post-wedding club of some sort where we can yeah where everyone comes to like show and tell yeah just waving their photos and being like oh this is what happened there's such a a love affair that happens with me and my brides as well so it is kind of like I have to kind of send you on your way for your next adventure and it yeah I'm very lucky to have such a privileged job really to make people feel the very best versions of themselves.

4:41Well you do you do for me yeah and let's start at the beginning I would love to hear kind of what got you into doing what you do now at the very beginning am I right in thinking that your mother was a knitwear designer? Yeah, she was. That was her entrepreneurial kind of side of it. She set up a mohair knitwear company with a friend in the, I guess it was the 80s. It was kind of very Dennis the Menace, black and red stripes and really cool. And I'd go there after school to her studio. It was never a kind of a full time role. It was just a beautiful adventure she went on and they sold really well.

5:16And it was brilliant. So I definitely was inspired by her. I mean, mum's creativity was amazing. She'd take kind of curtain poles down, wooden ones, and she'd slice them into discs and hand paint them and sell them at craft fairs. Like there was always that going on. I was never allowed to touch her acrylic paints, which of course I did. And then I'd get told off all her perfectly sharpened pencils. But I think my grandmother was the one that really taught me to sew on a Singer machine. She used to repair all the overalls for Rolls Royce. So they didn't throw them away. She'd repair them and then they'd get them back.

5:48and her and her friends on their bikes. It was just, you know, they'd cycle to work and it was just charming. The whole kind of working class factories in Derbyshire is kind of my roots. Yeah, and such an amazing creative background as well to have all of that, you know, to see all of that growing up. And I know that you worked in styling before you started your own thing. I know you styled people like Kate Moss and Rihanna. What was it like actually styling some of those big names? It was incredible. they were all just amazing to work with it was it was it was a privilege and a joy and I and I loved it it was an amazing career I kind of fell into that because I studied fashion and specialized in bridal wear for my degree in the late 90s and then came to London were making wedding dresses for my friends making wedding dresses for friends of friends but it was just on the side and then this whole styling career happened after I met this amazing girl I was an intern at Vivienne Westwood and I was just like I don't think working for a fashion brand is for me like I want to be more hands-on I want to be creating and it's kind of like hang on a minute you know you have to start somewhere but I met this amazing girl that said you should go meet these amazing people called the new renaissance that were royal college graduates and I just started working with them on like George Michael music videos and crazy stuff like that as their assistant and then quite quickly I picked up my own clients and just have just had the most phenomenal career doing music videos and all the big M &S Christmas ads I did for about 10 years, L 'Oreal and Rimmel and like mega brands and dressing these icons, men and women actually.

7:19So it was, yeah. I love that. And I also think that we don't hear enough stories of people who've kind of had different segments of their career, because I think it's so easy to look at someone's career when they've really made it in a space and think, oh, well, that was what they were always going to do. And they always did that, whatever it might be. Whereas you obviously built a background in a different area of the industry before you went into what you do now. How important do you think it is for someone who might be early 20s and thinking about kind of going freelance or starting their own thing?

7:49How important would you say it is to build a base and kind of a foundation in the wider industry before you go out and do something on your own? It is so important. The love and the care and the skills that I was shown and given by the people that mentored me really throughout that I guess 20 years really I styled for with the bridal running on the side and that informed my business decisions. It created those relationships. It's that kindness that you experience to pay it forward. I couldn't possibly have the business that I have now without the foundations that were laid throughout that career.

8:24I think these days we try and create a business in a heartbeat. We try and run before we can walk. We try and put a product out there without identifying that there's a gap in the market for that product. And, you know, I truly believed in my bridal brand. I changed the bridal landscape when I launched the brand in 2005 with separates, like that wasn't happening. People were wearing wedding dresses. They're called wedding dresses for a reason. They were dresses. They were always dresses. And I didn't understand why you couldn't take layers off or add to go from day to night. I mean, it just made sense to me.

8:56So for my degree show, I did little mini dresses with big overskirts that dropped on the runway and they went down to their party dress and it just made sense. Yeah and I think that you're totally right that there's this glamorization now of speed and the need to create something of your own or go freelance or whatever it might be so quickly and I completely understand why that is. I think there's definitely a link between that and like rising cost of living and the fact that even if you have a stable salary that doesn't mean that you necessarily get to be able to afford a house or whatever it might be or most of the time it definitely does not.

