The Couture Process

        The couture design process is just that, a process, but it is beautiful and artistic. Here at Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture, customers get the treatment of a movie star, a couture gown or bridal garment designed specifically for them. The Lucio Vanni team wants to let you in on the magic that happens throughout the process of creating a garment from and seeing it brought to life. 

        The design process begins with inspiration. For one of our recent customers who wanted a Mother of the Bride, as well as a Red Carpet and Evening gown, the inspiration came from the customers idea from her daughter’s wedding flowers and colors, as shown below.

Wedding idea

 Designer inspiration

       From the wedding flowers, came the color inspiration of beautiful blues, followed by the sketch, also known as the illustration, drawn specifically for our clients. The illustration is a gorgeous sketch that begins the fabrication and garment creation process.  Next in the couture process is to acquire the fabric and materials needed to bring the sketch to life, as well as designing the print to be applied to the fabric chosen. Once the graphic design pattern is drawn out, a fabric sample is printed, and if met to designer standards, the fabric is purchased.   

Lucio Vanni Couture illustration

Starting fabric art   

Digital print fabric finished

       Lastly, the physical garment creation process begins. Measurements are taken of each client, and then the garment model is started. The fabric is pinned, layed, and dropped in perfect positions to accentuate each client and stay true to the illustration that began it all. Once the garment is constructed, its time to fit the garment perfectly to the clients likings and measurements. Once everything is in place, our designer Vanni finishes the gown by making sure every stitch and print is placed perfectly. The final creation is one of elegance and beauty, that all began with an inspiration turned into a sketch.

Start dripping

 Finished couture dress

       This couture design process is not an easy one, but it is an experience unlike any other. The special attention and one of a kind garment that is created for each client is magical, and cannot be found easily. Women do not need to go to Paris or New York for this special treatment. The couture experience can be lived right here in Ohio. At Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture, we create that experience and are pleased to do so. Our designer Vanni Wang is world-renowned, and her expertise is incomparable. Come into our boutique today located on Chagrin Boulevard in Beachwood, OH. Contact us at (440) 815-1860 and schedule an appointment to have a once in a lifetime couture experience unlike any other.

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Falling for Beauty

This past weekend at Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture we had an amazing bridal photo shoot. Titled, "Falling for Beauty", the photo shoot turned out impeccably, and it ended being a perfect fall day. Everyone arrived at 2:30PM and we finished around 8:00PM. It was a fast, but exquisite shoot. We took shots of five of Vanni's amazing, couture bridal gowns. Our team for the day included our photographer Julie Stanley, make-up artist Roni Klein, hair stylist Karen A Baxter-Feliciano, and model Stephany Allen. Everyone had an amazing time, and was exceptionally pleased with the results. Here are a few shots from the day!

From the romantic, sheer, button-back, satin dress, the off-the-shoulder, alluring, floral ballgown, the embroidered, and beaded, mermaid gown, the edgy, long-sleeve dress, to the princess, tulle-layered bridal gown, each was beautifully photographed and displayed. Vanni Wang's exquisite eye for detail, delicacy, romance, and beauty is incomparable. The amount of work and perfection that goes into each gown is pure genius. Every gown is created with a vision, and most importantly, passion. The photo shoot allowed us to take photos of Vanni's impeccable work that will soon be displayed in Weddings in Cleveland magazine. We want to thank our team again for their hard work and beautiful results. It was a perfect fall day, and a gorgeous photo shoot.  

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Lucio Vanni Infinti Fashion Show

Thursday July 17th, Lucio Vanni had the privilege of holding a fashion show for the Grand Opening of the Infiniti Dealership in Beachwood, OH. It was a wonderful night and spectacular event! 

Vanni showed three collections: bridal, ready-to-wear, and couture. The models vividly brought all the collection garments to life on the runway. The bridal collection featured new and romantic A-line gowns with art deco beading, French lace, silk satin, and England tulle, followed by the crowd pleasing pieces of the the couture collection that included luxurious cashmere suits, colorful silk gowns and dresses. The finale piece was a purple peplum dress with applicated French lace on sheer tulle, which was dedicated to Infiniti's purple for the grand opening.

