Today’s reader request comes from Hannah who is looking for wedding day outfit inspiration for her fiancée Charlie. Over to Hannah for more details…
{Hannah’s Request}
I’m wondering if you can help my fiancée feel fabulous on our wedding day? I’m very feminine and have already bought my wedding dress however Charlie is very much into tomboy fashion. She’s finding it extremely difficult to find an outfit for our wedding that makes her stand out as a bride too. Charlie is 5ft 4in with curves where they should be. She wants something that’s super cool and well tailored but relaxed, comfortable and not too formal. She’s thinking maybe a nice suit. Perhaps something powder blue as she loves the colour but we don’t have a colour theme yet, so we’re open to suggestions. Although she doesn’t tend to dress too feminine, she can be persuaded to try new things that are more feminine than she might usually wear. I suggested a jumpsuit and it didn’t go down like a lead balloon. We are getting married in a registry office and our reception is in a yurt with a rustic, vintage theme.
This was one of my favourite shopping challenges so far. Having worked in wedding magazines for the best part of five years I’ve seen a LOT of wedding dresses so it was fun to consider what someone who didn’t want to go down the dress route might wear. Here’s what I found…
Lace Biker Jacket, £195, The Kooples
I love how this jacket mixes feminine lace, which would work well with your rustic yurt reception setting, with a biker shape which suits Charlie’s tomboy style. Wear it with tailored trousers in a similar shade on the wedding day, and afterwards with black denim, as demonstrated above.
You can buy it here
Jacket, £1335, Trousers, £730, Vest, £775, Shorts, £685, Pallas at Net A Porter
“Saville Row but for women,” is how the team behind Parisian brand Pallas describe their collection of tuxedos, inspired by Le Smoking. You could wear the jacket with the trousers, the jacket with the shorts, the vest with the trousers, or the vest with the shorts. Undeniably expensive but comparable to the cost of a wedding dress and, unlike a wedding dress, you could wear each of the timeless pieces again and again.
You can buy the jacket here, the trousers here, the vest here and the shorts here
Jumpsuit, £1495, Roland Mouret at Net A Porter
I was surprised that my search for a white, cream or ivory jumpsuit didn’t reveal any great high street options, however, there must be jumpsuits inspired by Solange’s excellent wedding outfit on their way soon. This Roland Mouret jumpsuit with its flattering darted neckline and cutout back is fabulous. It’s also very expensive, although, as with the Pallas suiting, you could definitely wear it again.
You can buy it here
Jumpsuit, £114, BCBGeneration at ASOS
Much cheaper but no less fabulous is this jumpsuit from new-to-me brand BCBGeneration which features a racer front neckline, pretty lace inserts, a cutout keyhole back and pockets, yes, pockets! Note how good it looks teamed with a leather jacket, proving you could totally wear it after the big day. Although, after Keira Knightley wore a leather biker jacket thrown over her dress on the BAFTA red carpet, I reckon you could totally work the look on your big day too, perhaps at the after party!
You can buy it here
Jacket, £140 and trousers, £85, French Connection
This suit is the very definition of relaxed tailoring and, bonus, comes in Charlie’s favourite shade of powder blue. Worth trying on although if the trousers need a lot chopping off the bottom to make them the perfect length, the fact that they have a tapered leg might rule them out.
You can buy the jacket here and the trousers here
Over to you. Any suggestions for Charlie’s outfit that I haven’t thought of? Spotted any tomboyish suits, powder blue pieces or something a bit different that will make Charlie feel special on her big day? Do share below.
Ooh, I love that Roland Mouret jumpsuit. That definitely gets my vote! The Kooples jacket is also really nice. X
Agreed Emma, love both. x
This is my favourite too Emma. The cut is sublime! x
I LOVE the Kooples jacket! I think maybe Charlie could combine this with a silver/grey trouser, would look smashing.
Also a big fan of the jumpsuits and the “slouchy” yet dressy vibe of the blue French Connection suit x
Yes to a silver/grey trouser with the Kooples jacket! x
The jumpsuit – with the leather jacket to rock it up a bit. Love it love it!
I just love the idea of throwing a leather jacket over a wedding outfit, whether a jumpsuit or a wedding dress, and, after the reception, running around the city (I’m thinking a London wedding, obvs), until the sun comes up!
If Charlie goes for either that Kooples jacket or the ASOS jumpsuit, I want to go to that wedding! Also wouldn’t mind checking out the yurt. 🙂 Sounds like it’ll be an awesome day. x
Agreed Tracy, it sounds as if it’s going to be an awesome day! x
Either jumpsuit is AMAZING. And also, they would both look awesome with the FCUK blue blazer which would be ace if that’s Charlie’s fave colour.
Also, any of these would also be AMAZING for a hen do outfit! Lots of the hens I know want to wear white but it can be so ‘bleurgh’, and these are so edgy and cool. And totally day-to-night appropriate too.
This is an excellent fashion edit, by the way. Really good and varied ideas. I had no idea what might come up when I read the little snippet on the home page, and I love them all. Good work!
I didn’t think of throwing the French Connection blazer over the jumpsuits Stacey, but you’re right, would be awesome. And, yes, the jumpsuits would make excellent hen outfits. Lovely to hear that you liked the edit, I really enjoyed putting it together!
You could also totally get a “bridal” belt to go around the middle of a jumpsuit. That would be a bit of a nod to the more traditional wedding dress, and would add some sparkle!!
Excellent idea Stacey!
That Roland Mouret jumpsuit is to die for – me want me want!!
Sounds like this is going to be a fab wedding day 🙂
Isn’t it amazing?! Loved fantasy shopping on Net A Porter for Charlie!
What ever kind of outfit Charlie goes for do see if you can get details of a good seamstress as they could tailor any clothing to a great fit or add a touch of feminine detail. My wedding and reception dresses only needed slight alterations but it was amazing the difference it made to how my figure looked on the day. Good luck with your search!
Thank you so much for all your ideas!I love the idea of the jumpsuit and French connection jacket, I’ve never tried a jumpsuit but I am willing to give it a go. Its given me a good route to try now instead of thinking I will just look like any other guest! If that style doesn’t suit I think going to a seamstress will help too. It is nice to know I can get excited about my outfit too even though it wont be a dress.