FREE SHIPPING ~ Across USA | 206-854-9215
White Stole
  • Silk Signature Bridal Wraps
    • Flores
    • Fabiola
    • Charming Rose ~ Pink
    • Charming Rose ~ Lilac
    • Spring Ribbons ~ Pink
    • Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue
  • Silk Evening Lace Wraps
  • Silk Evening Lace Wraps ~ Beige
  • Silk Gift Photo Theme Wraps
  • Silk Classic GLAM Gala
  • Silk White Ivory Shawls
  • Vintage Ivory Stoles: Bridal, Formal
  • Vintage Natural Brown Stoles: Bridal, Wedding, Gala
  • Blog ~ Flowing, Chic, Modern Bridal Style!
  • SHOP
    • Shopping Policies
    • Custom
  • About
  • News
  • Contact Us
  • Blog

The Enigmatic Power of Lace

11/30/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
We LOVE the Valentino "Sophisticated Evening Lace" Collection!
The intricate material evokes innocence and grandeur. Its history is just as complex.

Flouncy, transparent, stiff, protective: lace is charged with a myriad of emotions, experiences, meanings, and memories. It’s the fabric of grandmothers, but also a textile of childhood. It’s Lolita’s choice, stranded somewhere between pre-pubescence and womanhood, undeniably feminine, but also historically genderless. Most couturiers and ateliers worth their salt have incorporated the material in some way. Chanel, for example, uses it almost every season: Recently, lace showed up in both casual and formal iterations in the brand’s Resort 2023 collection; in the Spring 2023 show, the brand sent out a knockout column dress of white rose-patterned lace, punctuated by black silk bands at the chest and hips, Jazz Age and Space Age in equal parts.

For Bode designer Emily Bode Aujla, lace traverses the space between home and hand. Generally the production of lace for the body and for domestic use is carried out separately. The brand, which frequently repurposes antique textiles intended for the home into jackets, shirts, and trousers, is the perfect testing ground for this crossover. “I am drawn to domestic textiles, like lace, that were made in the home, for the home,” says Bode Aujla, “The shirts we make from lace carry that weight with them.”

For Bode Aujla, there’s an emotional bent to the adaptation: “I work with lace because as a material it holds so much sentimental value,” she says. “It was so laborious to make and the affiliation with its end use—birth, marriage, holidays, death—is significant.”

These affiliations have an economic weight as well. Before value was communicated through celebrity, it was attached to labor. That is, what required the most skill and the most time to create was the most valuable. In Europe in the 1500s, lace, then a brand new innovation, quickly gained speed as an important social signifier, because the finest, most intricate pieces of the delicate fabric could take expert hands several years to create. At the time, lace was a symbol of power and mobility on the shoulders, waists, or necks of people of note—those who could afford extravagance, those whom extravagance served.

Today, lace inspires notions closer to nostalgia and gendered delicacy than of power, domination, or wealth. We have the means to produce lace without purpose, without outsized demands on time, and without massive workforces. But for many contemporary designers, working with lace is a matter of more than just aesthetics. Bode Aujla points out it’s educational value as well: “Using lace now allows us to teach others of their historical identity,” says Bode Aujla, “Like almost forgotten hand-techniques from a small town in Spain to a Quaker lace pattern named for its use in the dining room of the White House or aboard a ship.”
​
In Threads of Power, an exhibition currently on view at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, lace is surveyed in all its dainty glory. Examples of handwork dating from the year 1580 show the development of the craft, from a long late 16th Century linen bonnet with lace inserts to Michelle Obama’s Isabel Toledo Inauguration ensemble made with asparagus-hued Forster Rohner lace. Most of the works on view were loaned from the Textilmuseum in St Gallen Switzerland, one of the richest resources for lace and lacemaking history in Europe, with an archive to rival that of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The exhibition is shocking in its breadth, with juicy and surprising facts about the textile’s production, history, and adaptation through time.

On weekends, a lucky visitor can glimpse women from the Brooklyn Lace Guild creating delicate, fanciful examples of both bobbin and needle lace in real time. Their mesmerizing craft feels exceptionally rare in this context, given the dwindling accessibility to new handmade lace at the scale it was once produced. But there is a corner of the fashion world still readily engaged by the centuries old craft: Designers like Akris and Simone Rocha are honoring this heritage with intricate, handmade designs.

For Rocha, lace has been a nearly ever present element in her brand. “Lace has run through different collections over the years,” she says, “the fabrication is so emotive and helps drive the necessary conversation between textile and silhouette.” In her collections, lace is often combined with eyelet and tulle, evoking at different times Elizabeth the Great, the classic goth, and Little Bo Peep. A lace ensemble opened her very first runway show for London Fashion Week in 2012: a mini skirt suit both professional in its silhouette and suggestive in its translucency.

For lace makers and historians, a contemporary understanding of lace is heavily informed by its popularity in past centuries. “Today, very few designers continue to work with handmade lace,” says Elena Kanagy-Loux, co-founder of the Brooklyn Lace Guild and a participant in the exhibition. “Those that do are often drawn to it out of a desire to support the makers of the craft.” It is that labor that brings about a material so emotionally and visually rich. Lace is like trapped air—the clouds in a textile. With it, a human can don the garb of a god, and float weightlessly in a material that carries countless hours of effort. Lace reaches both ends of the spectrum, from innocence to kink, grandeur to humble domesticity"

Lace itself is hard to define, partially due to the manifold versions it appears in throughout history. Unlike other embroideries, lace has no base fabric. Patterns are built instead with loose thread using a variety of techniques. Originally the term “lace” referred to a narrow braid, and later came to encompass all forms of non-woven, knitted, crocheted, and needle-made openwork textiles. Depictions of lace production seen often in early European treatises on the craft generally incorporated “bobbins”, a rotating cylinder, situated at the head of a firm cushion, on which a lacemaker would create her work. But “needle” lace, where the maker sews a pattern onto a backing that is later removed, is also common.

