Kaitlyn Kay

MARCH 2, 2024 | DALLAS, TX

A sculptural wedding wardrobe made up of lustrous satin, frothy chiffons, and floral lace detailing.

Kaitlyn and her husband are two of our best friends, so this one was extra special. Kaitlyn has a strong sense of where her clothing comfort lies but was open to taking risks and experimenting with fresh styles she wouldn’t have chosen on her own. Through months of collaboration, Kaitlyn trusted that I would be there to encourage her, without pushing too far out of her comfort zone.

All of the looks we came up with felt uniquely Kaitlyn, with the volume slightly turned up. She never felt dressed in costume, or too “styled”. Working together gave her the gift of being fully present at every event.

wedding showers

Kaitlyn knocked out both of her wedding showers in one weekend and because of that, I knew I wanted the looks to be varied. Both nights needed to feel distinguished from each other. On Friday night, we decided on a light green two-toned Tory Burch pencil skirt paired with an ivory Markarian off-the-shoulder top in a stretchy glowing satin, which played beautifully against the skirt. Kaitlyn goes for it with a heel. She wanted something tall, a statement. The Ferragamo Eva pump in silver was just that. Bonus points for being unsurprisingly (remember, they’re Ferragamo) comfortable. We finished the look with a simple tennis necklace by Milliard Diamond Concierge for more SHINE!

Saturday was made easy by an impeccably fitting Proenza Schouler dress in an interesting terry texture, paired with my favorite shoe of all time, the Alaia red confetti heels. We got these shoes months prior and knew we had to incorporate them into her wedding wardrobe somewhere. We positioned the shoe as the focal point of the look, which meant the clothing just had to be clean, well-fitting, and complementary. We accessorized with a pair of vintage gold dangle earrings with a trio of colorful stones that shared the same whimsical feel as the shoes.

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bachelorette

Kaitlyn’s bachelorette was in Cabo and our minds were set on looks that were sexy but understated, special but not try-hard bridey. Nothing worse in my opinion.

I’d seen this photo of Zoe Kravitz walking in the Balenciaga 2016 Spring show a while back and had it stuck in my head. The base of her dress resembles fish netting, with the most delicate white flowers hand-sewn on top. I realized I had a dress on the rack in my studio (a rack of vintage/pre-worn clothes I collect for current and potential clients) that was basically the non-couture version of the Balenciaga. Because of the loose detailing, we paired it with a white Hanro bra and undies and leaned into the sheerness. It turned out to be a perfect elevated bridal beach look.

For brunch at Flora Farms, I put Kaitlyn in a beautiful Siedres chiffon dress with a matching scarf. The dress draped beautifully, ruffles here and there added interest and dimension. We paired this with her Milliard tennis necklace and white Khaite Marion heels.

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wedding weekend

Finally, our journey has brought us to the wedding weekend of Kaitlyn and Andrew. Throughout her engagement, Kaitlyn wanted her wardrobe to feel fresh and exciting—she was not at all inspired by the typical bridal looks often seen on the girl next door or grouped in a “bridal edit” on the retail sites everyone shops on.

She wanted her rehearsal dinner outfit to feel special, not simply look special—there is a difference. When clothing looks special it’s often because it’s done in a loud color or adorned with sparkle and sequins, something we both agreed felt very done. It’s the garment that steals your attention, it’s not related to the wearer. Outfits that feel special are just as much attributed to the wearer, as the garment. Confidence, poise, and sureness of oneself are felt by those around.

I was drawn to this polka dot set by Altuzarra because it’s a silhouette Kaitlyn loves and you don’t often see polka dots worn in a wedding context. We both loved the strong structured pleating and thick satin fabrication, which lent an important hardness to this otherwise uber-femme pattern. For accessories, we went with YSL green and purple knife heels in a dual fabrication of linen and leather, a fishy-green Nancy Gonzales clutch, and Alexis Bittar paste diamond drops.

Kaitlyn’s wedding dress was semi-custom Monique Lhuillier. She combined the top of one gown, the bottom of another, and a custom-colored lining. She delighted me once again when she agreed to the white Alaia Cœur heels. I love it when my brides show personality with their wedding shoes. You will likely be able to wear them again if you do!

The reception change called for Danielle Frenkel’s Sasha gown and Christian Louboutin Masca heels in a beautiful shiny satin blush tone. The weightless silk crepe allowed Kaitlyn to dance and crowd surf with ease.

Cheers to The Ryans!
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