9:26I think that you know there's definitely a link between those two things so you might as well have more control over what you do. But at the same time, I do really think that some of this is leading to some shortcutting that's going to kind of cut off your nose in spite of your face. Like you're trying to get to this next era when perhaps you haven't built the foundations of, as you say, contacts of skills of what to do when things go wrong without it literally blowing up your whole career. Like some of the best advice that I've talked about over and over on this podcast that I was given was that your 20s should be about learning as much as possible on someone else's money.

9:59That someone else's money being the company you're working for. And like being able to learn and make mistakes without it all falling back on you when it goes wrong. And I think that it's really powerful to be able to see people like you who've built something that people could assume had been your whole career all along. Whereas actually, as you say, you couldn't have done that without truly building the rest of these foundations. I mean, the brand is 20 years old this year, which is incredible to reflect on and look back at those 20 years. But in truth, it's the last 10 years where the business has been my sole focus.

10:30I had Sylvester when I was 40. He's just turned 10. I've just celebrated my very small birthday. And I know I don't look it. But it's everything that I learned in my 20s and all of the mistakes that I made on other people's money, as you say, but also as hard as I worked then. I just feel that I grafted. I worked three jobs. I didn't stop. There was nothing I never had because I worked so goddamn hard every hour of the day, whether it be in a bar, a pizza restaurant, whether it be doing other jobs and different things and interning and working for free and putting myself out there. Now, we pay all our interns.

11:10That is not something that I encourage free labor these days. But there is those opportunities to go and meet people, to talk to people, to see if there are opportunities to shadow them and do things and lean into it. Because we've recruited for many a role in my company through interns, because you see that spark and that dedication and that intuition that people have and that foresight and that forward thinking that you don't necessarily can grab in an interview from a CV or. Yeah. And I worry that some of that has been taken away by the glamorization of like the end goal on social media. No one wants to be in the grafting job.

11:44No one wants to be in the like foundation building job. And I worry about that because I do think that there's been this jump to needing the end goal before you've established the foundations. And I think it's great to hear your journey in that way. I think both of us have celebrated social media and how it's enhanced our business hundredfold. Like it's incredible. Without that, I would not have the global reach that I've had. However, the downside of social media is you can create something and make it look bigger than it is overnight. And also there's something that, you know, in one of the questions of this interview it was kind of what is a great piece of advice and it is just don't compare yourself to other brands and other businesses and I think social media does make you kind of you know it happens to me it's just about to be bridal market in New York it's you know I'm looking what everyone's doing it's just literally it just kind of makes you just think oh you know it's don't compare yourself be authentic do you like there is there's a million of everybody else like you can you can find that unique thing in you and make that special but work on it work on the foundations of that big empire because the stronger they are the more information and knowledge you have like you say it's it does help you on those days when the shit hits the fan yeah which it does yeah and when did you get the itch to start your own thing then to be honest i've i've always had my own thing the the itch from from being 13 and making jewelry and selling it to people that my dad employed like i've kind of never had a proper job in truth i was a freelance stylist and laying my foundations assisting lots of different people so I think I always knew the end goal would be to have my own bridal brand but it was just when was the right time.

13:26And what was it about bridal rather than kind of fashion in general? I was just a dreamer from Derby a little girl in a room that literally it was just such a touch if I managed to get a Vogue magazine to pour through and tear sheet and create mood boards and it was wasn't something that I was lucky enough to have every month and we certainly didn't have internet with me growing up I'm sounding so ancient no you're not um but I was a daydreamer as you know I I was exposed to kind of the princess Diana moment with all of the theatre around her incredible Emmanuel wedding dress so I think that definitely has to be a catalyst of kind of gosh you just see people's faces on their wedding day they're just beaming and they're full of joy and to even have a tiny part of that.

14:12What a privilege. And so what were the first steps to actually making that come true? It was doing a dress here, a dress there. You know, I'd have a little seamstress. I'd design something and I'd make my, you know, my friend Jay in Derby's wedding dress and made her evening dress as well. And then, you know, bridesmaids dress for my sister's wedding and different things. And it was just kind of designing these little things on the side. And it just grew like a tiny seed into a giant oak tree and before you know it like it truly just grew authentically and serendipitously and yeah I just was fortunate I definitely think you have to put yourself out there like I say and work hard but there's there is elements of luck and fortune that that come along the way of the meeting the right people and you know I dressed Amelia Fox in 2005 for her red carpet things and she was getting married to Jared Harris who was the king out of the crown and they were having the wedding.

15:07I was dressing both of them and I made Amelia two of her three wedding dresses and her aunt that worked at Vogue was there and she invited us one day after a fashion show at Claridge's to go and look around Vogue and it was kind of just this devil wears Prada moment and she said, oh, Charlotte Sinclair, one of the journalists is getting married and she had this beautiful veil that was her mum's and she wanted to wear it but she wanted to modernise it so I did that for her and then she put a little credit in the magazine of some accessory that I did and I didn't have a website or anything. So a friend said, you know, you need to do that.