At the Bard Graduate Center, which encompasses several floors of an Upper West Side townhouse, centuries are covered in only a few thousand square feet. Each item chosen for the show is emblematic of lace’s narrative power. Around a corner in a second floor gallery is a bobbin-lace coverlet, made in Italy between 1625 and 1650. Placed within its 47 square inches are symbols relevant to the 1649 wedding of Philip IV of Spain and his niece Mariana of Austria. There are rams’ skins representing Philip’s membership in the chivalric Order of the Golden Fleece and twelve crowned double-headed eagles symbolizing Mariana’s father the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III. A coat of arms is to be found as well, representing Charles V, who was an ancestor to both. On the top floor are several richly embroidered 18th Century French dresses with lace cuffs and collars, along with a bobbin lace collar and point de venise mantelet of Italian origin from around 1700. On the floors below, lace pattern books are opened to pages that show the motifs and directions of early lace makers.

“The beauty of lace is the time that's put into it,” says the artist and designer Laila Gohar, whose homeware brand, Gohar World, created with her sister, Nadia, incorporates the craft in everything from bottle aprons to bonnets for fruit. “During early COVID we couldn’t touch each other. Now, people are yearning for anything made by the hands of a human. Handmade lace is touch indirect.” With the frenzy of modern media choking our every creative impulse, touches of lace in the home or on the skin have a rooting effect. Lace recalls play, dress up, order, and formality at different turns. But it also recalls sex, lingerie, privacy. That duality is what makes the material interesting.

St. Gallen, the small southeastern Swiss town where the Textilmuseum is located, has a thousand year old textile history. It is home to several of the oldest lace making companies still in operation. One company, Jakob Schläpfer, has supplied lace to a staggering number of couturiers throughout Europe since the 1950s: Chanel, Comme des Garcons, Paco Rabanne, Balenciaga, the list goes on. Recent innovations have extended into sequins, silicone lace, and textiles that incorporate jewels in a decidedly Tudor spin, like “trapped pearls” in chiffon. For Akris, which is based in St Gallen, the local lace trade is vital. “There is no Akris collection without St. Gallen embroidery,” says Albert Kriemler, the brand’s Creative Director. “St Gallen embroidery has almost infinite potential. It can be so much more than what you might expect.” Akris, in particular, is known for utilizing the knowledge of their local lace masters to create lace from an architectural perspective. No doilies here! Instead, we see lace with sharp edges, shadows, and even lace spelling out the brand name.

From a crisp, white social signifier to a marker of time and vessel for remembrance, lace has proven to be an extremely malleable, evocative craft, both in its finished state and in its making. “When you see people making lace, it looks like they are playing an instrument,” says Gohar. “Watching their fingers move… it’s poetic and beautiful and musical.” Lacemaking is like magic. Each pattern is a spell of movement and memory, each pattern book a grimoire lovingly maintained and annotated over years. Though what constitutes lace has evolved and expanded with the dawn of technology, its origin remains awe-inspiring. In its infinite variety, lace can stand as an example of how human skill and technology can intermingle fruitfully, with consideration and care at the point of connection.

Post written by by Camille Okhio
11.23.22

​https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/lace-fashion-threads-of-power-exhibition?utm_campaign=11-24-22%20Hailey%20Bieber%27s%20Birthday%20



Picture
We LOVE the Valentino "Sophisticated Evening Lace" Collection!
0 Comments

The “NEW ROYAL BRIDES” Celebrate their Bridal Tea with LUXE and CHIC!

5/19/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
White Stole’s innovative Bridal Rehearsal Tea Concept created a mashup of Couture Royal Wedding Looks of Silk and Vintage Stole and Shawl Wraps by White Stole topping Couture and Custom Wedding and Evening Gown creations from Seattle’s celebrated Couture Wedding and Fashion Designers Lisa Marie Couture, Kimmi Designs, and Gustavo Apiti seated in royalty before an opulently-filled Coffee and Tea table-setting created by Vintage Wedding Curator Lisa Mayer of Vintage Dish Company and photographed here by Seattle's beloved Wedding Photograher, Kelly Robbins.
 
Completing the vision created of Couture Wedding and Evening Luxe in which each woman’s ensemble is, in and of itself, a representation of popular Wedding and Evening Themes - from Floral Garden and Romantic, to Vintage, Retro, Whimsical, Eco Conscious and Modern Urban Chic to Evening Glam - is a lineup of Seattle’s up-and-coming modeling elite: Erika Foster, Jessica Marie Boyle, Michelle Green, Meenal D’rock, Irene Adler, Kiara LeBlanc, Aliea Taylor, Keith Vowell and Sandeep Saksham.     

The beauty seated for this memorable event was highlighted with dramatic and flawless mastery by some of Seattle’s most sought-after Hair and Makeup Artists: Tracie Saunders, Magnolia Karlsson, Daniella Rosaline, Allegra Rege, Jordan Ross, Matt Lawrence and Mayra Ruiz.  

Watch our blog for more Live Coverage of our photoshoot's celebration of the Royal Wedding Day!

