June is Wedding Season By Shelley Komarov
June is Wedding Season
By Shelley Komarov
Since the medieval times, June has been the month for the wedding season to begin.It’s the beginning of summer, the blooming season, that has allowed the wedding parties to be staged outside, both in the garden or at the seaside.
The fashion for brides has changed throughout the years. The ‘white wedding dress,’ typically worn by the bride, became the tradition in 1840 after Queen Victoria married Prince Albert.
Today couples plan their weddings at least a year in advance, and now, at the time of Coronavirus, the destiny of many weddings is uncertain. Some have opted to still have wedding ceremonies via Zoom or online while some have postponed till, hopefully, August or September. Many destination weddings and parties have been cancelled and even with partial reopening, some guests may be reluctant to participate. Life always continues and people get married in both the good and the challenging times.
Some people, unwilling to postpone their celebrations, have arranged their weddings, complete with all the dancing and celebration done over Zoom. Who knows, maybe the impact this time has had on wedding and occasion fashion will stay with us even after the coronavirus.
Looking at today’s environment through the lens of a fashion designer, I can see that currently people prefer more simple settings and as result the fashion for brides and their guests has become more simplistic too. Dresses have become less formal and shorter or stacked heels prove to be more practical if you are in a garden or on the sand. A gown may become a headache when you try to carry it on a flight and worry later how to steam it in the hotel.
Today everyone wants a practical approach with even the colors of the wedding parties changing. Now stronger colors, even black, have become the trend and not only pastels are acceptable. The beauty of fashion is that it always changes and with that, our attitude towards fashion is changing too. I could never have imagined a couple years ago that some of my dresses would be styled with sneakers, but today that is the reality.
People write to me that they wear my dresses at home because they are easy to wear and easy to take care of them. Yes, today fashion has to be practical too, not only to look nice!
HISTORY
Shelley Komarov is the founder and Creative Director of Komarov Enterprises, Inc. Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, Shelley immigrated with her husband Boris and small son Dimitri to the United States in 1977. Having had experience making costumes for the Kirov Ballet in Russia, she sought a career in costume design for film and television when she landed in Los Angeles in 1978.
During her 25 years as a costume designer, Shelley was honored with four Emmy awards for her work on Peter the Great, The Kennedy’s of Massachusetts, Frank Sinatra and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She was charged with the responsibility of costuming over forty productions from feature films to miniseries. Needless to say, after fitting thousands of cast members, including Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Lemmon and George Clooney to name a few, Mrs. Komarov understands how clothing should fit.
Being that her work required a great deal of travel, she became personally frustrated with the lack of style, fit and availability in garments that travel well. Such was the impetus for creating KOMAROV, a beautiful line of women’s sportswear and dresses. Reflecting Shelley’s love of architecture and art, all of the garments are pleated using both modern methods and the age-old artistry of hand pleating. Each piece is hand made at their Los Angeles studio.
KOMAROV was established in 1997 with Shelley Komarov, Dimitri Komarov (Shelley’s Son) and Dmitry Liberman at the helm. Shelley has now bid the film business goodbye in order to dedicate all of her attention to the demands of her busy clothing company and the love of her life, her granddaughter, Ava.
PHILOSOPHY
“As a Costume designer, I often travel the world and live out of a suitcase. From my own experience, I know how difficult it can be to maintain clothes. As the world is getting smaller and we spend more time traveling, working, etc., we have less time for ironing, alterations, and maintenance. We just want to stuff our clothes into the bag and go. The line sets itself apart with its signature pleating that produces a unique surface texture while enabling each piece to naturally conform to the wearer's body shape. Manufactured in Los Angeles, Komarov utilizes a special heat process that permanently bends natural and man-made fibers resulting in the kind of luxurious fabrics that recall the works of Mario Fortuny and Issey Miyake. My dream has always been to create clothes that have a 21st century vibe. I feel that I have accomplished this with the Komarov collection”.
FABRIC
Komarov utilizes the finest natural and man-made fabric blends, most of which are from meticulously selected yarns and created specifically for Komarov before undergoing the line's special pleating process. Each piece is hand printed so no two are exactly the same.
FIT
Each Komarov piece conforms or expands to fit the body so the fit is uniquely your own. Komarov has made pleating relevant to modern lifestyles with fabrications that provide unbeatable fit. Though strict quality control is imposed for manufacturing consistency, the process itself produces slight variations that make each garment almost one of a kind.
EASY TO CARE FOR
The collection is hand or machine washable, wrinkle-free and lightweight. Ideal for the busy business or leisure traveler who wants to look chic at a moment's notice without the need for dry cleaning.
Website: https://komarov.com/