Discussing Bridal Couture With Claire Pettibone
Chances are if you’re on the search for the perfect wedding dress, or you’ve been tediously planning your nuptials since middle school, you already have a favorite bridal designer. And it’s likely thatClaire Pettiboneis on your shortlist. The couture bridal designer is the go-to for well-heeled women all over the world including Priscilla Chan who wore one of the designer’s pieces in her wedding to Mark Zuckerberg in 2012. With an aesthetic that feels ethereal and romantic, her pieces are known for their opulent detail and feminine charm. To get a better idea of what makes Pettibone one of the most sought-after bridal designers, we talked with her about the inspiration behind her collections, her dislike of ball gowns and what a bride should really look for when shopping for a wedding dress.
Getting her start at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Pettibone initially started out as a lingerie designer after realizing that the simplistic trends of the decade were far from her preferred aesthetic. “I had a very feminine sensibility always, and at that time, minimalism was in fashion. I thought, well, in lingerie and bridal I could always be feminine, no matter what was going on in the trends, so I started working in lingerie,” she toldJustLuxe. “I just became known for very romantic, vintage-inspired design sensibility.” In 1994, Pettibone launched her lingerie line, and married her husband and business partner Guy Toley. The two had a successful run, selling lingerie to Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and a number of international upscale boutiques. She set up a flagship store in LA, and only played with ready-wear pieces in her spare time in an attempt to expand her repertoire.
In fact, she didn’t start designing gowns until almost a decade later when a friend asked her to create a custom piece for her cer…
The industry, however, didn’t agree. Satin ball gowns and voluminous dresses were at their peak and for most, romantic, body-skimming designs dripping in textured fabrics didn’t have the same appeal. “When I launched the collection we had a wonderful response from the press and media, but a lot of buyers were like, ‘what is she doing?!’” she laughed. “They definitely pigeonholed me as ‘oh well its lingerie influenced’ because I was a lingerie designer before, and because the dresses were soft and not completely structured and obviously I used a lot of lace and embroidery. So there are similarities to lingerie, but now no one says that it’s lingerie inspired, now that there are tons of dresses that I actually look at and say ‘well they’reverylingerie inspired! She’s practically naked!” She noted that eventually the trends caught up; today she’s one of the most coveted couture bridal designers.
Pettibone has stuck to her aesthetic for over a decade despite the constant waves of trends that wash over the bridal industry. In the early aughts when she presented her inaugural collection amid a plethora of strapless, princess-esque ball gowns, she simply ignored the trend—it wasn’t for her, or her brides. “I know that look is still around, and it can be done beautifully, it’s just not my forte, it’s not my thing, I don’t relate to that,” she explained. “I think there’s another way to be feminine and striking and beautiful and all those things we want to be on our wedding day. I also feel like it’s a very personal and significant day in your life, it should be really genuine. You’re promising your love to someone for the rest of your life, that’s kind of a big deal! I think if you are truly you on that day, that’s a good thing. Obviously your most amazing beautiful you, maybe more beautiful than you ever imagined—that’s my goal!” It was an idea she emphasized again and again, the importance of finding a dress that speaks to your personality, style and who you are as a woman. “It is such a significant dress, it’s probably the most important dress that a woman will wear in her life. It has that significance beyond just a lovely piece of clothing. Which is great too, but that emotional quality that it takes on—my brides really develop quite a passion for their gowns and it really takes on much more meaning than any other piece of clothing.”
Her brides are one of her favorite aspects of her brand. When she first started her line, her designs were so unique from anything else being sent down the runway that women would fly in from all over the world to purchase her gowns. Today she has women from all walks of life who are shopping for her feminine and delicate pieces. “We have such a diverse range of brides and I think that’s part of what I love about it. I get girls that are extremely feminine and romantic, but then I also get super-cool tattooed girls which I love. I think the juxtaposition of the tattoo with the embroidery can be really awesome and beautiful,” she explained. “I get my little Goth girls, then I get, maybe a woman who’s a bit more mature and this could be the second time and she’s really looking for something that’s more elegant or maybe more relaxed. She may have done that ball gown back in the day and now she wants something that really expresses who she is. It’s just such a range.”