Phillipa Lepley bride Sara

Our Brides

As featured in Vogue

Phillipa Lepley bride Sara Walker wore ‘Serendipity’ – a couture gown in Italian duchess satin, defined by a corseted dropped waist and oversized bow with detachable tails.

Stylist Sara Walker chose Phillipa Lepley to create her couture wedding gown after trying on almost 30 dresses in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. After falling in love with ‘Serendipity’ – the first dress she tried on – in an initial appointment at the Chelsea boutiqu, the couture design was developed around more than 30 of Sara’s exact measurements, creating a gown precisely considered to her frame.

Sara’s gown evolved through couture fittings at the Phillipa Lepley Conservatory, from sketch, to corset, to toile, to silk. Each stage refined the fit, balance and proportion around her, with every detail considered and adjusted by hand over the course of several months.

The gown was shaped over a signature Phillipa Lepley corset, defining the waist and extending into a dropped-waist silhouette. The strapless neckline was cut away around the body, sitting lower at the back, while the straight skirt softened into a hand-draped satin detail at the hip, lower at the front and rising towards the back. The drape was developed on the stand in the Phillipa Lepley Atelier, with Phillipa overseeing its placement and form. Each fold was carefully pinned and refined by hand, allowing the duchess satin to retain its clean, uninterrupted finish.

Sara fell in love with the Italian duchess satin used to create her gown. From Lake Como, the couture silk has been a signature of Phillipa’s work for over 40 years, cherished for its exceptional quality, weight and luminous finish. Phillipa has long loved the way the satin catches and reflects the light, bringing a particular radiance to the face and allowing her to create the sculptural forms for which her designs are known.

At the back, an oversized bow formed the centre of the design, with two long, square-ended tails creating the train. Bows have long been a signature of Phillipa’s designs, and the scale of this one gave ‘Serendipity’ its defining character. The duchess satin was draped by hand to create the soft undulation of the folds, gathered into a substantial central knot – the ultimate bridal statement at the back of the gown. The detachable tails allowed the gown to change for the evening, revealing the simple straight skirt with a curved opening at the back. The tails could also be bustled up, creating a double-bow effect.

Sara married Joe in Seattle at her beautiful family home, surrounded by lush green forest, wearing the gown with a couture two-tier silk tulle veil with a clean-cut edge and short blusher.