If you’ve been following our blog for a while you might have already seen this interview with wedding gown designer Reinaldo Alvarez. Yesterday we caught up with Reinaldo at his beautiful showroom in the heart of the Marais in Paris (it’s a hard life) to ask him some questions about his influences, the process of dress fitting and a whole lot more. Renowned for his chic, minimalist style dresses, Reinaldo is also a fountain of knowledge on all things wedding related and, lucky for us, he’s always more than happy to give out some of his invaluable advice!
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Hi Reinaldo! So, you started off by designing evening wear, did you always want to end up designing wedding dresses or was it a natural progression for your line?
I needed to sell! People only shop in the sales, either now or in January… so I had to change my activity! My mother had a wedding shop in Puerto Rico so people always asked me why I didn’t make wedding dresses… but at the time I thought I don’t want to! Then an American girl ordered a dress from me even though I didn’t have a wedding dress collection. It was a short dress with a coat for a civil ceremony, and that was the beginning of it! So I made a small collection of about 20 dresses; the first season I sold 13, the second time around I sold 45!
Has your upbringing in Puerto Rico influenced your designs?
Yes, a lot. I come from a family where everyone did sewing, everyone was in fashion. My mother had a shop and the way she dressed, the way she created her stuff, influenced me a lot. Everywhere I went there was something to do with fashion going on, on both sides of the family… my mother’s side and my father’s side!
Can you give us an overview of the process of buying one of your dresses? How long does it take and how many fittings are needed?
Normally there is a 6 month delay and it is really made to order… it’s like the haute couture process. There’s a pattern made out of cotton which is the same as the shape of the dress the bride is going to wear, but made to her exact measurements. It is sculpted on the girl, then we cut it flat and that’s the pattern… it’s called a “toile”. When you buy a dress in the shops and they say it is made to order, it’s not made to order.
That was my next question! What are the advantages of buying directly from a designer rather than a dress shop?
Buying a dress from a bridal shop is not the same, it comes from a standard size and then they retouch it… it’s altered by a seamstress that didn’t make the dress and it is sold by a salesperson who is not a seamstress, so the dress is not personalised at all. Really it is a ready-to-wear dress that is then made to fit the girl.
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Interesting! So you say the process takes about six months?
Yes, it takes six months because I don’t just have a couple of customers, I see many people per week. When the season starts I have to plan my fabric buying, my minimums of fabric, what I need to buy from Italy, how many yards etc… so it has to be done ahead of time to avoid shortage, because I buy by the bolt. You need at least three fittings, but four or five if needed because often people either gain weight, lose weight or get pregnant! This year it’s been pregnant city!
What kind of materials do you use? Where do you source them from?
It’s mostly silk of different types. It’s all Italian silk… it’s the best. Italy has the best fabric there is… Lyon was the capital of silk for many, many years and there is still a silk market there but the Italians… wow, they do fantastic stuff!
Where do you look for inspiration?
A little bit of everything but I always look to 50s and 60s haute couture, especially the 50s. It’s timeless, elegant… it was the most elegant period.
So when you’re designing a dress, do you have a specific woman in mind? A woman with certain attitudes or tastes?
No, because you have to try to appeal to a lot of different women. So I have things with or without a collar, dresses that suit women of different sizes… so no, I don’t have a particular woman in mind. Except for one thing: the women who come here don’t want frills, they don’t want frou-frou or flowers or petals, they don’t want lace… they want a beautiful fabric and a well-made dress.
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Can you share with us some of your favourite spots in Paris?
Of course! There’s my neighbour, la Mangerie, which is a nice tapas restaurant. It’s excellent, young, fun and great food… it’s fantastic. What else…. it might sound snobby but Versailles! We go once a month to a restaurant in Versailles called the Brasserie du Théâtre, it’s really nice. Where else… I don’t go out that much!
Does the city of Paris play a role in your designs? Would your designs be the same if you were still in Puerto Rico?
Paris does not influence my designs at all. It’s mostly an American thing – minimalism, it’s not French at all. But it does appeal to the French, they love it because it’s simple.
Do you have any advice for a bride when looking for her wedding dress?
Yes, don’t waste time… don’t waste your own time or other people’s time. If you can’t afford a designer dress, don’t go to a designer; this is a business and people must respect the fact that we live from this. Nobody talks about it but people should be told! If you want to look at designer dresses go to the internet, look at pictures, but don’t waste people’s time. Time is money! People should also know that copying a dress is against the law… I get calls from people asking me to copy a Givenchy organza dress… why are you calling me? Call Givenchy!
I imagine it’s also quite insulting as a designer to be asked to copy someone else’s designs?
It’s very insulting! I got a call from someone asking me to recreate a suit they’d seen at Dior… it’s by Dior, you should buy it from Dior! If I go to a restaurant and order a hamburger that is €15 and I only have €12, I go to McDonalds! People need to respect that it’s a business. And everyone should know that all these ready-to-wear dresses, they come from China. People should be buying French, buying dresses that are made in France.
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What should a bride bring to her fitting?
They should bring the shoes to the second fitting but the most important thing is the underwear… the bra, because that’s what gives you the fit across the chest. If you change the bra you change the placement of the breasts… it has to be the one you are going to wear on the day of the wedding.
What about the shoes? Do you design shoes as well?
No I don’t design shoes but shoes are very important! They should match the dress… in my opinion the most elegant is the fabric shoe, made out of the same fabric as the dress. People might think it’s old-fashioned but that’s not the case, elegance is atemporal, it’s timeless. Some people come in with red shoes or grey shoes… faux pas, faux pas, faux pas! Comfort is also a very important word – the bride has to be comfortable on the day of the wedding and I try to give them advice on what to choose. The shoes need to have a beautiful point; the tip of the shoe should be nice, whatever shape she prefers, but it should match the dress. The heel should be comfortable too, it should be a stack heel, something thick that she can balance in… no stilettos!
Do you advise brides on their hair and makeup? What’s your favourite style?
I like natural, just better than every day. She shouldn’t arrive with a huge chignon when she’s not used to having a chignon! If she has a bob, let her wear her bob! It needs to be an exercise in elegance… it’s not Halloween! With makeup she should have a natural face, no fake eyelashes… for my brides at least! She should be the most natural and tasteful as possible, people need to be able to recognise her. If she hardly wears makeup every day then she arrives covered in makeup on the day of the wedding people won’t recognise her… and she’s not going to look any younger!
Can you sum up the style of your dresses in a few words?
I can do it in one word : minimalist.
So what’s next for you as a designer?
I’d like to sell my dresses all over the world. There might be something happening in Miami but for sure there’ll be something happening in Paris with my ready-to-wear evening wear collection. We’re working on selling it to stores in a professional showroom, it’ll happen for next summer.
Last question: if you could dress anyone, dead or alive, in one of your dresses, who would it be?
I have no idea… who would I like to dress…. definitely not Jennifer Lopez even though she’s Puerto Rican like me!.. dead or alive… it’s a tough question… Coco Chanel so we can compare notes!
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Thanks Reinaldo! What great advice for a chic wedding! To check out Reinaldo’s collection or to make an appointment visit his website. You won’t regret it!
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