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Shawl and Foulard Wraps, Vintage Stoles, and Cape Boleros for purchase, or rental, on our website.
Picture
0 Comments

"Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue" Couture Silk Stole ties-up your love for a lifetime!

5/14/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
White Stole's 'Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue' Couture Bridal Stole Wrap Wedding Accessory in pure Silk Satin Chiffon from the Signature Valentino Collection  wraps the heritage of Old with the New to cherish tomorrow with flowing shades of luminous pastel, sky and azure blue on white Ribbon Design that takes simple blue and white into Royal! 

​Mix the Traditional Wedding Theme sayings of Something Blue and Tieing The Wedding Knot with head-turning effect that will highlight and preserve your magnetic memories.   The Sky’s The Limit!

​Your
 Yacht Club, Country Club, Veranda or Classic City Wedding Gala will feel all tied up in Love with this flowing ribbon design that wraps brilliantly colored sweeping highlights around shoulders, arms or neck, taking simple blue and white into technicolor.
 
In an era when the bridal marketplace is fueled by emerging mega, online, vanilla-looking shopping, White Stole’s Chic, Haute Bridal shoppers roll with an exclusive entourage of Wedding Couture Salons like White Stole who help them alter convention to bring fresh, new images and memories from all styles and traditions to their Wedding Day’s photo album.  

Being that
 White Stole has no physical stores, we are able to bring these Couture Creations, tooled by master craftsmen and women who put their love and attention into each design, Direct To You at our cost 
​
This iconic brands’ graphic collection features rich color blocking and design to add superb styling to timeless, hand-crafted quality essentials…all with a decidedly cool Modern Wedding flare.  Wrap-up these graphic, silky-coo
l Stole and Shawl Wrap Luxe Classics for a very stylish Haute Wedding Day!

Tell the story of your Wedding Day for a lifetime with the glow of a pure silk couture Bridal Wrap Heirloom.

And the best part of the story is that each piece that passes from our hands to yours gives you the perfect Heirloom to pass along to those you love.

Call to reserve our Wedding Couture designs for your wedding event today!  View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Shawl and Foulard Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Cape Boleros Accessories for purchase, or rental, on our website.
Picture
WE LOVE...'Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue' Couture Silk Stole Wrap by Valentino!
Picture
WE LOVE...'Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue' Couture Silk Stole Wrap by Valentino!
0 Comments

SPRING WEDDING TREND! Charming Rose wraps rainbow around the future

4/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
White Stole's 'Charming Rose~Lilac' Couture Bridal Stole Wrap Wedding Accessory in sheer Silk Chiffon from the  Signature Valentino Collection ​takes the concept of sheer into the heavenly with its cascading rose design in shades from lavender and lilac to pale pink on blushed white that wraps sweeping pastels around shoulders, arms or neck in any wedding theme or setting - from an Urban or City Wedding, to a refined Country or Veranda Wedding - in any season. 

Delicately highlight your
 Modern Haute Bridal Party's silhouette with a rainbow of pastel shades that make your Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses not only something to dream about...but to remember for a lifetime!  A perfectly flowing Heirloom Gift for the bride and bridesmaids who know how to put the fun into elegance.  

To address their discriminating Brides’ tastes, White Stole has curated an Across-the-Era Collection of Couture Stole and Shawl Wraps to satisfy the predilection of women devoted to handmade, hand-silk-screened, heritage luxury goods who crave Haute Wedding Couture fashion at an affordable price.​ 

White Stole was born to help you feel like the exquisite creature you are with Couture Luxury Accessories that will last a lifetime….at affordable, Direct to You prices!  

This iconic brands’ graphic collection features rich color blocking and design to add superb styling to timeless, hand-crafted quality essentials…all with a decidedly cool Haute or Boho Wedding flare. 

A perfectly flowing Heirloom Gift for the Bride and Bridesmaids who know how to put the fun into elegance!  

And the best part of the story is that each piece that passes from our hands to yours gives you the perfect Heirloom to pass along to those you love.

Give yourself a pure silk Momento of your Haute Wedding Day that you will cherish forever.  Call to reserve our designs for your Spring, Garden Veranda Wedding today.

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Shawl and Foulard Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Cape Boleros for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
WE LOVE...'Charming Rose ~ Lilac' Couture Silk Stole Wrap by Valentino!
Picture
WE LOVE...'Charming Rose ~ Lilac' Couture Silk Stole Wrap by Valentino!
0 Comments

GO GRAPHIC with your Yacht, Country Club, Classic City Summer Wedding!

5/7/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
As Wedding Season is upon us, chances are you are invited to a Spring or Summer Wedding with a glamorous reception being held in a Classic City, Yacht or Country Club setting that is perfect for channeling spring's graphic trend.

To help you focus on celebrating the clear skies in your future, White Stole suggests your inspiration begin with a sky blue and white palette that keeps the pattern focused to one piece - in this case the statement Silk Stole worn by you and your Bridesmaids. 

It is true that at most high-end shops, evening wear and luxury couture come with rather hefty price tags.  Nevertheless, though the entire ensemble may be outside of your budget, Accessory Pieces are typically inside that arch.  To the Style-Conscious, the best Accessories have somewhat of a primordial quality – lending a sense that you have captured a bit of the life you have secretly desired from the beginning of your time.  With just a wisp or sheerest layer of silk or fur, you can convey the sense of delicacy or power you feel. 
​
White Stole was born to help our Bride feels like the exquisite creature she is with Couture Luxury Accessories that will last a lifetime…. at affordable, Direct-to-You prices!  

