Thanks, Australia, but we can find a dress for Gemma
She’s marrying All Blacks royalty, but Gemma Flynn’s wedding dress could be made by an Aussie.
Ahead of her wedding to Richie McCaw, the Black Sticks hockey player is featuring in the Australian version of Say Yes to the Dress, a six-episode series launching on Sky’s TLC next week.
Not content to let the Aussies dress our Gemma, the Sunday Star-Times asked three top New Zealand bridal designers to share their concepts for what she should wear. Yeh has been designing stunning wedding gowns for more than 20 years and is the go-to choice for New Zealand celebrity brides, including Lorraine Downes, Mandy Smith and Toni Street.
‘‘This dress embodies vintage elegance with a modern stylish twist. The bodice features a pearl beaded French lace which carries through to the sleeves and the fitted fishtail shape skirt. It also features a seethrough back, shoulder and sleeve detail and a detachable train.
‘‘Normally I have a consultation with the bride so that I can not only design a dress from my own vision but also take into account the bride’s dream dress inspiration. Although I haven’t met Gemma, after observing photos of her and her dress style I have designed a dress which showcases her toned, sporty figure but is also classic and elegant. The light ivory colour of the fabrics will complement her tanned skin colour.
‘‘The dress reflects the current dress trends of subtle, sexy lace and nudecoloured transparent netting with applique lace detail. However it is still an elegant timeless design.
‘‘I wanted to achieve a modern look with a classic element that also had the wow factor.’’ ‘‘Gemma is New Zealand’s version of royalty,’’ says LA-based Peng. ‘‘This dress is romantic and ethereal, but can still show off her amazing figure with a detachable A-line skirt.
‘‘I think it is perfect for Gemma as she is a very elegant lady. She can show off her playful side with a very long full A-line skirt when walking down the aisle, then she can take the skirt off for the reception. It becomes a fitted mermaid silhouette so she can hit the dance floor.
‘‘I think Richie will love anything she wears. I think he will like this as it is classic but still shows off her body in the right places.’’ Carlson has designed more than 200 custom wedding gowns, including Kerre Woodham’s.
‘‘I started by looking at recent photos of Gemma and getting a sense of what she liked and her look. With her gorgeous honey tones – blonde and tanned – I thought that tulle in a blush palette would look beautiful against her skin tones.
‘‘Gemma seems to steer towards darker eye makeup, and is quite reminiscent of a ’60s Brigitte Bardot, so the dress design encapsulates a mash-up of references from Dior’s evening wear from the late ’50s/early ’60s – but with a modern and contemporary feel. With the amazing technology available now that allows for heavy beading on very fine and fragile fabrics, there has been a real rebirth of embellishment.
‘‘The dress is also based around a version of our current Fiesta dress (Summer 16). Underneath would be a French Chantilly lace slip, with the dress in tulle, pleated at the back with a cascading train and incorporating ’60s-inspired jewellery – ferns, butterflies, and daisies. The colours and tones I have chosen to accentuate Gemma’s beautiful colouring and the dress would show off all her absolute knock-out body.
‘‘The design is contemporary, modern and appropriately glamorous for a woman who is a star on and off the field.’’