Everyone wants a piece of this new cult dress brand and so do I
There is a name on everyone's lips at the moment: Bernadette. But don't be fooled, she isn't a hot new celeb, but instead a hot new dress brand and everyone wants a piece of it, from Net-A-Porter to Browns.
Of course editors and fashion influencers have also create some serious buzz around it, wearing the designs before they even launched in the UK (it's based in Antwerp) - thus making them even more desirable.
Bernadette is the brainchild of Charlotte and Bernadette, a mother and daughter duo, who only started working together a year and a half ago.
'Besides our mom-daughter bond, we also share a passion for creativity and fashion. After graduating with a master’s I moved to London to work for a fashion brand, but I quickly realised I missed challenging my own aesthetics and using drawing as one of my main assets.' Charlotte says.
Bernadette adds, 'My daughter called me one day while she was in London: ‘let’s start a brand together!’ Which of course I was up for from the very first second. This felt like the biggest dream for a mother. We have always shared similar interests like hunting for antiques and vintage together.'
The result is a line of easy-to-wear pieces (the slip dress is my favourite), in vintage prints with a fresh twist, all made to be layered, with colours and patterns clashing beautifully.
Shop now: BERNADETTE from Selfridges
In other words, ultra-feminine, which is the whole ethos of the brand. 'We believe our strongest asset is that we are both women designing for women. We aim to design timeless pieces, that can be worn by mums and daughters. We get inspired by the different ways these generations style the pieces differently. We love seeing old photos from iconic movie stars like Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly and Elisabeth Taylor. Their beauty remains in such a timeless manner, and this is what we strive to be and put forward in our designs,' the duo say.
But that's not to say you should take the clothes too seriously, as per Bernadette's sartorial rules, 'I would wear furry pink Miu Miu slippers with one of our ivory satin dresses with red flowers and big vintage earrings. I love some clash and challenge.'
For Charlotte on the other end, it's all about gender fluidity, 'I feel like my aesthetic can be more minimal where I have days that I want a Carolyn Bessette moment, wearing an oversized mens coat with a white t-shirt and one of our satin skirts. I think it’s very sexy to wear a lingerie inspired piece with masculine tailoring. '
Their other strength is their social media following, but it's more about building a rapport with followers than likes or numbers: 'Instagram gives us the opportunity to follow amazing women with their own unique styles, but also gives us the opportunity to show a more personal, in-house image of the brand.'
You're about to see a lot more of Bernadette, as the brand is launching into Selrfridges this week, a bit moment for Bernadette, who says, 'My mother used to live in the UK in her twenties and Selfridges used to be her favourite store. When we told her they were going to launch our collection, she was overwhelmed by happiness and pride.'