White Stole's "Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue" Couture Bridal Stole Wrap Accessory in pure Silk Satin Chiffon from the Signature Valentino Collection wraps the heritage of Old with the New to cherish tomorrow with flowing shades of luminous pastel, sky and azure blue ribbon on white that mixes the traditional Wedding Theme sayings of “Something Blue” and “Tieing The Wedding Knot” with head-turning effect.  Highlight and preserve your magnetic memories….the Sky’s The Limit!

​You
r Yacht, Country Club, Veranda or City Wedding Gala will feel all tied up in Love with this flowing ribbon design that wraps brilliantly-colored, sweeping highlights around shoulders, arms or neck...taking simple blue and white into technicolor.

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes, Shawls and Veiled Bridal Hair Accessories for purchase, or rental, on our website.
Picture
0 Comments

WHITE STOLE marries at the LITTLE WHITE WEDDING CHAPEL....on time!

1/9/2016

1 Comment

 
PictureValentino Lace Stole
It was a White Stole Las Vegas ceremony!  And she brought several Silk Satin Shawl Wedding Stoles to celebrate the Glitterati Wedding history of many of our favorite Divas from Old Hollywood to New.  Famous and fabulous women from Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Joan Collins and Patty Duck as well as Mary Tyler Moore, Mia Farrow and Demi Moore have been swept into the starlight under the influence of getting to this iconic little white chapel setting in Las Vegas "on time."  And so did White Stole….on their big Wedding Photoshoot day! 
 
Whether you choose to marry and hold your Wedding Photoshoot at a star-studded space like The Little White Chapel, a Historic City Center, a Family Vineyard, an English Manor’s gardens, an Island Beach Resort or Urban Ballroom, we are sure you will want your Wedding Album filled with photos taken at an idyllic setting, complete with memorable attire and decorations to match your theme, and warm your nostalgic heart in the years ahead.   
 
There’s always a wedding somewhere in the world, and with all the choice the White Stole Collection offers those devoted to handmade, hand-silk-screened, heritage luxury goods, everyone from Brides and their entourage to Wedding Guests alike can find the perfect luxe Stole to get excited about.
 
We’ve got you all wrapped-up in Love with colors as white as your purity, ruby-red as your heart, or brilliantly-pasteled in floral, graphic, ethereal, or silky-cool gold and diamond embroidered Stole and Wrap pieces.  And for Vintage-Inspiration, our natural toned Fur Stoles will warm your heart as you melt in his arms!
 
Simply choose from one of our favorite Valentino or Leonard, Paris Silk Satin Shawl or Stole Wrap Collection, or our Vintage Rental Stole Collections. These iconic brands’ graphic collections feature rich embroidery and color blocking to add superb styling to timeless essentials, all with a decidedly cool Modern Wedding flare!
 
View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes, Shawls and Veiled Bridal Hair Accessories for purchase, or rental, on our website.

1 Comment

WEDDING WARDROBE:  Summer “City Wedding” NIGHTLOOKS after dark

8/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Warmer days bring strapless Bridal Gown Styling…and a perfect opportunity for you to think about flirty, around-the-shoulder silhouettes and Statement Accessories for instant Chic at an Evening Wedding in the City.  Style “topped” with…. an Evening Wrap!

Our Seattle Bride infuses her signature Je Ne Sais Quoi style into her glamorous look with a simple-but-chic, lightweight Silk Stole cover-up as sunset winds down into moonlight. A long Stole - many inches longer and wider than a typical scarf - is the workhorse of the accessories world.  Use it to shield your décolletage from the sun during the day, to bring your most seductive mood into your photoshoot, and as that extra layer when the sun fades into evening moonlight.

If you're attending a City Wedding this summer or just planning on taking an urban Night-Out-On-The-Town, a Silk Stole from White Stole is the key piece you need to look stylish and be prepared for the temperature all weekend long - without over-packing.  And, Have-And-Hold as a Momento forever-after!

Whether traveling to a Destination Wedding across town, across state or across-country, heavy luggage really isn’t necessary.  Packing a few versatile pieces you can wear multiple times is the difference between going In Style…and going without!

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes, Shawls and Veiled Bridal Hair Accessories for purchase, or rental, on our website.


Photos courtesy of Melissa Miksch Photography 


Picture
White Stole's "Sophisticated Evening Lace ~ Mixed Colors" Couture Bridal Wrap in gray/black
Picture
White Stole's "Sophisticated Evening Lace ~ Mixed Colors" Couture Bridal Wrap in gray/black
0 Comments

1950’s FASHION'S GREATEST HIT – The Stole Wrap is back in Wedding Wear!

7/11/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
A 1940’s depression-era Bride may have worn her Sunday best suit with a military air to be married at the Courthouse, or perhaps made herself a simple off-white, ivory or beige dress she designed from furnishing fabrics with Gibson or mutton sleeves that billowed at the top and tapered to fit below the elbow.  She may have made her Veil, too, from lace curtains worn on top of swept-up hair, and carried a flower bouquet made from paper due to war-time rationing.  
A wealthier '40’s Bride may have danced the Jitterbug at her wedding to the sounds of a Big Band in a borrowed  Wedding Gown that featured netting or the hint of the first “sweetheart” shaped neckline and corseted waist made of rayon, or sometimes silk.  But as the era turned the corner to the 1950’s, the influence of Christian Dior’s “New Look” hour-glass dress with it’s flowing skirts made of yards of cloth set the stage for Bridal Wear. 

