Chrissie Nicholson-Wild has been running her bespoke corsetry, bridal and tailoring business for…read moreover 10 years in Brighton. She used to be based above fabric land, but moved onto Duke Street a while back. The first thing i must say is that this is a high-end business that offers original designs akin to the tailors of old. You won't be buying anything off the peg and all projects will involve consultancy and be one of a kind items. Of course, this does mean that you will be set back a fair amount, but taking into account the quality and amazing aftercare service, it is well worth saving up for that dream item you have always thought about having made. I have had Curve Couture design and make a number of items for me over the years. The most ambitious being a full length leather coat inspired by the French movie 'Brotherhood of the Wolf'. For every project, Chrissie has provided excellent expert advise, enthusiasm and top quality garments. Alternative weddings dresses, fitted corsets and performance clothing are the main focus of the studio and the website displays a good range of the work produced. Generally, a deposit is taken and then paymetns may be made on completion of the work, or by installments. You wouldn't do all your shoppinng here (I wish I could), but I guarantee that anything you choose to get made from Curve Couture will be in your wardrobe for many years to come. I cannot recommend this seamstress enough!!!

Beautiful Corsets!!! Lovely sense of colour and really unique pieces!read more

I was a bridesmaid at a close friend's wedding recently and this is where we came together to pick…read moreout the bridesmaid dresses. Tucked away on Church St, we probably wouldn't have thought to come here but luckily this place has a great word-of-mouth reputation. The shop itself has a stunning collection of gowns and accessories and the lady who helped us listened exactly to what my friend wanted and pointed us in the right direction. Eventually we ordered a 4 Dessy chiffon cocktail dresses in a wine colour (or claret I think it was called). The assistant chose sizes based on measurements we gave her. All I can say is thank god we ordered well in advance (the order took 6 weeks) because although all the dresses fitted perfectly the 'wine' colour turned out to be more of a light pink. I have to say though that there were many apologies and great customer service despite this mistake!

I love walking past this shop and peer in at their racks of beautiful gowns- for a cosy little shop…read morethey have a large selection. I have only had cause to go in once to check out their bridesmaid's dresses, which I was impressed by, despite the initial impression when you walk in that most of the dresses are very traditional white/cream/ivory elaborate full-skirted affairs, they actually have a range of styles from the modest to the vintage to the more contemporary. The best thing about the shop is the intimate relaxed atmosphere- the staff are so helpful and give advice without being pushy. You end up chatting and taking your time to properly consider your options- I can imagine it would be a nice place to buy a wedding dress- which again came in a great range of styles.

I accompanied one of my close friends for a fitting in this wonderful shop. I'm not a particular…read morefan of the classic wedding dress which is just as well, because this store offers modern yet chic designs made ethically and with low prices to boot. Every style can be adjusted and even the made to measure dresses start from just £650 including all fittings. Whilst my friend was getting super star treatment from the assistant I had a quick look at the bridesmaid dresses (always the bloody bridesmaid) and I have to say I was equally impressed that they've managed to give the dresses very simple and elegant cuts. Especially stunning are their vintage dresses from the 50s onwards that can be tailored to fit, a wonderful concept and 100% waste free.

I will make this brief as trading standards and rogue traders currently in the process of…read moreinvestigating the knock of dress supplied that had been worn chopped up and passed off as bespoke . Please feel free to contact me if you ever consider using this establishment . There is no part of this business that is ethical, except the fabrics are most certainly used again. Dresses lining hanging 2 inches lower than outer layer. Shoulder seams chopped off unevenly and crudely folded back on themselves. Zip insertion completely butchered with 4 joining fabric pieces a mixture cut on bias(in different directions ) and grain . A couple seams neatened the rest crudely cut to 2/8ths and unfinished and fraying badly . I could go on and on as there really was nothing right about this dress including the numerous stains all over the dress and lining . Jane Witham