15:38And Amelia said, oh, I'll model for you. And I'd got a collection of dresses that I'd used as inspiration and things that I'd designed. So Amelia modeled all of those and we made a website overnight. And I was in UberTuber in Brazil on a TV commercial and the website launched, The Vogue came out. And just gradually it just kind of picked up momentum. It was... What's up? Adam Grant from Work Life, a TED podcast here. And I want to tell you about something exciting. You're watching every dollar and Walmart business helps you stretch each one. From office supplies to snacks and cleaning gear, you'll get everyday low prices, plus easy bulk ordering and fast delivery.

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17:25Yeah, we were one of the first hundred businesses to Instagram as well. So then that kind of, yeah. God, that's a good burn. Well done for doing that. I know. Jealous. And I think that, you know, when you talk about how it snowballed and it kind of grew and these moments happened that were catalyst moments, I think one of the biggest things there is they couldn't have been catalyst moments had you overthought starting the business. I think if you'd thought of starting the business as it has to be me leaving my other jobs, doing this, setting out and, you know, setting it all up in the perfect way.

17:58I think it's a really important note that actually what you just started doing was started doing it. Like you wanted to make wedding dresses so you started making wedding dresses rather than you wanted to have a wedding dress business so you started the business in the very official way. And I think that's something that holds a lot of people back is this whole idea of needing to kind of start a business in a very regimented and overthought and overplanned way. And don't get me wrong, I think that you can absolutely do that and execute that very well. But I think that sometimes while most people aren't in the position to do that, you usually need to start as a side hustle and just start a few things and whatever it might be.

18:33So I don't think those opportunities would have been able to even come had you not just been like, right, well, I'm technically doing other things, but I'm also going to start making wedding dresses. Yeah, it is down to that work ethic again. It was the reason that the company grew is because my husband pushed me out of the door and said, we can't get out of the house on a weekend. I had a beautiful little house in Camden and the whole ground floor on a Saturday and Sunday were brides. So they'd come back to back like there was no waiting room. You know, I'd schedule them every two hours. But of course, that two hours I'd always work the whole two hours with my brides, but dining and fittings and the next bride would be outside.

19:08So my poor husband couldn't even cross the landing in the open plan house to get to the loo. He'd have to kind of go outside and kind of come around because he was trapped upstairs with back to back brides all weekend. And he was like, this is ridiculous. Can you not see what's happening here? and I was kind of like, you know, what? And he was just like, there's clearly an appetite for this, so maybe you should just kind of believe in yourself and go and find a space. So that's when I found the beautiful shop on Woburn Walk. Oh, my God, that was your first space? That was my first space. God, it's the most beautiful, like, I want to live there.

19:40Me too. It reminds me of, like, Oliver Twist, London. Like, it's very kind of perfect old London. It's in Bridgerton, actually. They hide that whole street. I'm not surprised. It's so Bridgerton and it's so gorgeous. I can't believe that was your first space. It was. It was on Camden Council's website. So if you are looking for spaces, the council websites are phenomenal. Like they have amazing spaces and there was about 10 people after the space and you had to put a business proposal together. And I just literally wrote a business proposal from my heart. I made up figures like I didn't know what the heck I was doing.

20:13I mean, thank God for AI now that would really help. That would have really got me there, yes. But I wrote really. I had to use my brain. Yeah. Damn it. I used a really empathetic narrative within the business plan. It was like, I don't want to change the fabric of this building. It's perfect. And it was completely derelict downstairs in the basement. I don't know if you ever went downstairs for a fitting, but it's really beautiful down there. And I had to kind of replaster it, damp proof it, like fix it up. And I just did it all for such a bargain. Like I'm such a businesswoman when it comes to like, I can't just get big shop fitters in to come and do these things.

20:49like the new store opposite I've been like you know we can just do this let's just do this you know have somebody make these and do it it's exactly the ethos I've implemented my whole career in renovating houses like I just I just love that part as well so getting the shop was just an extension of my home and I bought things from home and I basically transferred the ground floor of my house into that shop and I wanted it to always feel welcoming like you've been there you know it's not a stark stale environment. And I've had some terrible wedding dress experiences and yours were literally the furthest from that possible.