The '50’s Brides are seen encircled in lace or cutwork, overskirts and puffed sleeves, and yards of transparent gauze or satin inspired by the billowing, luxe skirt, tight-waist and barely visible “sweetheart neckline” of the gown that Grace Kelly wore in 1956 to wed Prince Rainier of Monaco, or by Elizabeth Taylor’s hour-glass Wedding Gown. 

The lifting of rationing on fabric allowed women to celebrate their figures with hoop skirts, crinolines and other full-skirt techniques to emphasize the waist and “pointed bosom” bodice.  French lace was the rage as post-war lace began to be manufactured again, bringing back tiers of Chantilly Lace and flouncy frills to the skirts of Wedding Gowns.

Audrey Hepburn equally influenced Bridal Wear in 1954 with her “Modern Princess” look in a ballerina Tea-Length Lace Wedding Dress with sleeves and few embellishments.  Gloves became the standard fashion of the '50s, with fingerless bridal gloves made of tulle, lace, or satin.  Shorter, flutter hemlines led to shorter veils and many gowns were designed with layered materials, three-quarter or long sleeves, upstanding gothic style collars, or to be worn as strapless evening gowns after the wedding. 

Coordinating flowing or opaque Stoles or Lace Boleros worn on top of a strapless dress for coverage at the wedding became popular at the end of the decade as dress lengths moved from floor-length to ankle-length, and dropped hemlines and scooped necklines appeared. 

The 1950's was a decade defined by decorum, elegance, and etiquette. Traditional, classic wedding receptions featured Wedgewood china, white roses, cut glass, and silver on damask cloths.  Wedding cakes, often displayed under a floral arch, were styled with popular motifs from the era, like poodles. 

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes, Shawls and Veiled Bridal Hair Accessories for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Audrey Hepburn, 1954, in Tea-Length Wedding Dress
Picture
1940's Bride in Bridal Hat and draped sleeve Wedding Dress
1 Comment

Put the Gatsby into a Bride with a Silk-Feathered Hair and Stole Couture!

4/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Eons ago, Brides simply wore their hair flowing down their back on their Wedding Day to symbolize their virginity.  Later, Roman Brides began wearing an intense, flame-colored and fulsome Veil to protect them from evil spirits on their Wedding Day.

But by the 19th century, our idea of a Modern Wedding clearly turned the corner from notions of hiding the Bride’s visage to her stepping forward in all her pure, natural perfection.  Wedding Veils continued to symbolize a woman's modesty in marriage, but the traditional cotton and lace “Boudoir” Cap was transformed into a confection of exquisitely colorful silk and lace, ornamented with silk ribbons, bows, and flowers fit for a proper Romeo and Juliet Wedding Day ceremony. 

During the years of the 1920's, the Wide-brim Hat of the Edwardian era also reigned chic alongside the "Juliet" Bridal Cap Veil.  A typically fine woven Straw Hat at that time would feature a deep crown worn so low it just about covered the eyebrows. The very wide drooping brim would drop dramatically at both sides and be trimmed with narrow satin ribbon. Large, floppy pink petal flowers were artistically arranged along the brim.

Veils pinned to hats have survived the changing fashions over the centuries and are still common today on formal occasions that require women to wear a Hat.  These Veils are generally designed with netting or other sheer material not to hide the face from view, but rather to grace and adorn the head.

Hats, from fur to silk, have endured in popularity throughout cultures and religions over the centuries, coming in all sizes and shapes from Berets, Caps and Turbans, to Cloches worn to envelope either the head, shoulders and silhouette in celebrating life’s most memorable events ~ and, of course, the crowning event of a Wedding Day.

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

VALENTINE’S DAY Weddings for true Sweet Hearts....and Ruby-Red Flowers 

2/7/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
Luxury Accessories triumph-over-all when it comes to heart-melting red and pink Valentine’s Day or Winter Wedding trends. And may we be so blunt as to say…”you deserve it!”  We can all agree that being gorgeous for your man on the most important day of your life is something to be celebrated.   So this year, we are giving a nudge in the right direction with ideas from the White Stole "Vintage" playbook - either for yourself, your bridesmaids, or your mother-in-laws - all for less than $500!

There’s always a wedding somewhere in the world, and with all the choice the White Stole Collection offers those devoted to natural handmade, hand-silk-screened, heritage luxury goods, everyone from Brides and their entourage to wedding guests looking for a luxe "gift" or "rental" can find something to get excited about.

We’ve got you all wrapped-up in Love with colors as ruby-red as your heart in brilliantly-colored floral, graphic and ethereal, or silky-cool gold and diamond-embroidered Stole and Wrap pieces.  And for Vintage-Inspiration, our natural toned Stoles will warm your heart as you melt in his arms!

 View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website. 

Picture
Picture
2 Comments

Lace, Frills, Street Style and Chic launches "New Romanticism" in Weddings

1/31/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Like all good fashion movements, the “New Romanticism” emerged from the late 60's and 70’s club scene where the fast and chic, fueled by New Wave music, adopted the extravagant Lace-and-Frills style best seen throughout the era in glam rock, or the free-spirited French Incroyables and Merveilleuses an era earlier -  both of which brought an outbreak of luxury, decadence and even silliness to fashion trends.

The 70's New Romanticism was the era that birthed the iconic Hermes “Birkin” bag, and invented the unshaven, untucked template that French men have been following for decades.  A time when no one had that many outfits, but their taste was select and precise.  We need only look to images of the 1966 racing flick Grand Prix, in which the high-cheekbones and wind-tousled bangs of shy and slightly androgynous-looking models became the epitome of French Chic to see that the passion for graphic lines, lean tops and wide trousers created a playful, upbeat look with fuel to burn.

