From ‘a Goner’ to a Stunner: How Lovellfaye Turned a Heavily Stained Gown into a Dream Dress
The trend of freeing an heirloom wedding dress from storage and repurposing it to be a dream outfit has stolen the hearts of brides across the nation. But what do you do when you finally dust off the box and the dress appears unusable? You take it to a passionate, creative visionary who will work tirelessly to salvage the dress and create something extraordinary - a.k.a., Designer Lovell of Lovellfaye.
Working around a few heavy stains
Growing up, Kristin Schulz’s go-to dress to play dress up in was her mom’s wedding dress. She used to sneak into her mom’s closet and grab the dress off the hanger on her tiptoes. When Kristin got engaged, she wanted to repurpose her mom’s dress somehow for her wedding, but it was heavily stained after years in storage. Kristin thought it was certainly a goner, but she took it to Lovell with some ideas for bridal accessories they could design together.
Lovell was going to make Kristin a headband, but when she saw the gorgeous beaded French lace up close for the first time, she knew it was possible to salvage the dress and give Kristin more of her mom’s dress than what she ever could’ve expected. Lovell committed to creating an entirely new custom dress out of the fabric that was not stained.
A rehearsal dinner dress for the ages
After brainstorming different styles of dresses, Kristin decided she wanted a modern chic dress for her rehearsal dinner. Wanting to spotlight the authentic French lace, Lovell made a sample and had the idea of featuring cascading lace on the dress. She began cutting the lace apart and hand placing it on the bodice.
Lovell hand sewed all of the lace on the bodice and cascaded the lace down the skirt. They also decided to use the trim finishing on the edge of the bodice, making it look more elegant.
A special piece for the whole family
Kristin wasn’t the only one with a little something special that night. After Lovell finished putting together the big pattern pieces of the skirt, she cut more from the heirloom dress to make additional accessories for both of Kristin’s parents - a purse for her mom and a handkerchief for her dad.
There was a lipstick kiss stain on Kristin’s mom’s dress that Lovell strategically cut for her dad’s handkerchief. Her mom’s clutch was made from her very own wedding dress, and Kristin even topped off her rehearsal dinner look with a headband made from her mom’s veil. Kristin said her parents were in shock when they saw all of the pieces because they thought the dress was completely unusable.
Lovell’s design vision gave Kristin the opportunity of a lifetime - to wear the stunning dress that she grew up loving so much. She got to celebrate her own journey into marriage while honoring her parents’ marriage through surprise finishing touches for each of them.
For Lovell, no matter the situation, there’s always a creative solution for an heirloom wedding dress. She looks at each one of her projects as a whole and then dissects to determine what’s possible with the dress. With a little creativity, every vintage gown has its own unique, beautiful flair that gives it potential to transform into exactly what a bride dreams of.
Lovellfaye focuses on bringing brides’ visions to life by reconstructing their mother’s wedding dress or adding a custom, personalized touch to their gowns. To learn more about incorporating your mom’s wedding dress into your own or to view Lovellfaye’s bridal collection or custom design process, visit lovellfaye.com.