Elder Cape | From Sketch to Ceremony

British manufacturing is so very important to me and has been a significant part of my life, even before I was born. My beloved and inspiring mother was a knitwear designer and I’ve talked many times about sitting by her machines collecting wool and scraps to make dresses for my dolls. My grandmother was a denim machinist for Rolls Royce so a passion for lovingly crafted garments is truly in my blood and she taught me how to sew and repair and alter clothes. It’s an ethos I’ve taken with me throughout the years of Halfpenny London and, now, I’m so lucky to have my design studio and atelier across the street from the boutique. It’s so wonderful to think about all the magic we’ve created within and the phenomenal talented artisans I get to work with daily.

The Elder cape was a hero piece from the Daydreamer collection. Countless strands of beads swing and shimmer beautifully and I adored the movement of the fringe-like beads. It looked incredible even simply draped on a mannequin during the development process. The fabric has a decadent weight to it so we knew we needed to develop an exceptional foundation to drape onto. We’ve spent years perfecting the cut and constructions of our garments and we took that craftsmanship to another level with the Elder cape. I wanted bold shoulder pads to anchor the cowl back and the atelier team developed an inner foundation to build upon which securely stays in place and feels comfortable for our brides to wear. This little, but magical shrug has allowed us to create more beautiful creations in Courage and we’ve also utilised it the upcoming collection, but this time covered in frills!

The video above gives a sneak peek into our atelier and design studio as the team craft this show-stopping piece for our brides-to-be.

Love,

Kate & the Halfpennys xxx