The runways since have continued to convey these inspirations with Victorian frills, infusions of street style, rock band jackets and vintage inspirations, proving that the New Romanticism is just as exciting as the original Romanticism ever was!  Sparkly pieces, such as sequins, beads and crystals, topped by vintage fur and jewels have become the "New  Appropriate" for weddings, especially when tempered with the casual inspiration of “color.”  

Our stylists at White Stole love the juxtaposition of a jewel-toned gown alongside a feminine, amber-toned clutch and beaded necklace that match the natural tones in an empire length Vintage Stole, as pictured here in the “Sophisticate Stole!” 

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

0 Comments

BALLET-INSPIRED WEDDING WEAR FASHION THAT STANDS “ON POINT”

1/24/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
So many of us dreamed of being a Prima Ballerina when we grew up.  But if you were like us, we went to class after class trying to perfect a plie only to be forced to look ourselves square in the eye and relinquish the search for prima-perfection – but not the love of the quest!  While our hope to dance in the Nutcracker may not have been reached, our love for pastels, tulle and princess-allure have remained.

When Brides-To-Be ask us, “What do you recommend for a simple, Chic Style for my wedding?” we couldn’t be happier to hear the question!  The answer is so White Stole!  Classic pieces taken to the next level through Prima Ballerina “Princess” Accessories alongside pastels, tulle, ruffles and the highest, pointiest stilettos we can walk in!  

Factor in fine gold or silver accents, the delicacy of lace, beadwork  or sequins, pops of color, and a Bride’s “Signature Flair” for taking Couture or Vintage to the max, and your ensemble catapults you into serious “Ultra-Design-Worthy” territory!  Ballet-inspired bridal fashion is all about taking traditional dance-wear elements like flouncy skirts, wraps and shawls, and pointe shoes and lending them a modern, gala-appropriate elegance.  Exactly what a Couture Silk or Vintage Stole Wrap from the White Stole Collection offers.

We suggest you pirouette your way onto center stage in one of the perfectly ultra-feminine pieces from the White Stole Collection at your wedding this year….and take your deserved place in the limelight!

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.
Picture
0 Comments

How does a Seattle Wedding Photographer style her own Vintage Wedding? 

12/14/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture

What’s better than a chic, photogenic Wedding Photographer at her own Spring Wedding?  Six photogenic Bridesmaids snuggling-up close to their Bride for a photo-op!  

Jordan Quinn and her fiance decided to rent a vacation home and invite all of their bridal party to stay with them for the duration of their wedding weekend.  There was no better way, they thought, to capture the fun moments of the weekend with their bridesmaids and groomsmen in all their treasure.  But setting the stage was just the beginning of their Urban Wedding photologue. 

More than a month earlier, Jordan came to White Stole for a styling to choose the Vintage “Evelyn” Classic Capelet Stole because she felt it offered her stunning highlights of the blonde tones in her own coloring over her Wedding Dress Couture, would chase away the chill, and add elegance to the urban festivities.  Of all the Vintage Stoles Jordan tried-on that day at the White Stole Salon, the “Evelyn” Stole provided her the perfect Glam Accessory piece over her Sweetheart Ball Gown.  

Whether running between photoshoots on a cool April Wedding Day, stealing smiles with her entourage, or pensive during a solo, romantic moment, Jordan let luxury go to her head….and became the classiest Bride in Chicago!  See for yourself!  

View Jordan's choice of Vintage Stole, and the entire White Stole collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
Picture
0 Comments

THE CONCEPT OF GLAMOUR IS PERSONAL - Modern Bridal Fashion is here!

12/7/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
A Bride with Glamour can make any fashion Glamorous.…whether she is a beautiful woman in flowing, designer Wedding Wear, or a Vintage 50's, 60's or 70’s Fur Stole over an antique, crystal-beaded Sweetheart Ball Gown.  Most of us can remember the time, pre-branding, pre-papparazzi, when fashion meant freedom.  Where no one felt they “had” to follow any rules, and could wear their skirts cut-up to “there” or down to the floor, layered with embellishments of their choice - whether scarves, fur, feathers, leather, chiffon, headbands or bracelets.

For White Stole’s Brides, that time has returned!  Modern Brides today have an unerring eye for heritage and vintage treasures.  Whether planning on wearing their hair in a bun or flowing down their backs, today’s Brides are looking beyond what they can afford to locating that “special Chic” accessory to grace their walk into their future.  It may be something hand-laced, hand-beaded, hand-cut or sewn.  Whatever it is, in the era of mega, vanilla-looking Bridal Wear, their dream veers far from the bland towards fresh images that will evoke memories from all the traditions that have come before them.

Bridal fashion is much like a good photo from your memory book: Once you’ve experienced it, you always associate it with your moments of love and happiness.  Brides today are looking to their accessories, in particular, as a way to bring memories to their photos to look back-upon during their journey called Life. 

View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
0 Comments

How to wear a SILK WEDDING STOLE  ~ The “Must-Have” Bridal Accessory!

10/26/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
We have seen them on last year’s runways, but again in 2014 the world’s top Bridal Collections are truly outstanding with their renewed emphasis on elegance…and the Stole: irreplaceable for the Bride who wants to feel like a fairy Princess on her “I do” day.

