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Alfredo Vaez, Wedding Chameleon.

Alfredo Vaez is a scoop-filled event all to himself, and has spent his last few months creating tailor-made wedding gowns. Everything he says is said to reassure the 2008 brides that might want to call on his services. Once you've heard it, you'll just have to and see. For now, let the dreaming begin... Interview with Alfredo Vaez.

An Exceptional Artist
Open a magazine or listen to gossip and you'll catch the extravagant eulogizing over Alfredo Vaez, one of the rare artists unanimously admired by his profession. And there's good reason for it: his talent has made a magician of the man. He's friendly, modest, and down-to-earth - "I would call myself an artisan rather than a designer; I live and work in my own little world," - and gets real pleasure from personally following his brides as they go through the design and fitting process. "I used to work in a style boutique. Then I won a prestigious fashion design competition, and a famous fashion house sought me out. I honed my craft at various big-name places for six years, and worked like a horse to place my own stone in the immense edifice that is male and female fashion design. Then in 1996, I found myself missing my native town of Tours, and so I opened my boutique there. And business was booming, almost immediately. Fairytale gowns created solely to measure seduced brides-to-be all over Tours and around. A great many Parisiennes made the journey too, and convinced me to open a second boutique in the capital, first in Saint-Germain-des-Près and then in the Marais, in 2003." His sophisticated, poetic, fairytale creations reveal a unique sensibility. Then transform as the day goes on, creating a real sense of surprise. He gets his inspiration from everyday life, from meetings with his customers. Ideas come of their own accord. "A gown is not a costume," states Alfredo Vaez. "Every aspect of it should reflect a personality."

A 360° Turn
At 43, he's currently at a major turning point in his life. He took over the Odéon, a gourmet restaurant in Tours, in July 2006. "It's a whole other world, one that I love, and that takes up a lot of my time. I have enormous plans in my head, one of which should come to fruition very soon. At the end of 2007, he'll swap his wedding dress design venture for a new one. He is currently in talks with a wedding apparel company that wants to licence the Alfredo Vaez name. "If it happens, my 15 or so gowns won't be one-offs any more. But I will continue to use the finest quality fabrics and materials, lots of satin organza and organza netting; Calais lace; sober, doppioni and mikado silk designs; loose, flowing gowns in georgette and silk muslin, hugging the body in a sensual way, experimenting with levels of transparency; chic, very clean cuts, gowns that play with pleats, like origami. These gowns will be perfect for young, hip, quirky women in the 24 to 30 age group, and for older women who are marrying for a second or third time. The way I envisage it, there will be several colour options for each dress. And the collection will feature three or four signature dresses, the ones I loved most of all. One is chiffon with flowers and ostrich feathers, a light chantilly lace corset and an organza trim. Another is an exceptionally light mixture of three kinds of draped organza, and a third is a georgette gown with a chantilly scoop neck.

In Paris: 81 rue du Temple, 75003 Paris. Tel. : 01 56 24 36 57.

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