21:22It was like coming to sit in the living room and have a chat. Yeah, 100%. And even like, as in, obviously, we ended up collaborating in the end, but at the beginning I'd organically booked an appointment and, you know, just wanted to come along and try the dresses. I'd seen them on Instagram. And it was just so, it was so friendly, lovely. Like everything was just, as you say, it was like being in the living room and it just being like, oh, try this on, you'd look great in this. It was really friendly versus a lot of them feeling like factories where you're just a little, you know, you're there to pay a few grand and move on.

21:55Yeah, which absolutely did not feel like that for yours. The wedding industry has massively changed, particularly over the last five years as well, where I feel there are more people like me within the bridal industry with these beautiful spaces, with these interior-led spaces. and I think that's incredible and I think no longer is bridal a kind of a dirty word for the fashion industry really. It was never seen to be, you know, oh, you're a wedding dress designer and I'd be like, I used to be a stylist, you know, I'm a stylist, costume designer, like I had this other life and actually I'm so proud of what I do because who gets to work with amazing women on a daily basis and create these dream gowns and looks and to be able to work with people and my team is exactly the same.

22:38I don't see all the brides anymore, but I've got such amazing women in the boutique that just absolutely love their job. And they are also looking for that moment where they find the dream dress. Yeah, well, I was actually going to, you've skipped ahead of my questions, but actually that's a great way to bring up the fact that I think one of the things that really stood out to me was that the culture in Halfpenny doesn't feel like, it's not like, oh, well, if you get an appointment with you, you get one thing. and if you happen to book an appointment another time and you're not there, it's a completely different thing.

23:10Like the culture is so friendly and nice. Like every time you walk in, it's like there feels like there's this cohesive culture across the company where it's this is going to be one of the biggest days of your life. We want to make that special for you. And that was so easily felt every time I was kind of in the boutique. And I know other people who've had half penny dresses and they've said the exact same. And it's been one of the, you know, a huge reason why they felt kind of so welcome there and everything. How did you get that to carry through the company? Because I think especially when there is a wider bridal industry that's maybe more factory-like, it's probably quite hard to show that you're different.

23:48We are selling an emotional purchase. It's not something that you could say, if you order by Friday, you'll get a free veil. We don't do that. Like, it's just there isn't initiatives to purchase with us because if this isn't the dress, if this isn't the one, it's the wrong one. Like, we want you to feel the very best version of yourself on your day. We say it over and over again. And you aren't going to look for a trend-led piece or something that kind of makes you look completely different. What we're looking for is that you find something that makes you just be the best version of you. Yeah.

24:22And that is what the team and I do. there isn't you know of course there's targets to meet in the boutique or and based on the previous years it's a business yeah I mean I'm the last person that should be put in front of people because I've given so many things away and just like oh my gosh I just heard the story and how they met or I'm like oh you know I really want to make this work I know it's like double your budget girls make this happen and they're just like out because it's just yeah I am just you know if it It wasn't for incredible business people that I've worked with over the two decades then.

24:55I wouldn't have a business. When I first started, you know, I priced the dresses based on, you know, I just kind of make it up. I didn't look at kind of how much they cost, you know. And it still frustrates me sometimes when I design something and I'm like, why is that so expensive? Oh, my God. Do I know that? It's 500 ,000 meter lace. What's wrong with you? And I'm like, oh. But it's so pretty. It's so beautiful. I want people to be able to have it, but that price, they can't. And it's just kind of, you know. It's just the name of the game, unfortunately, in business. Yes. But you carry it very well and it never feels like a kind of business transaction.

25:27That's what I loved so much about it. And obviously, you've made a name in a very saturated space. What do you think set your business aside from this wider industry? I think the experience that you have at Halfway London is something that is what we hear all the time. You did my friend's dress. You did my sister's dress. You did my other sisters. You've done the whole family and the experience that they've had that is the thing that brings brides back to us, that beautiful experience, the way that you can make your dress your own. I feel like what we do at Halfpenny is give you the tools to create the look of your dreams.

26:03And it's taking elements like when we were first exploring all of the styles that you had dreamed of for your dress. We kind of pulled sleeves from here or put, you know, dresses on back to front or looked at different things to create that bespoke look and to work out exactly what that neckline looked like and that drape and where it was. And we can do that in a ready to wear way where it isn't going down that bespoke journey because not everyone has the privilege of creating a bespoke gown. So by doing that, we've kind of created, you know, add the sleeves, add the over skirt. Really, you become the designer of your own dress.

