Not something borrowed, not something blue, but definitely something NEW. That’s right, I’m taking somewhat of a break from bridal invites and working on some new projects. While House of Papier caters to a large number of brides, we are a full service invitation design house creating custom invitations for all kinds of events. With that being said, we have  a number of new clients coming down the pike that in no way shape or form fit the bridal mold. I love working on invitations that are not monotonous, cause me to stretch my imagination and sparks my creativity. I’m currently working on two such projects. Here are the inspiration boards that jump start that creativity.

Inspiration Board #1:

  Inspiration Board #2

XOXO,

Columbian born Silvia Tcherassi is considered the most prominent Latin American fashion designer. Whether it’s designer clothing, wedding gowns, or hotels her talent transcends from fashion to the hospitality industry. As a fashion designer, her Pret’ a’ Porter (“off the rack”) or Ready to Wear line is simply exquisite. The casual wear has vibrant colors and swaddling textures, while the evening wear is laced with elegant ruffles. Tcherassi’s bridal collection is coveted by the most sophisticated brides and exudes haute couture. Here are some of my favorite gowns from the collection:

In adition to her Pret’ a’ Porter’ and Bridal collection she adds the Tcherassi Hotel Collection. This extension of the Tcherassi brand is a fashion hotel dedicated to style, luxury and sophisticated service. The lux hotel and spa opened earlier this year in Cartagena’s Old City on the Caribbean coast of Columbia with plans to expand to other cities. Tcherassi has made an international mark over the past fifteen years with all her fabulous collections so look out for more of her extravagant work for years to come.

Twice a year the fashion elite gather in the heart of New York City for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to view the latest fashion collections for the upcoming season. September 10th kicked off the start of Fashion Week Spring 2010 and House of Papier was right in the mix. With two days left to go until it’s all over, I finally have time to catch up on my blog posts to bring you the inside scoop from the Tents.

So what in the world does fashion have to do with House of Papier and invitations? I’m glad you asked! Simply put, fashion inspires me (See my post from February). The colors, material, embellishments, trimmings all give me ideas for custom invitation designs. A clothing designer creates their clothes in a Fashion House and Missy creates invitations in the House of Papier.

The proposal has been made and accepted, the date has been set, and now the work begins. Planning for a wedding can be both exciting and overwhelming. From finding a venue on the preferred date, to securing a caterer that offers the best food for the best price, to finding personalized invitations for your guests. Many couples get caught up in the details partly because they want the event to be exactly as they envisioned it. One of those details, which is an important one, is deciding on the color scheme of the wedding. Your colors are woven throughout every element of the occasion, including invitations, the cake, floral arrangements, the bridal party attire, and so much more. Therefore, it is a decision that is best made early on in the process. But it is also one that you can spend a whole lot of time trying to determine. Brides.com has a great tool that I want to share with you called the Color Studio. Click on the following link: http://www.brides.com/planning/receptions/colorstudio/ to get started. Not only will it help you to select colors, but it shows you which color combinations go well together.

Inspiration No° 6: Fabulous Fashion

While I’ve been inspired by individual elements of New York Fashion Week. The truth of the matter is that just being under the tents in Bryant Park was in and of itself an inspiring experience. I’m often asked why House of Papier is so closely linked to fashion. After all what do invitations and fashion have to do with one another? Right? The answer is, everything. For me it’s about style. As far as I’m concerned style exceeds the boundaries of fashion and extends to creativity, patterns, colors, ideas, design, and texture. I always go back to my favorite quote by Coco Chanel:

My Favorite Coco Chanel Quote House of Papier © 2009

Missy at Bryant Park

 As I close out my Fashion Week experience I leave you with two video Clips from the Venexiana Show (Click Here) and the MISS SIXTY show (Click Here).

Inspiration No° 5: Miss Sixty Patent Leather Bubble Jacket

Miss Sixty Show - Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009

Black is back for the Fall & Winter. I fell in love with this patent leather jacket/dress number. As beautiful and feminine as this outfit is, it actually gave me an idea for a masculine invitation design. House of Papier has always marketed it’s products to women and I have struggled with coming up with designs that men would feel comfortable with purchasing for an event. So it’s somewhat of an oxymoron that such a beautiful ensemble on a beautiful female model has inspired me to create a masculine design. Keep following the House of Papier blog and I’ll share it with you as soon as I create it.

Miss Sixty Show - Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009

Inspiration No° 4: Miss Sixty Wide Buckled Belts

Miss Sixty Show - Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009

Another show I attended during the New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is the Miss Sixty Show. In addition to the eccentric ensembles, the accessories in this show were fabulous and artistically inspiring. I love these wide buckled belts and hope to incorporate the concept into an invitation design.

Inspiration No° 3:
Lyone lace beaded & Swarovski encrusted wedding gown
with tulle detachable train

Bridal by Venexiana

This Venexiana bridal gown drew massive applause during the Venexiana show when the “Marianne”came down the runway. The Marianne, made popularby Karl Lagerfeld, is most commonly seen in Haute Cauture fashion shows, to close out the show and it definitely was a show stopper. It inspired me to incorporate tulle in House of Papier’s upcoming wedding invitation collection. 

XOXO,

Inspiration No° 2: Oversized Self Belt with Swarovski Buckle

Kati Stern, who is known for mixing fur with the finest fabrics, is the fashion designer behind Venexiana. I had the opportunity and privilege to attend her show at the Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park. The new Fall 2009 collection boasted sixty-six new looks, all of which were breathtaking and elegant. I’ve never really been a lover of fur, but Stern’s designs could easily entice me to have a change of heart. My inspiration No°2 are the oversized self belts with Swarovski buckles seen in the photographs above. While House of Papier regularly incorporates Swarovski crystal and buckles in our invitation designs, these two Venexiana pieces gave me great inspiration for a new way to adorn both invitation inserts and the silk box that holds them.

Missy at the Venexiana Show, New York Fashion Week

 XOXO,

Inspiration No° 1: The “Pink” Apple of my Eye

Shiny pink apples on the Barbie display in Bryant Park

Every season the New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is centered around a theme. Last season was an Ode to Dorthy’s ruby red slippers in the Wizard of Oz and this year the theme is centered around the 50th anniversary of Barbie. Under the tents the Bryant Park fountain was transformed into an exhibit of all things Barbie; and of course the dominate color was pink. My eyes could not help but to be obsessed with the brilliantly shiny, pink lacquered apples that circled the bottom of the display. Dispite all the fabulous people and celebrities dressed to kill under the tent, these apples were my inspiration No°1 for new House of Papier invitations.

Barbie Display, Bryant Park NYC Fashion Week

House of Papier
Designer Invitations for your Fashionable Life