There’s no denying it. The Great Gatsby did something huuuuge for 1920s fashion. Not that we’re complaining! While it might not be the most practical look for everyday wear, there’s something nice about indulging full-on glamour every once in a while, and what better occasion than on your wedding day? In a Mrs2Be exclusive, we teamed up with renowned wedding photographer, Ian Mitchinson, and the crème de la crème of Irish vintage wedding suppliers to bring you our very own 1920s inspired bridal shoot.
Flowers: Flowers Made Easy. Dress: Little White Dress. Veil: Little White Dress
For hair and makeup we enlisted the help of Dublin vintage specialists, Locks and Lashes, and believe you me, these guys are the bee’s knees when it comes to creating an old-timey look. Having worked together previously on film and TV, Maureen (hair) and Maite (makeup) recently opened their own premises on Francis Street, Dublin, where they provide vintage makeovers for special occasions, hen and bridal parties.
Flowers: Flowers Made Easy. Veil and Dress: Little White Dress. Jewellery: Rhinestones.
Veil and Dress: Little White Dress. Jewellery: Rhinestones. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy
Maite explains our model’s makeup:
“The typical features of a 1920s look are extended eyebrows and a little rosebud mouth. For Susan, with her dramatic hair, I went for a dramatic flapper look with dark eyes and dark red lips. I paled her down a little bit to give her that vintage 1920s look with some Make up Forever HD foundation and translucent powder. They used a lot of powder back then. For the eyes, I used black pencil eyeliner by BareMinerals all around, and then smudged it with a dark colour, although I changed the colour throughout the shoot. Typical 1920s colours would have been black, grey, brown, blue and green. I also changed her mouth shape to bring out the typical rosebud mouth and finished it with a lipstick from Alverde (a German natural cosmetics brand).”
We love this look, especially as most Irish ladies already have the advantage of a pale skin tone.
Dress and veil: Little White Dress. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy. Jewellery: Rhinestones
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Yolan Cris in the Mrs2Be office, but you see can see why from the picture above. One of the few bridal designers who can do 1920s fashion so well, delicate lace detailing is basically a trademark of brand. Can we also just take a moment to point out how much we’re in love with this Minna Kate veil? It wouldn’t necessarily have to be paired with a vintage dress, either. Dress and veil both available from Little White Dress. (If you’ve been bitten by the Yolan Cris bug, you can get another fix, in the form of their 2014 collection, here.)
Dress and veil: Little White Dress. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy. Jewellery: Rhinestones. Shoes: Arnotts
With a long, flowing dress like this one it’s an advantage to have height on your side. If you’re not naturally 7ft tall, we say fake it ’til you make it! Shoes pictured above are Kurt Geiger Claire in nude, available from The Shoe Garden at Arnotts.
Dress and Veil: Little White Dress. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy. Jewellery: Rhinestones.
Dress: Little White Dress. Ring: Rhinestones. Earrings and necklace: Melissa Curry. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy.
Pearls are an iconic part of the 1920s look. Irish designer Melissa Curry’s Black and White Coco collection is a tribute to 100 years of Chanel, and is perfect for bridal wear. They’re available online or in store from The Irish Craft Jewellery Collective at Arnotts.
- Dress: Little White Dress. Ring: Rhinestones. Earrings and necklace: Melissa Curry. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy.
“But I couldn’t possibly pull of a 1920s hairstyle!” I hear you scream. Well, you’re wrong. A 20s ‘do can flatter all face shapes, as our hairstylist, Maureen, explains:
“Fingerwaves and a sculptured look typical for a 1920s look. The hair is moulded flat into the head and soft around the edges, or totally flattened in. It’s like a sculpture around the face, so it’s quite dramatic. That’s what makes it so different. You can accentuate your best features by placing the waves to emphasise the face shape.”