26:36I give you the tools with these beautiful gowns, with the foundations, with the overskirts, with the layers and the lace and the details. And I think that is what's a successful part of the brand as well, that interchangeability. So whether your sister or your friend came and got a dress from us, there is so many other ways and different styles and dresses that you can then create your unique look to. Yeah, right. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think you can really see that kind of come through. You've obviously worked with a lot of brides now. I'd love to know what the biggest misconception most brides have when they first go into dress shopping is I think they feel that they should know exactly what they want to wear and they'll come in and say I definitely don't want a big skirt or I can't wear a slinky dress and I think you need to just be open to trying lots of styles on and I think that's what's great about my store is there is the the different silhouettes so you can really work out actually I didn't know how great a strapless dress was going to make me feel because I can have these you know beautiful micado puff sleeves on my arms but it still kind of creates this frame around my my decolletage and my face and like you just see the shock and surprise in people when we encourage them to just step out of their comfort zone and actually put something on that they they're just like oh my gosh I never imagined in a million years so even though we're encouraging you to find something that is inherent to your style it's sometimes there's just those little things that then after your wedding you then start wearing that style dress all the time because yeah you just never been brave enough to try it on your own in the shop so that's why the bridal is so unique as well and and and why it works in this way of having a stylist to work with you in a boutique because you need that cheerleader and that encouragement we have so many brides that come on their own I mean you came on your own you knew you wanted to do this experience to start with and find out who you were, right?

28:28It's not necessarily Bridesmaid the movie where you bring five friends and you're all sat there going. In fact, I found that quite overwhelming when I did that because I felt like I was trying to make sure other people were having a good day as well rather than it just being like, no, do you know what? It's the same as like going shopping. I'd much rather have a nice little shop on my own. Like, you know, it doesn't need to be this kind of highly pressurized experience. Yeah, I think what happens in those scenarios where somebody brings lots of guests or it's a beautiful experience but inevitably the bride then emails saying can I come back and try those on yeah that like the noise can just be so much sometimes and often if I'm leading the appointment and I actually think I'm the only person in the business that can do this but I'm kind of like everyone don't say a thing yeah until our gorgeous bride has actually worked out how she feels in it and when she asks for your opinion like then you give it yeah yeah but cautious like I had a bride that came that I arranged to meet in the boutique on Tuesday.

29:24She'd been and seen my team. She just couldn't make a decision. My mom liked this dresser. My friend said this one. And then I was like, and I'm so torn. I said, just come. She brought one friend. And I said to the friend, because she said, well, she liked me. And I said, she said, I was kind of going along with what everyone was like. She was like, you looked amazing in everything. And I was like, well, let's see how you feel. So we put her three favorites on. And it was just, it was obvious. The minute she came out, I knew exactly which one that she tried on. But I've often talked about this in magazine articles where it can just be a slight rollback of the shoulder or a kind of just a different way that the bride breathes.

29:59It isn't necessarily all tears and emotions. It's just a silent kind of confidence that happens. And there's a misconception. You don't have to start historically crying when you find the one. Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah. and how early should brides start thinking about their dress it really isn't a problem to do it 18 months before your wedding lots of people think that's too soon too far away from the actual date and too soon to start looking once you've found your venue but the good thing about finding your wedding dress um in plenty of time is all of the things that come with the style of that dress that inform your decision on the flowers the style of the wedding um brides sometimes come and they're like this is the venue, I want to find a dress for that.

30:43And then it changes. So it's just that there's lots of jigsaw pieces that go together. So once the dress is kind of found, you can find the shoes and the accessories and know the whole story of the day. But you don't want to leave it too late. You definitely don't want to leave it too late. Like anything under six months, you will, I mean, even some stores, anything under eight to 12 months, you'll incur priority rush fees. And nobody ever quite understands why. But if you think there's fabrics to be ordered and if there's a lace involved, to have that lace made can sometimes take us 12 weeks to order that.

31:17And then the shipping of that lace to come from France or the Italian crepes that we use, they have to be made. So we don't always hold stock of some of our fancy fabrics and we schedule how we make everything. So yeah, anything under six months and it can incur kind of us being charged lots of money to get those fabrics made. For someone who goes into the bridal process kind of not knowing at all what they want or what they think they'll suit or what their kind of bridal style is, how would you recommend that they start to find that? we often say look into your own wardrobe and see what what your favorite dress is like what made you feel amazing when you went to somebody else's wedding it doesn't have to be a you know it could be a skirt and top or a particular neckline and so start at home and start thinking that way but then go to stores and try on lots of styles and or brands that you admire go and book an appointment with them but what i will say is don't go to too many places like i know you yes i went to a lot of places the rumors are true yes and actually it becomes overwhelming to some degree i mean it can work in two ways it really refined the design that you wanted so when we finally started you had a very clear vision of the two dresses that you wanted however i get lots of brides and they are so overwhelmed and the commitment issue to choosing the dress has been blown off the scale they're just like i love this and i love this and they're flicking through hundreds of pictures on their phone i try and encourage people when they're they're what their guests are there photographing from every angle i'm like these are not going to be good pictures because you're sat down in the chair and you're just snapping away and you're you know they'll be kind of like half eyes shut and if you want to take a picture just stop let's get a front back and side and make it beautiful pictures so but don't choose your wedding dress from a photo in your phone like i've had brides come to me and say i thought i'd found the one but then i looked at the pictures last night i I thought it just didn't make me look great.