Reserved for true dreamers, this “Must-Have” accessory gives a royal touch to the wedding - a Princessly allure that each of us look for on the big day.  An elegant detail, light and sinuous, capable of enchanting a Bride’s guests during her triumphant walk down the aisle.  Short or long, the Stole is present in all variations, Silk Chiffon, Silk Satin, Silk Cashmere, Silk Twill, Silk Tulle, Silk Lace, in white, pastel, black or bold colors, floral and graphic patterns fastened with or without the adornment of a broach.  Extremely light, the Silk Chiffon Stole, in particular, lends an elegant touch that gives fluency to the bride’s every movement unlike any other fabric or accessory - whether draped over neck, shoulder or arm, or tied in the back and draped forward over the shoulders.  For the Modern Bride, the sky’s the limit on her style choices of Silk Stoles!

Even more sophisticated, is the Silk Stole with Lace Embroidered patterning, or in the form of a Vintage Tulle. The Stole becomes an essential accessory for every respectable bride, useful to hide necklines, and, when the time is right, reveal them and enjoy the party.  Truly infinite are the combinations of materials for those who are always chilly and love sheer covering over a strapless gown as they move from church to reception or dining room, or across a ballroom floor.  From the sheerest Chiffon to Silk-Cashmere blends to Tulles that give soft volume and silhouette, the Stole’s transparence and delicacy enriches the shoulders with grace and elegance.

It is well- known that the details in your wedding accessories make the difference!  Viva La Difference~!

View White Stole’s entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Classic City Wedding ~ Set your Pose from most Urban to Serene in a Stole!

10/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
As summer winds-down, and we begin to exit the sunny season of beach, garden and ranch weddings, White Stole turns all eyes to our Urban Brides. 

City Weddings are the ideal environment to channel any season’s graphic trend, and our stylists at White Stole advise you to direct yourself to the black and white palette, and to keep the pattern focused to your theme or ideology - in this case, a statement that says “We are Tieing the Knot!”

A romantic dress is set-alight with the subtle interest of a periwinkle blue geometric ribbon print Silk Bridal Wrap that spells “Tieing-Up-Our-Love for a Lifetime.”  Adding drama with either a sheer graphic on black, or a vintage appliqué on antique white Silk Stole Wrap equally brings any length of dress to new heights, along with adding sheer cover against fall’s crisp day or evening chill. 

If you will be tieing your knot even later in the Fall Season, adding a natural Vintage Stole "Capelet" Wrap is truly an elegant way to carry you through the afternoon-to-evening festivities of a brisk fall day. Adding the interest of an intricate heel, a satin silk clutch, wristlet or hairpiece, and finishing with a navy smoky eye and chandelier earrings with any of these choices spells City-Elegance!

View White Stole entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

White Stole Presents:  SILK WEDDING GIFTS FOR  BRIDE AND BRIDESMAIDS 

8/30/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the nuptial spirit, White Stole has compiled a collection of quintessential Bride and Guest-of-the-Bride Silk Wraps we encourage you to take to heart....and shoulder…as these are the Wraps you’ll want to never take off!  Treating your Silk Wrap as the new neutral that it is, this accessory is one that goes with everything - especially now as mixed prints are back in high-style.

Whether you are going to a
Country, Garden, City, Glam or Island Resort Wedding, if you are in need of a luxe bauble that will serve as a ‘Thank You’ Gift for your bride or bridesmaids, look no further than the chic, luxury-approved curation White Stole has spent hours putting together for you.  

The unexpected set of Italian hand silk-screened, inspired colors and designs in the White Stole Silk "Gift" Stole Wrap Collection will rock any bride and her bridesmaids past the ceremony and on into her lifetime.  We have picked the perfect presents for your bridesmaids or best-friend that will be cherished - and used -  forever!

View 
White Stole’s entire Gift Collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.


Picture
0 Comments

Breaking Bridal ~ Unexpected Hues in your Wedding Day Cape Shawl

8/9/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It goes without saying that your wedding gown is a reflection of your style.  But where is it a written rule that your Wedding Gown and Accessories have to be entirely ivory, antique white or optic white?  At White Stole, we love the old adage “rules are meant to be broken“ - especially when it comes to Wedding Dresses and their Accessories!  

Although we love a classic strand of pearls, we flock like moths to light towards out-of-the-box Accessories and accessory trends. Since your wedding day will be the most photographed event of your life, we wish for you to be absolutely sure that you dress exactly how you dream of feeling on your perfect day. 

You can be both Classic and One-Of-A-Kind by wearing metallic champagne, a pale soft hue in gray, beige or blue, a pretty blush pink - and as many already have, red or black - with the perfect Luxe Accessory to compliment.  Women who wear black and ivory in it's many shades with dazzling Accessories are simply stunning!  In fact, these colors are preferred in a cocktail or tea-length for casual weddings.  

While a Stole Wrap is usually rectangular, offering more width and length, the "Sophisticated Lace Dream" Cape Shawl is more square in shape, offering extra width for a fuller, more extravagant envelope of the silhouette. In all settings,   Cape Shawl Wraps are used today to keep warm, for added fashion to complement attire, and for symbolic reasons at outdoor or indoor evening affairs where the temperature is not warm enough for women in sheer or off-shoulder dresses and where a jacket is inappropriate.

White Stole’s photoshoot of the "Sophisticated Lace Dream" Cape Shawl by Valentino in magnetic black embroidered lace on beige Silk Twill is a stunning example of the lush look of color set against a minimal ivory or black gown, making the view maximally exquisite!

View 
White Stole’s entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.


