Stepping out on your own is a scary thought, but stellar Scottish designer Catriona Garforth-Dev has taken it in her stride. “Our new studio in the city centre of Edinburgh will now exclusively be selling the Catriona Garforth Bridal line direct to customers,” she highlights (the brand was previously sold via the Edinburgh branch of Kudos Bridal Boutiques). “Here, you can also view the other ranges in the CG family, such as the affordable, fashion-driven CGLoves label landing this spring, and CG&, which allows customers to choose their silhouette and fabric themselves.”
Shop the Hollywood starlet-worthy Eirenne gown, above, £POA, from one of the core Catriona Garforth Bridal collections, One, in the bright and shiny studio. “It’s now the only place to view the mainline range,” Catriona says. “The gowns, ranging from £1,500 to £3,000, are handmade on the premises and I oversee all appointments to make the experience feel more personal.
In the unlikely event nothing’s grabbing you, soon-to-be-launched sister brand, CGLoves, has a whole army of directional jumpsuits, jackets, dresses, skirts and faux fur waiting in the wings to sway you. It’s breaking new ground too, as, unusually, it’s a largely online label.
“Staying true to my ethos that, ‘life is too short to wear boring clothes’, CGLoves will deliver fun and femininity to the bride who wants to feel free to express her personality through non-traditional fashion,” Catriona explains. “The idea is that the lightweight jumpsuits, tops, skirts and dresses can be ordered online on a ready to wear basis in standard sizing, but the majority of the collection will be available in a made to measure capacity as well, to guarantee a perfectly fitting garment.
“At under £800, the styles will be a fraction of the price of the main bridal line and, although fabrics will be lighter and less intricate, the familiar draping and complex structuring you’d come to expect from us will still dominate.
“CGLoves will ship worldwide and clients will be offered help with measuring from CG stylists online if necessary and will be kept up to date on each stage of the ordering processing from their individual stylist.”
You can also look forward to getting creative with CG&, which will be the only Catriona Garforth line sold in conjunction with boutiques. “It’s starting off as a topper range,” explains the designer. “It gives you a chance to get involved with the design process: brides will be able to pick from a selection of ten jackets and two types of fur, before settling on their desired fabrics.
“It’s a unique opportunity to play around with shapes, which can be ordered in a wide variety of laces. All pieces are handmade in the Edinburgh studio, meaning designs can be changed and adapted on request. Expect to see CG& heading out to our carefully curated stockists soon.”
