Mother's Superior

Special Get ready for o c c a s i o n s

Want tolook elegant and graceful on your special day? nt

Polwarth Design is your one stop destination for special occasions. The dress, the jacket, the fascinator, the shoes and the accessories all under oneroof... Cheryl, Karen and the friendly team have a wealth of experience in dressing Mothers of the Bride –Whatever your style Polwarth Design have you covered!

WHANGAREI Okara Shopping Centre

Ph 09 438 9697

DARGAVILLE 78 Victoria Street St

Ph 09 439 7341

SHOP ONLINE 24/7

Like us on Follow us on My, how the trends have changed over the decades. For the past 37 years, we have dressed thousands of ‘Mother Of’s’ for every type of wedding occasion imaginable and it has been an exceptional journey.

BYKAREN MATICH, POLWARTH DESIGN

In the late 80s,we‘madetomeasure’. One-offensembles right out of the latestVogue, Cosmopolitan, or Bazaar magazines. Clients would arrive clutching theiroversized shoulder-padded picture, select afabricand

Mother,withtape measureinhand, would weaveher magic.

Itwas aperfectsolutionfor the ‘I don’twant anyone turning upinthe same outfit’, client andtook precedence over buying‘offthe peg’.

Bythe 90s,we weresourcinggarments from prominent designers. Multigored skirts were thego, teamed with snappy peplum jacketscinchedatthewaist or long-linebandedtops with side ties. Throwa picture hat, clutch, bitch heels and, ofcourse, ‘big hair’ into the mix and, providingeverything matched perfectly, these MOB and MOG’s were readyto go.

Theyear 2000was a revelationtous. Always slow learners,werealised after nearly 20years in business,we were the same age as the Mother Of‘s we werestyling. We’dcaught up andwedidn’t like what we were expecting themtolike!!!! Itwas a welcome change of mindset - weneededto goyounger and the searchfor edgy newlabels like Moss and Spy,Artisan and

Cachet began.

Thefollowing decade reigned manmade knits for those who preferreda fitted dress. Cleverly designedto Newport Kiara Dress

Loobies Story Persia Midi Dress Trelise Cooper Dream Tonight Dress

complement with discrete ruching, draping, ruffles and bling, these Canadianinspired designscame inevery size andcolour, unfortunately without the shapewear (Bendon sorted that). Electric blue andcerise pinkweresucha wowcolour preference, along with predictable navy, we hadto monitoreachwedding in Lemon Tree case of double-ups. Prue Green Paisley Dress Bythis time, outdoor, garden and beachweddings had become the norm in preference to the traditional church wedding and, with the addedvariety this provided,wewere busy. One Saturday alone, withina four-hour periodwe dressed eleven Mother Of’s. No pressure!

Over the last decadewehave seena dramatic shiftto digital shopping. Global trends are an inbox away and the options are varied andattainable. We have hadtoembrace this. Like buyinga house, many of our in-storeshoppers are digital browsers; they arrive knowing what they arelooking for,but nothing beats thereal thing. Mother Of’shave afeast of choices ina fashionworld with no rules. It boils downto selectingstyles,colours andfabrics that resonatewith who you are, sometimes whenyou leastexpect it,nudging those comfortzones and trustingyourexperts.

Almost four decades down the trackweare snapping atthe heels of GOB’s- Grandmothers of the Bride. With our greying hair andcoolingcomplexions,pastels should rule the day, but ascommitted rule breakers, there’s no waywe’ll turn outresembling moths. GoTrelise Cooper withyour multi-coloured frilly flouncy outrageous creations.Let the backgroundfade into us.