Lucio Vanni Bridal Collection - photo by BVM

Purple, peplum finale dress - photo by BVM

Putting together a collection and producing a show require a lot of hard work and planning. What people see go down the runway for 30 minutes takes months of preparation. From making confirmation calls to photographers, videographers, models, guests, etc., it takes time. Vanni worked on her collection tirelessly, and the team here at Lucio Vanni worked hard to make sure everything required for the show was supplied and prepared. Invitations were sent out, model calls were held, fabric was called in, a lot went into preparing for the show. Finally, July 17th arrived, and the day had come for the show. The day started off with model training by Skylar Starks. Skylar was such a help and great individual to work with. Her expertise and time were greatly appreciated. After model training, they were taken to get their hair and make-up done at Dino Palmieri's Salon in Beachwood, OH. 

Model Training by Skylar Starks

Once the models were finished with their hair and make-up, they headed back to the studio for fittings. It was crucial to make sure each model had their garments picked out for them and ready to be taken to Infiniti. 

Model fitting - Kaitie Kirchner

Once we arrived it was a mad dash to get the models fitted into their garments for the first collection.

Getting the models lined up for the first collection - photo by Eric Mull Photography

Behind the scenes preparing the models - Nicole, Vanni, and Stephanie - photo by Eric Mull Photography

It was a whirlwind show, changing the models outfits between the collections, but it ended up turning out beautifully and Vanni's garments looked flawless. After the show, the models proceeded to informal modeling, and mingling with guests.

Models mingling

Our gorgeous Lucio Vanni models - Kaitie Kirchner, Emily Bare, & Ava Schmidt

Couture Gown - photo by Petrica Porfireanu Photography, jewelry by Marise Designs

The show turned out beautifully, and everyone had an amazing time. The garments, and Vanni herself, received high praise from the audience. 

Lucio Vanni Couture Collection - photo by Eric Mull Photography

Vanni's collections were a labor of love. The amount of work that goes into putting together such a collection is unfathomable. Putting a show on is cumbersome as well, but Vanni Wang and the team here at Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture wanted to make sure to put forth the best garments, and put on the greatest show for the cause of it all, which was to raise funds for students to go to college.

All proceeds from the event were planned to help underprivileged students who were attempting to attend college. The donations that were given would go towards funding for the student's tuition to schools in the Ohio region, which included Kent State University, Cleveland State University, and the University of Akron.

Lucio Vanni models with the Mayor of Beachwood - photo by Kt Knilans Photography

The team here at Lucio Vanni were pleased to be a part of such a philanthropic event, supporting students dreams to attend college, which was the main goal of all our work.

We would like to thank all of our models and their mothers. They were all volunteers who gave up their day to help support Vanni and the show. We had a fabulous day getting to know and spend time with them. We also would like to thank Dino Palmieri Salon in Beachwood, Petrica Porfireanu Photography, and Kt Knilans Photography for their time and effort. It was a great evening, and Vanni's collection proved to be a magnificent highlight of the event! 

Lucio Vanni Team - Nicole, Rachel, & Dana
{ what's a little work with no play ;) }

"Fast Fashion"

Two weeks ago we had a very unique situation happen at the boutique.

A bride walked in on a Thursday and needed a gown off the rack. Her wedding dress had been ruined in the alterations process, and she was getting married the following Saturday. She had went to various bridal shops in the area and could not find what she wanted, and nothing that she could get in time for her wedding in a week. She also had to leave the next day to go back to Michigan to plan for the rest of the wedding.

It was crunch time. When Holly walked in we listened to her story then instantly started fitting her into a few gowns and decided on one. Alterations were needed though, so we proceeded to call Vanni in immediately to work her magic. When Vanni heard about the trauma the bride had gone through with her previous dress, she was compelled to help her out. Unfortunately, one day was not enough time for all the alterations that were needed to be done to the gown straight off the rack. What normally would take months, Vanni completed in less than three full days. New lining was put into the dress, a new scalloped top was made, as well as a completely new front to the skirt. And it was nothing short of a miracle that Vanni had some fabric in stock that matched the dress perfectly.

Saturday, the bride came back in for a final fitting before getting her finished garment Sunday, just three days after she came in. It was a mad dash. Vanni worked her magic, and practically cut out and sewed a new dress for the bride. It was incredible, and the bride was beyond happy.

Throughout the crazy three day experience the bride talked about her troubles with her old dress and showed us pictures of the damage. We knew that we had to help her out. When she came in on Sunday to try on her dress, she was amazed and so happy. She said she loved the dress even more than the first one. You could see the glow on her face, and we were so happy to have contributed to it.

We are so happy for Holly, and we are so glad that we could help her out. We cannot wait to see pictures of the wedding day, and to see her in the custom-gown. We hope she had a beautiful wedding and that she has an everlasting marriage!



