How A Good Old Movie Inspired My Evening Wedding Gown

As far back as I can remember, a movie has captured my wedding imaginary: a 1956 American musical romantic comedy directed by Charles Walters and starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the unforgettable Louis Armstrong as Mr Satchelmouth with His Band. High Society, of course! The calypso overture is my favorite jazz song of all times, and the movie is still the one that makes me feel better and genuinely laugh every time I watch it. It is the kind of fun you clearly do not want to apply to your own wedding organization, but one cannot deny that the whole style is in itself iconic. It is certainly this funny but emblematic blend that made the movie one of the greatest Hollywood classics ever.

Add to that the relation my family entertains with jazz: my brother is the artistic director of the Atina Jazz Festival, which means tons of jazz listened to since I was very young (by the way, just in case you didn’t know, Atina is the place to be in July because of the Festival and the unique atmosphere you breathe in its balmy jazzy nights). In the movie, Grace Kelly appears at some point in a soft-as-a-feather white organza dress with tone-on-tone flowers and their green leaves, outstanding long balloon sleeves and a full skirt (a dream of effortless elegance).

No one can feel at ease in taking inspiration from Grace Kelly—there is a kind of iconic you immediately prevent yourself from aspiring to—but I think one is wrong to do so because if it is true that it is utterly difficult to have a waist as tiny as hers, smile and grace are always highly imitable, and beauty has never been a matter of size. The white organza dress triggered my vision. My version of it came in white silk organza with honey gold flowers embroidered on. And I would pair my movie-inspired evening wedding gown with a double pearl chain Ruslan Baginskiy white canotierhat and white dolly-like Repetto shoes.

Choosing Repetto Babies pumps for the wedding evening is the rightest move on the wedding day, especially when you have spent the entire day on 15 cm heels and you feel like one more step on high heels could be definitely one step too much, but you still want to dance and smile and be heavenly gracious. As they say in Repetto’s last Christmas advertisement “from childhood memories to grown-up grace”: I agree and do my best even if you certainly wouldn’t want to see me in a ballet (I agree even more with that). I am the biggest Repetto fan ever. My dressing room is filled with Repettos of all colors and shapes.

Shifting from Vivienne Westwood platforms to lovely ballerinas was a statement of sorts: I am grounded, at home, alongside my beloved husband. As for the boater hat, I must admit I have been struggling to find how to wear it in the right way, but I finally found it: tilted back Cordobés sombrero style. Feel free to try and let me know.

Francesca Manzari