Article by Lauren Weeks
Images by Victoria Bruno Studios
Tulle, tiers, ruffles, and romance: that’s one way to describe Millia London’s corner of the market. Quite literally, the brand worthily conquered an entire room in a corner of the MeLange de Blanc bridal market showroom during this April’s New York Bridal Fashion Week showcase. From every angle spilled dreamily voluminous tulle gowns and trains in an assortment of candy shoppe colours, ranging from the designer’s signature muted tones of dove grey and ivory to a bold peacock blue and hot pink.
The brand focuses on femininity in all palettes and is renowned for its exquisite, voluminous, and extravagant gowns. Prominently featuring immediately identifiable hand-dyed ruffles, romantic refined silhouettes, and a rich high fashion aesthetic, Millia London aims to encapsulate that inherent femininity of design within its signature playful looks. The brand creates looks that would turn any event into a couture editorial, and the emergent designer has gained traction in the fashion and bridal world for its young yet clearly distinct brand identity – Millia London has already dressed attendees of the Cannes Film Festival, stocked worldwide from the UK to Asia, and released exclusive collaborations with BHLDN and Anthropologie in the short years since the brand’s debut in 2020.
Stepping into a trademark Millia London look instantly surrounds the wearer with a distinctly royal feeling. Not afraid to take up space, stand out, and present unapologetically femme, the gowns bring a sense of confidence and nobility to the room. Whereas more traditional bridal ball gowns tend to be fairly reserved, the Millia looks presented in the newest bridal collection danced along the lines of the nontraditional. Pale peach and rose tulle colourways stood out as a romantic alternative to conventional white, in piles of tulle that draped the body in a way both flattering and extravagant. A uniquely “something blue” gown caught the eye for the contemporary bride, carrying a cascading icy blue ruffled silk skirt that met a sheer deep-V top embellished with large silk flower ornamentals at the hip and shoulder. In designs such as these, sheer halters and seductive open backs or rib cages felt coyly flirty without being overdrawn into the risque, and lent a balanced sense of freedom to the mounds of extravagant tulle. Rather than covering the feminine body, Millia London emphasises it with artful draping and masterful use of nude linings, concealed zips, and synergistic skirting, gowns, and shoulder pieces that a bride can mix-and-match to create a unique look to taste. Craftsmanship seems to be a clear tenet of the brand, and each design fabrication seemed sturdy enough to withstand a walk down the aisle, night of dancing, or frolic through a windswept field – despite each look’s delicate cloud-like textiles.
As a whole, the playful designs of long trains of tiered tulle, all-over ruffles, puffed shoulders, and oversized silk flowers contributed a sense of great fun to the collection, which some designers at times shy away from in favour of more pretentious bridal design. However, here this casual and lighthearted approach works brilliantly to create high fashion attire that still encourages the wearer to enjoy themselves while in their wardrobe – each cheerful look brought a smile yet felt carefully considered, stylistically intentional, naturally cohesive, and intrinsically kittenish overall. With the recent rise in popularity of “balletcore” and the current trending coquette aesthetic in the style world, we can easily see these flattering looks as popular with brides of all ages worldwide who are looking to highlight their feminine side in an elevated editorial yet lively way. Millia London offers a fresh, fun, and distinctly identifiable dressing choice for any bubbly bride for both the red carpet and the wedding day aisle. One to keep an eye on, we anticipate even wonderful design stories fit for any momentous event to come from this breakout designer in coming seasons’ collections.
Writer: Laur Weeks @Laur.Weeks
Photographer: Victoria Bruno @vb.media
Designer: Millia London @millia.london
For: VPRCOMMAG @VPRComMagazine
Showroom: MeLange de Blanc @melangedeblanc
PR: Coterie White @coteriewhite_
