Welcome 2007-03-05

Welcome to the Jay West Blog. Check back for the latest news from our store. (more...)

Dress Shapes for Your Body Type 2008-07-17

To get a dress with the perfect fit, it's essential to determine the most flattering shape for your figure. Not only will you be more comfortable on your wedding day, you'll also look and feel more beautiful than you ever expected. Check out the list of basic gown silhouettes, then use the descriptions below to assess your body type. Study up on our lists of dos and don'ts for each one.

Hourglass
You have a big chest, big hips, and a thin waist (that is, curves in all the right places).Keep in mind that while your weight may fluctuate between the time you buy your gown and the day of your wedding, your actual body type will remain the same. So even if you're planning to drop 20 pounds before exchanging vows, choose the gown that fits your body type today.



Dress Dos: An A-line dress with a dropped waist will show off your figure; pair it with a sweetheart neckline to show off your chest. Or for something a little more curvaceous, try a fit-and-flare gown like a mermaid or trumpet style.

Dress Don'ts: A ball gown or Empire-waist silhouette may make you look disproportioned.


Short Waist
Your body is naturally proportioned, except for the small distance from your ribs to your hips.


Dress Dos: A Princess-line silhouette -- fitted at the bodice and opening up gradually to a full skirt -- elegantly elongates your figure; if you love your shoulders, try a portrait or halter neckline. A slightly dropped-waist gown will also lengthen your torso.

Dress Don'ts: A sheath will make your short waist more obvious.


Thick Waist
Same as above, but instead of a short waist, yours is undefined: The line from your shoulders to your hips is straight.


Dress Dos: An Empire-waist gown will deemphasize your waistline and give you a long, lean look.

Dress Don'ts: A Princess-line or basque waist will draw too much attention to your middle.


Full Figure
More voluptuous than most, you've got full breasts, a bit of a tummy, and round hips and butt.


Dress Dos: A ball gown will hide quite a bit, and an A-line silhouette looks great on everyone.

Dress Don'ts: A sheath will make you look heavier than you are; avoid spaghetti straps.


Pear Shape
Just like the fruit, you're small on top and heavy on the bottom.


Dress Dos: A basque waist or strapless ball gown will cover your bottom half and put the focus on your better half; an Empire dress will hug the tiniest part of your body and disguise your lower half.

Dress Don'ts: A sheath, frankly, will be unflattering. A trumpet- or mermaid-style gown will draw attention to your bottom.


Thin
Short or tall, there's not a whole lot of meat on your bones. You boast that certain kind of ballerina beauty.


Dress Dos: A ball gown will make you look like a fairy-tale princess, and a sheath would be perfect for you.

Dress Don'ts: Almost all silhouettes will flatter your figure, but stay away from portrait, off-the-shoulder, or halter necklines if your collarbone is too bony.


Petite
You're probably not the star of the basketball team -- you've got a tiny frame.


Dress Dos: It's best to keep it simple -- when you're small, a big, elaborate gown can sometimes look as if it's wearing you rather than the other way around. A sheath or A-line dress will work well.

Dress Don'ts: Almost all silhouettes will flatter your figure, though a big ball gown may overwhelm.

-- Hollee Actman Becker
Photo by Tat Leong (more...)

Trashing The Dress???? 2008-07-21

WEDDING dresses, they're enough to send any bride into a tizzy. You've agonised over the decision, you've tried hundreds on, spent thousands, now trash it.

It no longer comes down to deciding between cream, white or ivory. It's all about what you're going to do with the dress once you've said 'I do.'

A new trend in wedding dress photography is sweeping the country, encouraging brides to destroy their dresses.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 100,000 marriages take place each year, and brides are now looking for wedding photography that goes beyond a passionate embrace.

Adam Cavanagh, of Cavanagh Photography, was one of the first photographers to offer the trash the dress trend in Australia, and says that while trashing a wedding dress might almost seem sacreligious, brides are getting down and dirty in their dresses in the name of art.

"Totally destroying the dress it is not for everyone,' said Cavanagh. "But the idea behind it is you are committed to your husband, you are not going to get married again and this is a symbol of committed you are going to be."

Playing in the mud, frolicking in the surf, paintball fields, cutting, ripping and setting their dress on fire are just some of the ways brides are showing this commitment.

Cavanagh says a $3000 gown is the most expensive dress he's photographed being trashed, but he has his eye on a client who paid $7000 for hers.

"She's having a good think about it, but because she invested so much money into it, she's a bit hestitant!" he laughed.

Marisa Wallace decided to take the plunge, literally, and trash the $1200 strapless ivory gown she had bought online from America for her big day.

"I havent seen my dress since my wedding day, I took it off at the reception, got changed into something else and went out and it's been hanging in my mum's wardrobe ever since.

"When this opportunity came up I said 'alright, let's pull it out of mum's wardrobe and try it on, there's not much point in having it sit in mum's wardrobe for the rest of my life!'"

Marisa had no qualms about getting her mported gown dirty or damaged as she delved into the rockpools at South Coogee and took to the dress with a nasty looking pair of scissors.

"I'm not the sort of person that invests emotionally into objects. I have a wonderful marriage and I don't actually need symbols of that marriage.

"I think if I was the sort of person who was like that then I would have invested more time in buying a dress that I loved and then I would have a bit more of an aversion to doing it, or at least doing more of a semi-trash the dress rather than full on let's rip it to shreds and chuck it in the garbage bin at the end of the day."

What do you think? Is it creativity or destruction? Would you trash your wedding dress? (more...)