The Advantages of Couture
At the Ellen Wise atelier, Couture is not just a showy term, it's the only way we work. We believe the advantages of Custom Couture outweigh the alternatives in nearly every way.
Regardless of the designer’s name, Ready to Wear wedding dresses are off-the-rack, mass-produced, made of lower cost goods, and cut to standard sizes and proportions in a factory. They tend to follow fashion trends and are by far the most common way to shop. If you have a perfect figure and choose one of the ready to wear wear gowns without any alterations they can offer good value, but it's a rare bride that can shop that can fit a standard size.
Did you know?
In even the most up-market bridal boutiques, the tantalizing gowns hanging so invitingly are really in essence Ready to Wear, or Off-the-Rack. While it is true that these take many month to produce and ship, they are produced in standard sizes.
The boutique will offer numerous custom options: sleeves, bolero’s, bustles and trains. It all sounds so custom, surely the dress will be made specifically for you. But, when you finally make your choices and your measurements have been taken, your sales person actually tells the desk cashier to order a standard size (X, Y, or Z) gown from the manufacturer. Charges are added for the requisite customizations and alterations that happen after the dress is shipped to the boutique and which can double the cost of the gown.
To add insult to injury, the "off-the-rack" gown may not arrive for six months, with as long as three more months for local alterations. Some bridal shops have in-house alterations but many do not, requiring you to deal with a "3rd party" alteration vendor.
Ellen Wise Couture Atelier Wedding Dresses
Couture (also known as bespoke) custom made wedding dresses are conceived by a designer and brought to life in house by the designer and/or her workroom of talented artisans. Being made in house rather than in a factory sets a standard for only the best fabrics, the finest fit and the highest quality workmanship. It’s this hands-on approach that defines a couture gown as it allows a gown to be entirely made for an individual bride.
There is nothing quite like having a garment that is tailor-made to flatter your figure. No one size body is alike. A couturier like Ellen is someone who has acquired years of education and experience to understand how fabric can enhance, shape and enhance your figure through perfect cut, drape and proper support.
At Ellen Wise Couture, we present our collection of custom designed wedding dress designs inspired and perfected for the Covid-era bride. The designs have been tested and perfected and are offered as inspiration for your dream gown . You can customize not only the fit, but you can mix and match and choose the materials and design elements that you truly love.
Finally, we provide the very best of bespoke couture direct from our studio to you without a middleman or retailer. The value will far exceed ready to wear, and the typical turnaround time will be half.