Page 8 - Real Style December 2017

Christos Costarellos
hemian style for his inspiration.“Especially for this bridal collection, there is inspiration from girls who love music festivals, from Woodstock to Coachella. They are in between sexy and girly, classy and dy- namic,” he says.
It also helps that Costarellos looks at brides differently than the average designer, and has a strong belief in individuality. “I’m always say- ing that the bride must be herself. I think we have seen a lot of strapless dresses and a lot of dresses that are always trying to catch the ,” he says. To his artistic eye, tea-length hemlines, pale pink tones and subtly cut-out backs and fronts are the way of the future, styled with just a little bit of tradition. For accessories, he favours a silk tulle veil paired with
Costarellos’ typical customer has an air of con- dence and strength, an energy that the designer brings into his frocks. “They are girls who have a strong personality and are not afraid to show it.”
earrings.
Whether his customer is in Greece or Toronto,
With a celebrity following that includes Chrissy Teigen and Jaime King, this certainly rings true. Outspoken and stylish stars regularly don Costa- rellos’ creations, although their home base may be closer to sunny Los Angeles than Athens.
Costarellos admits that bridal style all comes down to number one—the bride herself. “The most impor- tant advice that I can give to a girl is to nd a dress that re ects her personality and beauty,” he says. We’ll raise a glass to that!
Costarellos tells us that he also incorporates some global elements into his authentically Greek collec-
8 Real Style December 2017
tions. “I use a lot of French fabrics. I love the gossamer type of laces. The typical lace that we use is something that we found in Greek traditional carpets and tapestries. We take piec- es like this, all types of lace, and put them into a new version in our de- signs,” he explains.
Although the creative force makes the art of bridal design look easy, crafting such intricate dresses is not a simple task for the thought- ful Costarellos. “The most challeng- ing thing is to create a collection that is not the typical bridal collection,” he says.
Indeed, Costarellos’ aesthetic is all about combining wearabil- ity with luxury. Unlike many other contemporary bridal designers, he has focused on following fashion trends. For the Christos Costarellos label, the days of puffed sleeves and cupcake-like tulle is long gone, ush- ering in a new era of sleek lines and sassy brides.
PhoTos, lefT: chrisTos cosTarellos, righT: PraDa lookBook