David Tlale’s new bridal collection

The bridal fashion elite descended on the Federal Palace in Lagos at the weekend when one of South Africa’s most iconic luxury designers, David Tlale, showed his first bridal collection during Bridal Fashion Week.

This follows a successful Cape Town premiere during the David Tlale Weekend Experience at Boschendal Wine Estate.

The collection – for 25 brides and seven grooms – broke all conventional moulds and surprised fashion enthusiasts with garments in ivory, playful shades of plush pinks, hues of salmon and even prints.

“With our bridal collection, we want to say that we’re not only a fashion brand but also a lifestyle. The interest and reception in Lagos was phenomenal and I was truly excited and honoured to have been invited to show at Lagos Bridal Fashion Week,” said Tlale.

The inspiration behind the bridal collection, he said, was not only to make brides feel beautiful, but also to give them an edge in the fashion stakes. “Brides don’t have to simply look like princesses.

“I want to encourage them to bring their own sense of style on the big day,” he said.

As for textures in the collection, Tlale experiments widely with soft lace edges combined with elements of satin, twill, in-house-created flowers and South African ostrich feathers, all culminating in red-carpet-worthy masterpieces. –