This is set in a minor parade of shops within the suburb of Westdene in Brighton - but its my guess…read morepeople come from far and wide to get there. They used to occupy one shop within the arcade, and when another became vacant - not even adjoining - they expanded into it. So, on view are two or three shop windows full of beautifully designed, handmade bridal and occasion wear. I often pass nearby, and I've often seen the lights on at very odd times of day, with a young woman and her mother sitting there talking to the staff. Consultations are unhurried and detailed. They need about four months to put a dress and a look together, and they really do do everything. When I was last in there, one of the members of staff was sitting quietly sewing a fascinator - those things that are a cross between a hat and a complicated hair ornament. They have a beautifully produced A4 booklet that enables you to take home the look, which also has quite a bit of help with wedding etiquette and so on. Beautiful, flexible, comfortable designs, with a huge amount of attention paid to detail.

Online shopping can only see the wedding pictures, but the pictures cannot be fully seen a wedding…read moreversion of the type and texture is good or bad, the seller will usually show real photos, or different from the picture shows. If you have time, try to look at several, and finally selected two to three, the price is good to have a contrast. Pay attention to the details of the plan, can sometimes be seen from the details of the wedding pictures on the quality of workmanship and materials, for example, a good wedding seams will be very neat, the material also can observe the extent of reflective fabric to confirm the quality of materials, reflective strong fabric, texture will be relatively poor, but not comfortable wearing.

Florence alert! Hope…read more& Harlequin is exactly the kind of vintage fashion boutique that Florence and The Machine would visit religiously if she lived in Brighton. Run by a devoted fashion lover, its an adorable store that specialises in unique, distinctive and gorgeous clothes from the late 1800s to the 1970s. If you're looking for a Celia Birtwell blouse, an Ossie Clark dress or Vivienne Westwood jacket, this is the shop. Price tags are pretty steep but we're talking about seriously special dresses, coats, capes and gowns that will bring out your inner goddess!

Hope and Harlequin is a gorgeous shop, there's no doubt about it. It feels more like a museum of…read morevintage ladies wear, than a real shop though, which can be a little off-putting. With beautiful dresses and evening wear from the '20s, '30s and '40s, much of their collection wouldn't look out of place in the Fashion museum or the V&A! There is always, without fail, an absolutely stunning dress hanging in the window, beckoning for me to enter the stylish boutique and part with more money then I have. If you're looking for a unique original vintage item, you need look no further. Beautiful dresses, stoles, shawls and more line the rails...many of the items are delicately embroidered and embellished. As well as original vintage items, they sell their own bespoke imitation pieces, which are equally as pretty, and probably a little sturdier! They also sell lovely little home decor items and specialize in vintage and new wedding dresses- they have an impressive selection and some of them are really unusual. In fact this shop is so pretty and pastelly, it would be a great place to look for wedding design inspiration in general!

The shop no longer exists. No one is there to reply to…read morecalls or emails. Their designs are beautiful, but ultimately don't get you hopes up

I have never written a negative review before, but am sharing this in the hopes that it saves…read moresomeone a huge headache. Before giving my deposit for a wedding dress, Joanne was quick to respond to my inquiries. She sent me fabric samples to choose from, and put together a catered "dressing room" for me on her website. Despite hesitancy after reading previous reviews, I decided to move forward with a wedding dress purchase a year ahead of my wedding (not a custom design, just one of her existing patterns in a fabric color I selected). After giving my deposit, she stopped responding to all forms of communication. About 6 months in, I accepted that I had been ghosted and used PayPal's dispute system to attempt to get my deposit back. Shortly after initiating this, I received a lengthy email from Joanne apologizing for the lack of communication and reassurance that she was planning to make the dress and would keep me posted. I canceled the dispute, and sure enough I haven't heard from her since. It has been another 6 months, and I am two days out from my wedding. No refund of my deposit, no acknowledgement of my attempts at contact. I had to move forward with purchasing another dress elsewhere. Trust me, you do not want to be in this situation. Planning a wedding is difficult enough, it is demoralizing to become attached to a particular look and make design decisions for decor, flowers, etc. around it and have it fall through without a clear point of resolution. And to have the experience of excitedly sharing your chosen dress with friends and family, and later have the embarrassment of needing to explain to them that you were scammed. It has really soured what should have been a joyful experience.