Dress: Little White Dress. Ring: Rhinestones. Earrings and necklace: Melissa Curry. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy
“The 1920s style works best on a longish bob with a wave or curl in it. If hair is cut in a 1920s style it’s much easier to do than try and recreate that look with a modern cut. Setting lotion is very important for this look. It doesn’t matter what brand. The whole style is done by hand in reverse pincurls. If the hair is dry, it is important to condition the hair first to soften the waves.”
We just love how this bouquet from Flowers made Easy works with Susan’s hair colour.
Dress: Little White Dress. Earrings and necklace: Melissa Curry. Gloves: Dirty Fabulous. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy.
Slipping on a pair of long, silk vintage gloves is a sure-fire way of making you feel like a movie star in an instant. No need to hide your engagement and wedding ring though, simply slip them on the outside of your gloves. Dress pictured is a Caroline Atelier design from Little White Dress.
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones.
Did you know that 1920s fashion was a rebellion against Victorian trends, and women began to toss aside their corsets in an effort to achieve a boyish figure? Women even went as far as bandaging themselves up in an effort to appear more flat chested than they were. Ouch!
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones. Shoes: Lucy Choi at Arnotts.
While we’re at it, we gotta say, if you’re looking for a creative wedding photographer, Ian Mitchinson certainly knows how to think outside the box. You might not be able to tell from the photograph above, but Ian was actually on the roof for this one! He’s about to relocate from South Africa to Sligo to start shoot weddings in Ireland full time, so we suggest that you get in there early if you want to reserve your date with him.
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy.
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy.
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones. Shoes: Lucy Choi at Arnotts
A tunic style wedding dress is definitely something you could get away with wearing again. We reckon we’d have this one out again with the flimsiest excuse! Dress pictured from Dirty Fabulous.
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Birdcage veil: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones.
Art Deco jewellery of the 1920s was characterised by geometric shapes, with circles, squares, triangles, rectangles and other polygons being combined to create interesting patterns. Rhinestones in Dublin’s Temple Bar is a must visit if vintage jewellery is your weakness, as they stock a huge range of vintage costume jewellery from the 1800s onwards. They don’t have a website, but we strongly recommend allowing yourself a decent amount of time if you’re heading in to visit the shop, as there’s so much to look at!
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Birdcage veil: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones.
Dress: Dirty Fabulous. Birdcage veil: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Rhinestones.
Who says a wedding dress has to be white?! If you’re brave enough, this green and gold flapper dress from Dirty Fabulous oozes glamour. If you aren’t quite that brave, it could also work quite well on a bridesmaid who’s willing to step back in time. Bonus points: Dirty Fabulous only stock original vintage pieces, so you’re not likely to see the same dress on anybody else.
Dress, turban and gloves: Dirty Fabulous. Jewellery: Melissa Curry at Arnotts
Fringed flapper dresses are just made for dancing the Charleston! This one’s a steal too, at only €560.
- Dress, turban and gloves: Dirty Fabulous. Flowers: Flowers Made Easy. Shoes: Arnotts
Susan just couldn’t help herself and had a little dance when she thought we weren’t looking!
Well, what do you think? Will you be adding a little bit of 20s glamour to your wedding day? We’d love to know – leave us a comment below!
Credits:
Model: Susan Cox
Location: Vintage Cocktail Club, 15 Crown Alley, Dublin 2.
Photography: Ian Mitchinson Photography
Hair and makeup: Locks and Lashes, Dublin, 74 Francis Street, Dublin 8.
Dresses: Dirty Fabulous, 21 Wicklow Street Dublin 2
and
Little White Dress, Exchange House, Main Street, Castleknock Village, Dublin 15.
Jewellery: Rhinestones, 18 St. Andrews Street, Dublin 2.
and
Melissa Curry via The Irish Craft Collective at Arnotts
Shoes: The Shoe Garden at Arnotts, 12 Henry Street, Dublin 1.
Flowers: Flowers Made Easy, 10 St. Kieran’s Enterprise Centre, Furze Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18.
Styling: Aoife Mc Morrow
