Photo: Mel Barlow of Mel & Co.
Former Priscilla of Boston creative director Melissa Sweet has been gone from but not forgotten by the wedding world since the famed retailer shuttered its doors (along with those of Sweet's eponymous line for Priscilla) in December 2011. But Sweet's many admirers needn't fret over her absence. Come fall 2012, Sweet will make her re-entry into the bridal market with Melissa Sweet Sacred, a collection as lovely (for reasons both aesthetic and altruistic) as the name suggests.
The story of Sacred begins with Sweet's 2010 sabbatical to Costa Rica. There, the wedding giant tapped into a spiritual streak, which she stoked with philanthropic efforts in her village. Out of those efforts grew Vida Autentica, the non-profit Sweet established in spring 2012 to build greenhouses and fund education programs in the developing world. And from Vida Autentica grew Sacred. Enjoying her role as a philanthropist, but missing the creativity of fashion design, Sweet fused her two loves: one hundred percent of Sacred's profits will go to Vida Autentica.
The casually glamorous new line, which ranges in price from $5,000 to $15,000, will be attractive to brides regardless of whether they're aware of its charitable side. But in an era of increasingly eco-and-altruism-conscious couples, Sacred is a Holy Grail.
—Rachel Allen
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