With weddings having been on hold for the past couple of years, we are having a busy time at the Simply Devine shop in Tadcaster. But did you know that in addition to selling beautiful hats, hatinators and fascinators, we have a bespoke collection of special occasion wear for mothers of the bride or groom?
Our collection was specially designed for the slightly more mature woman, who wants to cover her arms, and who wants a soft flowing design instead of the more traditional shift dress with a matching bolero (but we also have a couple of those in stock too).
The modern mum collection includes soft chiffon with fluted hems, pretty flared lace dresses with alternative belts to dress up or down, and soft satin for a touch of glamour.
The collection includes a bright dress coat (see main photo), which looks stunning for that special day, but looks just as glamorous with jeans and a tee shirt, or tailored trousers for a night out.
The outfits were created by an Italian couturier who formerly worked for one of the major fashion houses, but were designed by Simply Devine owner Liz Devine-Wright, as a limited bespoke collection.
As a very successful hat shop, Simply Devine has been in business for coming up to 19 years, and Liz, who has worked with mothers of the bride and groom during that time, has listened to what they have to say. And they have told her that they want an exclusive outfit that no-one else has, and in the current economic climate, they would also like an outfit that they can wear again after that special day.
Said Liz: “Mothers of the bride or groom have also told us they also want something different– and this is what we set out to achieve with our first collection of special occasion wear.
“The average dress size in the UK is a size 16 and our shop customers have told us they want three-quarter length sleeves to cover their arms, but they also want to get great value if they are spending a good deal of money for a special day, so any embellishments such as adorned belts can be removed once the occasion is over, making them wearable for parties, theatre or dinner nights out afterwards.
Said Liz; “Our outfits will look amazing on the day but will adapt for use afterwards, instead of languishing in the back of the wardrobe. We have also created a collection of wedding hats, hatinators and fascinators which will perfectly match or complement our headwear colour palette.”