33:19And it's like, that was a sample. It's not your size. It's not the best angle, the picture that your mum took from kind of the other side of the shop. Like, go back and try that dress on. Like, I will always encourage you to go back to that brand that you loved that dress at. I don't want you trying to find something that made you feel as good as that, made you feel in that moment, if that was the one. So, yeah. Yeah. And I think it's such an interesting process because it feels like such high pressure. And you do often feel like you need to have that big moment where you kind of, you know, burst into tears or whatever it might be.

33:54And I think that for lots of people, it's about being like, do you know what? No, I just I feel really good in this dress. Like, it's not that it's giant and it's not that it's like this big, big moment. It's like, no, this, you know, I feel really good in this and this feels me. And I think that one of the things that I kept speaking to you about was that I had the struggle because I kind of kept yo-yoing between the fact that the dresses that I suited were not my personal style. So they looked best on my body type, but they weren't my personal style. So I felt like I was in like costume. And that felt really hard because I'd constantly go into the shops and the ones that looked good on me, everyone would be like this, this, this, like this really enhances your figure.

34:33This, you know, looks amazing. And I'd be like, I don't feel like myself in this. I feel like I'm in a school play and it's hard to get like a balance between those things. Yeah. And I think that is exactly what we managed to do with your dresses because you had, you know, you wanted that sculpt crumness, but it was always like, we're not going to turn this into kind of something that is in the V &A right now in the Marie Antoinette exhibition. It has to feel that it's sculpted to you and created for you and your body. And it was a really fun adventure to go on with you to kind of work out actually how far.

35:08We made that kind of extended silhouette and the drape on the neck. You had a defined idea, the corset and the foundations that we put inside those dresses. You knew you wanted that defined waist and how you wanted it to look. and you had the privilege of being able to create exactly the version of the dress that you wanted, but working for the exact figure and body that you had. So, yeah. What's up? Adam Grant from Work Life, a TED podcast here, and I want to tell you about something exciting. You're watching every dollar, and Walmart business helps you stretch each one. From office supplies to snacks and cleaning gear, you'll get everyday low prices, plus easy bulk ordering and fast delivery.

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36:01so asking then honestly what was the hardest part of my dress to get right i think the hardest part was to get the cups of your dress to make you feel exactly as you wanted your bus to feel because we're not just sticking a bra in here we're creating kind of a couture piece of lingerie that sits with inside that dress so when I did the first dress we did it quite sort of seamless without cups and you were like no it's not kind of sitting in exactly so just nailing those foundations to be utterly perfect it's like our metaphor for our business the foundation is so important within within any dress like it's the same but that's what made it so special for me because for example the second dress was quite a slinky dress and I felt like I definitely couldn't wear a slinky dress because I've got a big bust and so if that's going to be flying all over the place especially for the dancing part of the evening then I was like I'm not going to feel good in this or all the photos I'm going to be kind of flying all over the place whereas you were able to make it look slinky whilst actually I was cemented into that dress like we had actual chicken fillets in that dress to make it to make my bust sit how I wanted it to whilst it also felt like the dress was floaty and slinky it was honestly it was such an I'm never going to look that good in a cowl neck again.

37:15Oh my gosh, I do not believe you. No, it's true. I'm going to have to put the corseted underneath. I loved the waspy that we created as well. Often as well in a slinky dress, people think, oh, you know, I can't define my waist. And especially if there's not like a waist seam that you can really nip in. So that waspy, which was the little overcorset on your evening dress was just like a piece of art. I loved that. Yeah. People loved that one. Yeah, and the embroiderers. Yeah. Do you know when a dress is finished or how do you know when to kind of stop tweaking? I mean, you could tweak and tweak and tweak.

37:48You really could. But you have to think you don't want to keep tweaking that beautiful fabric because you don't want it to scar and you don't want it to mark. And actually, eventually, there's just a silent. I know we're done. But sometimes, you know, brides project so much on their wedding dress that sometimes they want you to keep altering it. And the closer they get to the wedding, body shapes change and brides stress and they lose weight. and then they want it altered again and again. And so if you are a body that will change shapes with stress near your wedding, then I would highly recommend you leave your alterations to as close to your wedding as possible.

