For those of you just tuning in for the first time, we are so excited to be partnering with Lace & Liberty this year on our very own plus size wedding dress collection. Together we are creating a line of gowns that have been designed from the ground up specifically for plus size women, using feedback from this very community. Our dresses will all be made to measure, priced (roughly) under $2,500, and available online with no upper or lower size limit. You can read more about our collection and follow along with Meg’s BFF, Gina, as we make her a custom Lace & Liberty dress right here.
When you have a certain body type (specifically, one that our patriarchal society hasn’t deemed “worthy”) it’s hard to quantify the significance of being able to put an item of clothing on your body and have it fit, be comfortable, and feel like yourself when you’re wearing it. In those moments, clothing is more than just a thing you put on your body to not be naked in public. It’s an affirmation that your body is valid, that your opinions matter. That you’ve been seen.
Which is why, as a size fourteen(ish), one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on this year is the plus size wedding dress collaboration we’ve been creating with the team of women at Lace & Liberty. Because this project is not just about weddings. It’s about making space for women to look and feel beautiful in the body they’re in. And more than that, it’s about giving women permission to feel like their best selves, celebrating the fuck out of love. Full stop.
And that’s what it felt like watching our models try on the first few dresses from our plus size wedding dress collaboration with Lace & Liberty last week. Yes, they looked hotAF. But when one of our models was able to take off her bra and corset and feel like a million bucks in the dress we’d helped design for her, I felt really proud of what we’ve created.
But I won’t hide the ball from you guys. Creating this line is a risk. Neither APW nor Lace & Liberty have deep pockets of funding behind our operations, and launching a new dress line is expensive. (There are samples to be made, and lookbooks to produce, and all kinds of other operating costs that we’ll get to recoup only if this thing is a success.) But we’re doing this because we believe in it. When we look around at the wedding industry, we see a huge segment of women being ignored. And we want to do right by them. So we’ve done everything we can to make this collection live up to our own (admittedly very high) standards. Lace & Liberty did a ton of research to make sure that the structure of the new line was going to be considerate of plus size bodies. We made sure the designs felt fun and modern. And we included lots and lots of boob support. And y’all, I’m really excited for what we have so far.
But what comes next is kind of in your hands. Because the next part is making sure people know about the collection and can buy it. So while we won’t be launching the official collection till January 2019, we’re taking the first iteration of dresses on the road and creating a series of pop up bridal salons, in partnership with Brideside. You’ll be able to put the dresses on your bodies in a laid-back, supportive environment; give us feedback; and, for a few locations, even hang with the APW crew IRL. So if you’re dress shopping, scroll down to find a pop up near you. And if you’re not, but you support what we’re trying to do here, please help us spread the word. Tell you friends! Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing we have.
Come see the dresses in San Francisco this weekend
So first things first, if you’re Bay Area–based, you can come see the collection this weekend! On Saturday, October 6th, we’re hosting a special preview at the Lace & Liberty studio in San Francisco, from 4 to 7 p.m. You don’t have to be shopping for a wedding dress; we’re just looking to hang with our people and get your opinions about the collection. We’ll have our first iteration of dresses in a size 18 sample size (more sizes coming soon). You can come, drink some bubbly, chat us up, look at the dresses, give feedback, try them on (or make an appointment to come back for a private fitting). RSVP for that right here, and we’ll be waiting with a glass of champers.
Pop Up Bridal Salon Tour
If you’re not in the Bay Area, we still want to see you. Come join us to try on sample dresses at our pop up tour! We’re partnering up with Brideside to give you the dress trying on experience you deserve. We’ll have sample sizes 18 and 28 on hand and in New York City, Brideside is letting us take over a portion of their stores so you’ll get the full salon customer service experience. (D.C. and Los Angeles locations will be announced soon.) All dresses are made to measure, and there is no upper or lower limit on our collection—all body sizes are more than welcome. Click the individual links below to book an appointment at each location. For D.C. and Los Angeles, the RSVP link takes you to the general signup page, and we’ll let you know when we have details finalized.
D.C.: November 9-11
Los Angeles: Date and location TBD
NYC Flatiron: December 14–16
If you want to join us, sign up to get notified on trunk show details here.