Picture
0 Comments

Newest Summer Wedding Trend.....wrapped in an HEIRLOOM

7/19/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
People all over the world are interested in standing out rather than blending in.  There are plenty of images all around us today that are fueling the resurgence in creativity that feeds our uniqueness, and allows us to continue the legacy of openness and tolerance exuded in the luxury Stole and Gown Designs of the world’s great Creatures.

Different colored Stoles have historically been used by Clergy throughout the religious seasons of the year. Most signify various holidays, such as a White Stole being used for Christmas services. Some denominations also use separate colors to differentiate between ranks or degrees held.

Color is everywhere, in every religion, throughout the seasons, and for all the themes….and the same holds true today for Bridal Wear.

There's nothing more glamorous than a Color-Inspired Wedding – whether we are speaking of the ceremonial location, the table setting, or the walk down the aisle.  From iridescent opals and diamonds to flowery or graphic motifs, prepare to obsess over the curation of color that today’s free spirited Bride-To-Be is holding dear to her heart!

Of course, in the heart-of-hearts of any glamorous Bride, the thought of taking her Wedding Day with her into her future is always a heartbeat away. And what better way to do that than with a luxury silk, couture "Heirloom" Stole Wrap or Shawl that will serve as both a cherished momento for her and her bridesmaids of their glorious day, but as a memory that is brought to mind every time she wraps it around her from this day forward?   White Stole wholeheartedly agrees!

View 
White Stole’s entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Silk Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.


1 Comment

The Bride shimmers on into twilight in a luxury Evening Silk Stole Wrap

6/28/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
As a summer day dips into twilight in our more temperate climates, the chill in the air beckons after sundown for an Evening Stole Wrap that will offer light covering and warmth, yet still be suitable for wedding gala festivities where a jacket would certainly not.   

Those of us who run more warm-blooded might have wrapped our
Stoles as a Sash around our waists, necks or elbows and left them to drape behind us throughout the reception and on into evening’s dancing.  

In any and all stylish cases, the ever-popular
Evening Stole Wrap and Evening Shawl come in many different forms, sizes and price ranges.  Stoles of silk, silk satin, chiffon, organza or similar sheer materials are meant to provide a bit of warmth, though Fur Stoles and Evening Shawls, the latter of which are often knitted, clearly provide more.  The Silk Stole Wrap has historically been paired with an evening gown or dress. These Silk Stole Wraps for evening are typically finished with a simple hem on either end, exuding elegance in being both light and sheer.  Some individuals prefer to pair their Evening Stole Wrap with more casual fashion skirts and dresses since the Evening Stole Wrap will launch any attire into an elegant look for evening when teamed with dressy heels and accessories.

Triangular knit
Lace Shawls are usually knitted from the neck down and may or may not be shaped. Faroese Lace Shawls historically are knitted bottom up and contain a center back gusset.  Each shawl consists of two triangular side panels, a trapezoid-shaped back gusset, an edge treatment, and usually shoulder shaping.

On top of warmth, an
Evening Stole Wrap is often worn to show off a particular fabric, like silk satin, or fur. The major difference between Stoles and Shawls lies in the size, and the material. Stoles are usually rectangular, offering more width and length than a Scarf, while Shawls are more square in shape, offering extra width for a fuller, more extravagant envelope of the silhouette.

View
White Stole’s entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Silk Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.


Picture
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    November 2022
    March 2020
    November 2019
    May 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    A note from
    ​White Stole's Stylist

    White Stole and I introduce the New Face of Modern Wedding and StreetChic Accessories with Stoles, Shawls, Foulard Wraps that bring out the pretty-little-bling in any gown!
    ​xoxo Roberta, Stylist

    Categories

    All
    1920's Inspired Wedding
    1930's Inspired Wedding
    1940's Inspired Wedding
    1950's Inspired Wedding
    1960's Inspired Wedding
    1970's Inspired Wedding
    1980's To Modern Wedding
    4th July Wedding
    About White Stole
    Beach Resort Wedding
    Black Tie Wedding
    Bridal Registry
    Classic City Wedding
    Country Club Wedding
    Country Vineyard Wedding
    Dior's "New Look"
    Evening Silk Stole Wrap
    Fall Wedding
    Garden Wedding
    Heirloom Silk Stole Gifts
    History
    History Of Como Italy
    History Of Haute Couture
    History Of The Fur Stole
    Holiday GLAM Wedding
    How To Wear Silk Stole
    How To Wear Street Style
    Indie BOHO Wedding
    Island Resort Wedding
    Leonard Paris
    "New" Romantic Wedding
    New Year's Day Wedding
    Oleg Cassini
    Personalized Bridal
    Photoshoot Tips
    Prima Ballerina Wedding
    Rental Bridal Wear
    Resort Wedding
    Royal Wedding
    Silk Stole Wraps
    Spring Wedding
    StoleChic StreetChic
    Summer Wedding
    Sustainable Silk Fiber
    The Couturiers
    Theme Wedding
    Urban Wedding
    Valentine's Day Wedding
    Valentino
    Veiled Bridal Couture
    Vintage Stole Wraps
    Vintage Wedding
    Wedding Gown Styling
    Who Is White Stole's Stylist
    Winter Wedding
    Yacht Wedding

    Shop White Stole Signature Wrap Collection
    Shop White Stole Collection
    Shop Evening Stole Wrap Collection
    Shop Gift, Photo, Theme Collection
    Shop Classic GLAM Gala Collection
    Shop Vintage Bridal Stole Collection
    Shop Customized Bridal
    White Stole In The News!
    Wrap With Us!
    Resource Guide: Ladies in Fur 1940-1990

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.