Are you the type of bride who wants everything to match?
In that case, you’d be in majority. Finding bridesmaids
dresses that perfectly match the African Violet color of
your flowers and chairs, and yet don’t look like 8th grade
prom dresses can be tough, but we have the solution.
The Dessy group has an
enormous selection of
dresses, all of which come
in just about every shade
of color you can imagine. A larger
collection of dresses in all the colors
you’ve been looking for would really
be tough – if not impossible – to find.
We talk with Vivian Dessy, who’s a
designer at Dessy and creator of the
Vivian Diamond collection for Dessy.
“I get a majority of my design
inspiration from people
watching. Just walking the
streets of New York always
gives me great ideas. I also
find a lot of inspiration from
traveling and experiencing
different cultures.”
Urbanette Magazine:
The Dessy
Group been around since 1939
and is still a family-run business.
Do you know what inspired your
grandparents to start the business?
How many of the Dessy family work
in the business, and what inspires
you?
Vivian Dessy:
My grandparents had
their own business before they came to
the US from Germany. When they arrived
in New York in September 1939 they
began their own millinery business. They
were approached by Brides Magazine to
make bridal headpieces and when my
father became involved in the company
he decided to branch out further
and enter into bridesmaid dress
manufacturing. That decision really
took root quickly and bridesmaid
dresses are still the heart of our
business today. My mother
Ronnie, brother Alan, and I are
all involved in the day-to-day
operations of Dessy. Alan’s wife Cindy
is also a big part of the business.
Urbanette:
Where do you get your
inspiration?
Vivian:
I get a majority of my design
inspiration from people watching. Just
walking the streets of New York always
gives me great ideas. I also find a lot of
inspiration from traveling and experiencing
different cultures. I’ve traveled my whole
life throughout the US, Europe and India
and experiencing how other people live and
dress is always fruitful when I’m designing.
It’s also important to me to look back at
the history of fashion and understand
the inception of different silhouettes and modern design.
Urbanette:
Have you found that
bridesmaid styles differ very much in
different areas of the country?
Vivian:
Not as much as you’d expect.
Bridesmaid dresses aren’t as trenddriven
as everyday clothing, because
brides want classic styles that will stand
the test of time. In general, brides look
for options that have longevity.
Urbanette:
Do you have any tips for
choosing bridesmaid dresses? How
about accessorizing them?
Vivian:
If the bride is choosing for her
bridesmaids it’s important to consider
what will be flattering for the girls’ figures
and coloring. If the bride is letting her
party choose their own looks, it helps to
narrow down the choices so everyone is
happy. Give your bridesmaids an option
of three or four styles that you approve
of and let them choose their favorite.
Also, brides should keep in mind that
bridesmaid dresses should always be
comfortable and appropriate for the
venue, season and time of day.
For accessorizing I think it’s best to
give your bridal party some choice,
but make sure that there is direction
so everything looks fairly uniform.
For instance, if you don’t really care
about the shoes that your bridal party
wears give them a color and style, like
silver high-heel sandals, and let them
choose within those guidelines. If the
bridesmaids are wearing different style
dresses, matching accessories can
serve as a common thread between
the looks. It’s a nice option to help pull
all the looks together.
Urbanette:
Dessy bridesmaid dresses
are very versatile. Do your customers
tell you that they continue to wear the
dresses even after the wedding?
Vivian:
The ability to re-wear a dress
after the wedding is really color
dependent. At Dessy it is a goal to
make all the styles classic so that
bridesmaids have the option to wear
the looks later. All of our full-length
silhouettes can easily be shortened
to cocktail length, which makes for a
style that’s more wearable. A lot of
girls from the office wear the dresses
to non-wedding events and we’ve
heard from many customers that
they’ve enjoyed wearing their Dessy
dresses after the wedding