Claudia’s dream dress was a design by John Galliano for Dior from the brand’s fall 2007 couture collection. “I realized that it was a skirt and a top that kind of looked like a dress. I knew that maybe I could find one of those pieces,” she says. The bride gave herself a timeline to search through vintage collections and auction house sales for this couture creation before coming up with a plan B. “I had about six months left and knew I was going to have to give up,” says Claudia. “But I was like, ‘Why can’t I put my own creative spin on this? I’m actually just gonna make the dress that I really want on my own, take bits of inspiration from all my favorite bridal and couture designers, and make something really unique.’ It opened up a lot more creativity.”
“I started by looking for the right fabrics, because I knew that they would give structure, form, and more kind of idea of silhouette. I really enjoy working on the stand so I was like, that’s where it will come to life,” explains Claudia. “At the same time, I also started working on the corset structure, because with so much fabric, it had to be a really small waist to give it body.”
Since fitting the gown to her own body would prove to be difficult, Claudia began working with modéliste Léa C. Warrel to help her with the dress’ construction. She also had friend Yens Cuyvers, who designs at Courrèges, help consult on the dress design and Adele Lorenzo work on the bodice embellishments. “It was like being a student again,” says Claudia. “We were all just excited by the dress itself and we were so inspired.”