38:19Yeah, we had mine like two weeks before at the end. Yeah, because you don't want to have made all of those alterations and then lost more weight and then feel that the dress isn't fitting you perfectly. So is it more fun or more pressure designing for someone you know? Is it more fun? Do you know, I think there's more pressure. Yeah. For people that I know. yeah because there's an element of them that I already know and there's an element of my perception of what will be wonderful and which will suit them and and the thing about our job is we have to listen a lot and I think that's what makes the half-manage stylist unique is we listen we listen to what you're saying we we notice your reactions when we put you in certain things and we make suggestions and so yeah it's I definitely think it's harder when you've got a of what you'd like to put somebody in and yet you have to step back and listen.

39:08And say if you were a bride-to-be now and you've just kind of got engaged or you're just starting thinking about your dress, you love certain things but you're worried that you might love them because they're currently trend-led. How would you advise someone between finding something that reflects a trend that they're loving at the moment versus wanting it to be something that's kind of timeless and they're going to look back on in 10 years and still think, oh I looked amazing? that's an interesting question because looking back on your wedding 10 years later you have to think i got married in 2025 this is what was happening then like i love the fact that you can look back at the decades and you can see what was happening around that time you know look back at the 80s with all those giant mutton sleeves and lots of dupions and taffeta fabrics like i don't think there's anything wrong with that i understand that there's a timeless elegance to all of my collection whether you have a halter neck or you know there's a huge trend for off the shoulder or the the whole backless thing you know those will always happen but they happen throughout the decades so I just think you just need to find something that truly feel incredible in and and you won't even think about the trend because when you look at those pictures you will remember how amazing you felt and what a brilliant day it was yeah and I think that was really the difference for me when I felt like my dress was me yeah like I don't care what anyone else thinks about my dress like thankfully people loved it but genuinely I don't because it was kind of for me that was so me like I just it felt like it was me it felt like it was kind of modern and traditional and those things that felt yeah I don't know like I would be so surprised if I'd look back at any point and be like oh no you know I don't like this because of this because even if something's a trend or even if something's like coming through more at the moment if it feels like you and it feels like you're yourself yeah then I think that's what you should be aiming for I've just celebrated my 13th wedding anniversary and there is no way I would wear anything else other than the dress that I wore on that day.

41:01I'd wear it exactly the same. Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah, I really loved that. I'd love to know what one thing you think lots of brides stress about that they shouldn't stress about. I mean, lots of people stress about making other people happy on their wedding day. And actually, my advice to brides is this day is for you and your husband, of course. You want to give your guests a really brilliant time. Just do what you want to do. Don't be influenced by trends, what's happening out there. Don't try and turn your wedding into a photo shoot either. There's so much pressure these days with really like high end photography and weddings and that really stylized finish.

41:39And if that's not you, you know, be authentic to yourself. Don't stress about trying to make the day look like an editorial shoot. That was actually one of my favorite things that we did as well is that we specifically didn't do photos. Like we didn't do photo time, basically. And of course, like we got lots of photos and we got lots of content. That part is not lost on me. but there was never kind of half an hour here half an hour there doing this doing this doing this especially because it's so close to my job I was like that's gonna feel like we are working yeah um whereas it was you know we made sure even that the photographer knew that we didn't want that to be the case and so it was constantly like anytime he was grabbing us for a photo it would be genuinely five shots off you go yeah and I think that knowing what like thinking about your wedding day and thinking what would make this an amazing day versus what would not make this an amazing day I think is really important and one of the things that I identified was that the photos thing and also I don't want to be thinking about if everyone else is having a good time and I don't want to be making sure that I've spent enough time with people because they've traveled out to France so I for example made sure that on the welcome dinner I went around and spoke to everyone because I was like I might not see you for the rest of the weekend because I'm going to be trying to enjoy getting married rather than trying to make sure I've done all my hellos.

42:57And I think that for me was one of the best pieces of advice was just like, really think, like sit down and think, write down two columns, like what would make the wedding day perfect? And what would not ruin the wedding day for me, but what would really take away from it? And I think that that got us a lot closer to feeling like we were genuinely having a great time rather than feeling like we were part of some big performance. There's amazing ways that you can have a wedding that doesn't have to cost you the air and I think the whole perception around weddings and I think it's got slightly distorted in the performance around the wedding and for my wedding we hired a holiday kind of let with a barn and lots of cottages and we just took over the whole place but everyone booked and paid for their own accommodation and instead of having a paid bar we said to everyone we gave them we told everyone what to bring you bring a litre of gin you bring a litre of vodka I mean, literally, we carried on literally drinking all of the wedding booze.

