And whilst her dramatic signature gowns still remain a major inspiration, Chantal is also heavily influenced by Gaudi, Art Nouveau, wrought ironwork, architecture, Marie Antoinette, nature & fairytales. As her style has progressed over the years & has got more complex, the designs have become more organic & unusual; she loves to work in loops & curls with frequent nods to her love of the fleur de lys. The names of each piece, as with her gown collection, reflect the individuality of each design.
How Chantal's work came to market:
The idea to offer bridal accessories commercially came about from Chantal's appointments with Fashion Editors of UK wedding magazines. Upon seeing her image portfolio, they wanted to know who made the crowns & coronets as they had not seen anything like them & they asked to shoot them.
Chantal added to the collection & did the grand tour of the London based wedding magazines & at each magazine the collection was met with similar enthusiasm. Fashion Editors practically snatched them out of her hands & she even had to say 'no' to lending certain pieces because other magazines wanted them for photo shoots at the same time. Chantal was surprised by the response but realises with hindsight that the difference between her accessories & her dresses is that, where her wedding gowns can be too much of a statement for some people, her accessory designs are just enough of a statement.
It is fair to say that the fashion that followed for wire work crowns & the pieces you see of a similar ilk in the market today, were inspired by the pieces Chantal originally made & loaned to magazine shoots back in the late 90's.
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