Photo: George Chinsee
Bridal designer Amsale Aberra, known for confident, understated elegance (you won't find heavy embellishments on Amsale's gowns), has created gorgeous bridal collections for over 25 years from the New York City headquarters of her eponymous label. We love her affinity for clean lines and luxe fabrics, and we sat down with the designer to discuss her design process, her top styling tips for brides, and her thoughts on wedding day beauty.
The designer has a classic process of finding inspiration for her collections.
"When designing a new collection, as we are right now, I find that the inspiration often comes as a continuous flow of the previous season," explained the designer, when asked about how she finds inspiration. "I begin with a mood board to create a feeling, and of course, fabrics play an important role inspiring my designs."
The Amsale bride is a fan of "understated luxury."
"She likes clean lines and simple silhouettes in exquisite fabrics, and her bridal gown reflects her daily style, but makes her feel like a bride."
An Amsale runway is always on point.
"When styling our runway shows, my goal is to make sure that the makeup looks young and current," said the designer. "I like to keep hair, makeup and accessories simple, so that it is all about the dress."
Photos: George Chinsee
The designer loves to use beautiful lace and refined Italian tulle and silk organza when designing.
When asked about her favorite fabrics to use in creating her gowns, the designer said, "I can't say that I have a favorite fabric necessarily, but rather it depends on the feel I want to create. For Amsale, I am focused on using soft layering, so I am sourcing soft tulle and silk organza from Italy. Lace is still very important for our collections, and I use Lyon and Alecon lace from France, layered with colored silk chiffon."
Amsale's top styling tips for brides? Mind the veil and make one bold statement.
"A bride must always make sure that her hairstyle will work with or without a veil. Plan for both, and work around it with your beauty look. For jewelry, I always suggest to keep it minimal, however, if you love jewelry, make one bold statement. Try a statement earring, necklace, or bracelet, but not all three at once!" A final tip from the designer, "Make sure to try on a veil. I find it's the one accessory some brides shy away from, but it's such a unique accessory that you can only really wear for a wedding."