43:56There was just too much. So then we got barmen and soft drinks and all of the wine and the champagne for the wedding. But it just meant that everyone had. And if somebody particularly liked something, they bought that and it all just went in the bar. But there were people there to make the cocktails, people there to help. So there's so many gorgeous ways in which, you know, people these days, they would rather be part of your incredible day. And like when you go for a big birthday dinner, you know, you do these big set menus. and everyone kind of pays for their meal and they're there to celebrate you.

44:25Like you can do that for weddings too. Like you can just have that weekend away with friends and you just so happen to have an amazing celebration of your love together. Yeah, and don't let it be your life savings just because it feels like people are doing that. Yeah, it's so worrying. People are putting their whole wedding on, you know, credit cards and things and it doesn't reward them in the same way if something authentic, like authenticity throughout everything is just key. Well, that was my biggest fear is that going into the wedding, I kind of thought, I was like, the last thing I want is for on the Monday, the day after it finishes, to be like, oh my God, that's done.

45:05But in a kind of, not just wedding bluesy way, like, oh no, that's over being like, that's done and that money's gone. And I never wanted it to be to an extent where I would feel upset by it being done because it was you know everything was just gone in that weekend and I think like I completely appreciate that I'm in a very privileged position and so you know that's going to be an easier decision to make for me but I were like when I originally went for meetings with wedding planners the amount they were quoting for kind of what we wanted to do bearing in mind we did you know we were like we don't need fireworks we don't need this we don't need this we don't need this all we want is everyone in the same place for three days and kind of you know these various types of things it was just so crazy because the industry has got so crazy and so performative and I understand completely if people want to do x y and z if that makes you happy and that is truly what you want to do go for it absolutely I'm not I love that I celebrate that I love hearing some of the stories of the weddings that that my brides are having then after their emails and their pictures and They're like, it was everything I ever dreamed of.

46:11That is all you need to do. Yeah. Yeah. But don't kind of put yourself in eternal debt forever. No, not either. You can take your half-pony dress and go on a lope. Exactly. We have lots of eloping bride. I love that. And are you seeing any 2025 wedding or kind of bridal trends that you're loving at the moment? I mean, there's lots more texture coming back into the fabrics, which is exciting. You know I love a bit of texture. It had gone very clean and sleek for a while. And I definitely think there's tons of lace coming back. I always imagined I'd get married and head-to-toe lace and I didn't.

46:49Mine was super simple and a graphic on a silhouette and fabric. But it's exciting to see the textures. My new collection launches literally in a few days. So exciting. And inspired by the embroideries I created for you. We've created these really beautiful echinacea flowers, which have the symbol of kind of wellness and the messaging around that. But they're embroidered onto tops of gipure, like a beautiful kind of heavy lace. So there's beautiful suits and yummy, delicious fabrics and texture and yum. And if you could design a wedding dress for anyone, who would it be? I mean, I loved working with Rihanna.

47:28I just think she's amazing. So I'd love to create her a new epic gown. and I did her a gown for the Brit Awards and also she wore some more of my items for The Only Girl in the World and different things. But I'd love to, yeah, I'd love to work with her again. But Billie Eilish. Oh, yeah. I'd absolutely love to, yeah. Gorgeous. Well, I always end by asking the same question and I'd love to know from you. I know you alluded to it earlier, but what is the best piece of advice that you've ever been given? Be authentic, be true to yourself and comparison is the thief of all joy. I like those. You've got a little trio.

48:07Yeah. Yeah, I really like that. Powerful. Always, always hire people you think you can't afford because they will help you reach for those stars. That's a good one too. I think that's a really good one. I think that it's easy to be terrified of certain types of growth because it always just feels a little bit too close to teetering over the edge. Yeah. And, you know, you need to trust your gut but also at the same time you've got to invest in big things to be able to get to big things yeah i mean it's hard being a founder you know it's it can be lonely at times but you just have to surround yourself with people that are better than you are the things that that will help you grow yeah no i totally agree with that oh well thank you so much and the biggest thank you of all to designing the best thing i've ever put on my body well the two best things i've put on my body um honestly i mean i talked i had obviously did a big soppy Instagram post which I meant every single word of how incredible the whole process was but also just how amazing you and your team kind of made me feel not just throughout the whole process but like the end dress was just so I'd had this vision but it was even better and you just you you made it everything that I would have wanted with so many ideas that I never would have thought of it was just perfect our pleasure

49:48We'll see you next time.

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