Beautiful, open scalloped back



Vanni and Holly

 Holly on her wedding day

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Mother of the Bride

Last week at Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture, we had the pleasure of finishing, and handing over, a custom-made Mother of the Bride dress to our fantastic client, Gene.

Gene found us by googling "mother of the bride dresses in Cleveland". She went to numerous departments stores, but could not find anything that she loved, so she sought out our services because she knew we did custom gown work. We sketched out exactly what she wanted, picked out the perfect fabrics, fitted the gown perfectly to her body, and made sure she was happy with the results every step of the way. Gene wanted to an open back, sleeves, and purple fabric, so we made sure to give her what she wanted. We used Purple French Chantilly Lace, Silk Organza, and Silk Taffeta. The finished garment ended up with a beautifully open, yet covered, lace purple back with gorgeous purple covered buttons for closure.

After talking to Gene at her final fitting, we asked her how her experience was, and she said it was wonderful. She was honest and said she was nervous in the beginning, but she knew Vanni had great expertise and experience in what she does, and Gene trusted her and knew it would turn out perfect. And she was right. Gene was thrilled when she saw her garment finally finished and brought to life. Watching the process of how her garment was created, from start to finish, was Gene's favorite and most interesting part of her experience because it all started with a sketch.

We are so happy for Gene and her family, and more than that, we are thrilled at how much she is in love with her gown. To quote her, "I have never found better results anywhere else."

             Designer inspiration and gorgeous, french chantilly lace

     Gene with Vanni Wang

Beautiful, open lace back

          

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Summer of Change

This summer, exciting things are happening at Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture!

All our social media accounts are up and running - this week, we have reached 10,000 followers on Twitter and over 2,300 likes on Facebook!!!  So thank you for all your support and be sure to checkout our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

We also have a great new team and new collection pieces for custom couture, bridal, and mother of bride & groom dresses.

Now is a better time than ever to stop on in and check out all that Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture has to offer! Come in and enjoy a fun time looking through all of designer Vanni Wang's hand-made, custom garments who has worked for luxury brands such as Prada and Chanel. From bridal, to couture, to ready wear, we pride ourselves on 100% customer satisfaction. You get personal service and attention like you would if you went to New York or Paris.

So whether you are getting a custom made garment, looking for a dress for an event, or looking for a couture piece, we guarantee your 100% satisfaction and a great experience. We are so excited about this new season for Lucio Vanni and hope you are too!

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Meet the Designer

Ever wanted to know more about Vanni Wang, our international fashion designer and creator behind all the our gorgeous garments at Lucio Vanni Bridal & Couture? We recently answered some questions for a blogger who wanted to showcase Vanni Wang on her page, and now we are letting you in on the interview!

 

• When did you know that you wanted to be a designer? Did you study a different subject and think that you would have a job in a different field before you knew you wanted to design?

I knew I wanted to be a designer when I was 15 years old. I went to school to get my Bachelors of Science in Business, but I continued to learn fashion illustration, textile design, and coloring on my own, while I was going for my degree.

• What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion means a lot to me. I used to use my candy money that my parents would give to purchase fashion magazines, fabric, and materials instead. I would look through Western Magazines to learn more about couture, design, and drawing. It became a huge passion, and has become my life’s work. 

• How would you describe Beachwood/Cleveland's fashion?

Women in Beachwood have a very conscious fashion style. They are more casual and traditional in their dressing compared to places like New York, but they do have a higher standard when it comes to their clothing. My hope is for women in the area to keep their desire for more fashionable apparel, and find their personal value and individual beauty through their apparel.

• What was the first article of clothing that you ever designed?

The first article of clothing that I ever designed was a pair of bell-bottom pants. I got the idea from reading my Western magazines. I created a pair for myself and when my friends saw them they all wanted a pair. From there, I began to take orders from my friends, make money, and buy more supplies and fabric to design and create more clothes. 

• What are some of your fashion goals?

My fashion goal is for Lucio Vanni to become an international luxury brand, just like a top European luxury brand. This is my dream.

• What are your favorite colors/patterns to work with and why?

My favorite pattern to work with is lace because of its texture and because it gives every woman a feeling of luxury. I also love working with lace because lace can be created and designed to be both classic and/or sexy. 

My favorite color to work with is black because it is a classic color that can be worn to any event. It is a multifunctional color that is slimming as well as sexy.

• What is your favorite part about being a designer?

My favorite part about being a designer is when I have finished creating a garment or a collection. You feel successful, accomplished, excited, and proud. 

Interviewer/Writer: Dana Papadopoulos
Designer: Vanni Wang