Ask the Experts: How To Minimise The Wedding Dress Stress – Find The Right Silhouette For Your Frame

It is a well known fact that wedding dress shopping can be an absolute minefield. Within the vast number of collections, there lies numerous options of style, shape, fit, length, sleeve or neckline. Not to mention fabric and colour, its not surprising many brides don’t feel that enamored when thinking about finding ‘The One’!

This afternoon we are thrilled to welcome celebrity stylist Holly Ounstead to the blog to shed some light on where you could start the dress hunt – identifying what suits your body shape. Holly is joining Boho’s team of in-house experts so you will be hearing from her again in the future, but for now please enjoy her brilliant first feature!

I’ll pass you over to Holly to tell you more:

The bridal dress – Typically a crisp, white gown that defines who you are and who you want to be, the pièce de résistance in your own Cinderella fairly-tale. The white dress marks an occasion that will live on in photographic form for generations to come, so it’s no wonder us brides-to-be are haunted by the ever-looming purchase – finding a cocktail dress for a friends summer garden soiree is challenge enough! But, unlike the common dress debacle, they say that you know when you’ve found ‘the one’ (similar to our husband-to-be) it’s a gut feeling.  Although on on this occasion your gut has probably been fuelled by large quantities of champagne thanks to the hands of a very helpful shop assistant! None-the-less, there is something very comforting in trusting your gut when it comes to a verdict so paramount.

As a stylist I leave nothing to chance, when it comes to dressing my clients I am constantly researching and sourcing rails upon rails of dresses for a variety of events; from The Glamour Awards, The Brits to Ladies Day at Ascot, each of my clients has a different frame and a distinct sense of style to match. As my job requires, I am addicted to the thrill of finding ‘the one’ – whatever the occasion. I wanted to share some of my styling tips and transfer them into the enchanting world of wedding dresses. So, it’s back to basics, as first and foremost you will need to source the right silhouette for your figure.

Dress Sources – 1: Carolina Herrera / 2: Reem Acra / 3. Yolan Cris / 4. Davids Bridal / 5. Monique L’Huillier / 6. Suzanne Neville

For more information about Holly:

www.howtowearthetrousers.net / PINTEREST / I: @hollyounstead / T: @ HollyOunstead

Hi, my name is Holly, I’m a fashion stylist living in London, mostly I work with celebrities. I started my styling career working at 1883 Magazine and have since gone on to contribute to Wonderland Magazine, NYLON, Harpers Bazaar US and Hunger Magazine. On the celebrity side I’ve worked to create looks for music artists including Ella Eyre, Leona Lewis, Dionne Bromfield and Little Mix. Meanwhile my passion for the red carpet has led me to work closely with a growing roster of actresses, including; Emily Berrington, Faye Marsay, Lucy Boynton, Antonia Thomas, and Jodie Comer.  Alongside my work as a stylist I run a blog called ‘How to wear the trousers’, this is a space where I share styling tips, explore the fashion industry and, most importantly, try to empower women through personal style. After all, you can never underestimate the power of a good outfit on a bad day!