'We are just a passionate, creative & experienced group of people who love making Brides happy' Coral Johnston - Corston Couture
We get to know the fascinating designer behind the Australian Bridal Wear label Corston Couture & their stunningly feminine Wedding Dress Collections. Expert stylist and head designer Coral Johnston, tells of how it all began for this Couture designer and great advice to offer Brides who are just starting out on their search for their perfect Wedding dress!
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HOW WAS CORSTON COUTURE BORN? Corston Couture just evolved, much like how many businesses do I suppose. I had been doing a Science degree at University (majoring in Psychology), and realised that I was never going to be happy using the degree. While I had been studying I had been making the odd bit and piece for a variety of clients and myself, so decided to just launch a collection, and see what happened. That was September 1989!
I launched a line of dress clothes (jeans, trousers and shirts) for Sports Men, who were virtually unserviced in Australia at that time. It is a bit of a long story, but the business just evolved toward evening and bridal gowns, and I found most satisfaction making stunning Bridal Gowns... so about 5 years after I started the business, we were doing almost entirely evening and Bridal... about 10 years ago we decided to focus solely on Bridal.
DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WANTED TO DESIGN BRIDAL COUTURE? Honestly I think I always wanted to design something, and if it had been left entirely up to me, I suspect I would have ended up being a shoe designer, I was obsessed with shoes as a child... filling countless sketch books with shoe designs. However my father really insisted his daughters had to get a University education in something that would make a reliable career (to support yourself and any offspring you decide to have, because you can't trust men!...so said the most constant, stable Father anyone could ever wish for!.)
Regardless, I ended up in Bridal design, and am so happy with what I do, I couldn't imagine being a shoe designer now!...(and that Constant, Stable Father of mine, is secretly happy with my "Career" too.)
HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY WILD DESIGN REQUESTS? In my almost 29 years of designing, yes there has been some crazy requests! I have made posing trunks for body builders...Male and Female (amazing how you can reshape the body with just a tiny bit of cloth!!) I have made costumes for a TV Character and her magical unicorn horse (an enormous, beautiful beast) I have made Silk Organza table cloths to match a brides dress. I have made a fully bead encrusted white "swim suit" for Jennifer Hawkins via Myer to wear at G'Day USA in LA (not really sure how comfy that piece of clothing would have been...but Jen is a true professional, and looked stunning as usual Oh!.. the list is endless!
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR BRIDES JUST STARTING OUT ON THEIR SEARCH FOR A DRESS? Of course!
1. Do a budget for the entire wedding, and set aside about 10% for a wedding dress (this is the average ratio)
2. Research thoroughly online, and book about 3 to 4 designer/shops that have dresses you love the look of, AND are in your price range. (I think if you do your research well enough, you will find your dream dress at one of these stores/designers....any more than 4 and either you see too much you don't like or you become too confused)
3. Work with someone you feel a "connection" with, who is not pushing you into a decision, a fast decision for women, about a dress that is so important, can sometimes lead to a mistaken decision, one that is regretted, and often costs so much more to fix/change...everything will still be available in a day or two after you have slept on it!
And finally,
4. Have fun shopping...take a couple of really good friends/sister/mother (not too many, as too many diverse decisions also can be bad).
5. Book a day or two for shopping, and schedule in lunch or coffee breaks to debrief!
TELL US ABOUT WHAT CORSTON OFFERS BRIDES? We are just a passionate creative and experienced group of people who love making brides happy. I, as the head designer, also believe that if you are paying this much money for a dress, the dress needs to be exactly as you want it to be, and the experience has to be the best we can make it be...and we truly do bend over backwards to make our Brides happy.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?
I love the variety of Clients that I get to meet, I love the variety of the dresses I get to design for clients....I love my staff...
Corston Couture
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Photographer: Julia Johnston Photography
Model: Lauren McKinnon
