It was not long ago that I first laid eyes on the bridal salon in Suite 120 on Sherry Lane in Dallas, Texas. However, beautiful furniture, mirrored glass tables, fresh flowers and a soothing aroma of a burning candle is not what captured my attention most.
There was something different about this bridal salon. I entered a pristine bridal salon filled with gowns of lace, beading, tulle and lovely detail. Each gown that hung from the custom wood hangers was designed and created by owner Nardos Imam. Each gown had her talented hands upon it.
At a very young age, Nardos Imam dreamed of designing couture gowns and often was seen flipping through the pages of Vogue. Now, Nardos allowed this dream to become a reality. In January 2014, she opened the doors of her own bridal salon. And today, Nardos is sharing a glimpse into her production process.
Unseen by the public eye and hidden upstairs behind closed doors is a production studio where each gown is carefully crafted. Nardos spends countless hours perfecting the one-of-a-kind wedding day look for each bride, mother of the bride and bridesmaid. It is not often that a bride is able to work directly with the designer to create a custom gown.
In a design meeting with a bride, Nardos guides her client to create her custom gown. By selecting fabrics, lace, beading, or the shape of the gown, brides carefully choose the specific details that Nardos will gather to create.
In order to visualize a bride’s idea, Nardos begins with a sketch of the gown she is designing.
Before each gown is created, a muslin is cut and stitched. A muslin is a guide, or pattern, to follow in production of the gown. Once the muslin is produced, the fabric is cut and sewn.
So many steps are taken and techniques are used when designing these amazing custom gowns. The average amount of time placed in the creation of these gowns is 6 to 7 months.
These are the reasons why I knew something was different about the bridal salon on Sherry Lane. Nardos Imam is a designer that not only visualizes and sketches each design, but she puts countless hours into each custom gown for every bride to walk through the door. It is truly a labor of love for design and for her clients.