Kosibah at the V&A Museum, London. 2008.
A look back at footage from my catwalk show at the Kulture2Kouture fashion show at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, organised by the Mayors Office to celebrate Black History Month.
Kosibah Real Bride Asia- A couture Nikai bridal gown.
Today I am sharing with you the process of creating Kosibah Real Bride Asia’s couture gown for her Nikai ceremony held in Tanzania.
It involved hand cutting appliqués off the French Lace fabric and reassembling them on silk tulle, by hand, thereby creating a bespoke fabric for the center back panel of the fishtail skirt.
Asia teamed her gown with a head-wrap in the same silk satin as the gown underlay and wore an embellished veil for the ceremony.
This gown would also be perfect for a Reception dress after a white
Please let me know what you think.
Kosibah Real Bride Charlotte
It is always a great show of confidence in one’s work when as a designer you get to create bridal gowns for more than one member of the same family. It was such a case in today’s Kosibah Real Bride Charlotte as I also got to create her sister’s bridal gown a couple of years later.
Charlotte wanted a fitted fishtail gown with some texture in the fabric. I created a gown featuring an asymmetrical empire-line bodice hand-draped in silk duchesse satin with a Swarovski embellished knot leading to 2 detachable shoulder straps. The corseted lower bodice and fishtail skirt was in textured silk tulle with Swarovski diamante crystals added on in the Kosibah Studio.
I also made the dresses worn by the 2 Bridesmaids (one of whom I later made a wedding gown for), the Mother of the Bride and the Grandmother of the Bride. As I usually do when I can, I arrived in the morning to dress the whole bridal party.
Charlotte, the daughter of Lord Boateng, a peer of the realm, had the privilege of getting married in the beautiful St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey with her reception taking place across Parliament Square at One Great George Street , a magnificent Grade II listed, four-domed, Edwardian building .
Charlotte removed her silk tulle cathedral veil after the wedding service and just before cutting the cake with her new husband, removed the detachable shoulder straps which created a more informal look to her dress.
Enjoy the images, especially the interiors of both St Margaret’s Church and One Great George Street.
Kosibah Real Bride Anu.
I share with you today’s Kosibah real bride Anu’s wedding with very fond memories. Her wedding was one of those rare ones that allowed me to fully display exactly what Kosibah can do for a wedding party. I dressed Anu and her 6 bridesmaids not only for the wedding, but also for the evening party afterwards where they changed into Afro-Centric eveningwear.
The wedding was held at the magnificent St Marylebone Parish Church , Marylebone Road near Regent’s Park where the couple were able to take some wonderful photographs after the service, and the Reception took place at the London Hilton on Park Lane .
Anu wore a fitted empire-line fishtail gown, with an integral corset laced up underneath the zipper featuring decorative covered buttons. The bodice was ruched in ivory organza and the skirt was in ivory silk duchesse satin with a champagne tulle beaded Lace overlay. The removable cap-sleeved chemise top was in the Lace left sheer.A cathedral tulle veil edged in the same lace completed the ensemble.
As Anu wanted to celebrate her future husbands Ghanaian heritage, I suggested we used a fabric called Kente-Oke as well as duchesse satin for the bridesmaids dresses. Anu’s husband’s tuxedo jacket was made with Kente-Oke as well.
For the evening party, Anu changed into a fitted sheath gown in salmon Silk charmeuse and beaded lace and her bridesmaids in knee-length fitted dresses in Woodin fabric.
A short video clip of the wedding beautifully captured by Joseph Young can be viewed here
Please leave a comment after viewing the photos below. I’d love to know what you think.
Kosibah Bridal Inspiration Board V
Sorry for lapsing so early into my new regime of regular posts here on the YemiKosibah blog. Today’s Inspiration Board features kosibah couture bridal gown ‘Irina’.
The antique white silk duchesse strapless gown has a fitted, draped bodice cinched into a tiny waist ,achieved by the internal corset, and falls into a soft A-line skirt with hand stitched Lace appliqués.. The back features covered buttons fastened with rouloux loops. The removable long sleeves chemise in silk organza also features covered buttons.
The simplicity of this gown enables you to indulge in extravagant accessories. The iconic red soled fully crystallized Christian Louboutin shoes are a perfect example.
Image by Damien Lovegrove
Kosibah Inspiration Board IV
Today’s Inspiration Board features Kosibah gown ‘Alexandria’. The corseted fit and flare gown in antique white silk organza over duchesse satin, with Swarovski diamanté crystal embellished lace appliqués on the empire bodice, the asymmetrical shoulder straps and down the seams along with scallop lace edging around the skirt hem.
The lace theme can be carried on with the wedding cake and shoes, and the crystals with the jewelled heirloom bouquet.
Would you carry themes from your dress unto other elements of your wedding?
Dress Image by Damien Lovegrove
