How do French women accessorize on their wedding day? Un béret simple? Mais, non. The fashionable, in the know women want to have fuss-free fun—at least that’s what Maison Michel—part of Chanel’s Métiers d’art—believes. Birthed in 1963 by Auguste Michel in his millinery at 65 rue Sainte-Anne in Paris, the couture hat label is finally giving us what we desire—bridal. The debut wedding collection, under creative director Priscilla Royer, celebrates love through modern pieces and is now available on Over The Moon.
For the milliner’s first bridal collection, Royer focused on celebratory shapes in white that weren’t too princess-y or that screamed “I do” in a “cheesy” way, she says. For her, white is more than a traditional color, in this instance. “The white color here echoes brightness and protection from the potential bad spell, for me.”
The bright white pieces had a similar design process to the brand’s non-bridal headwear, and Maison Michel encourages brides to wear the pieces again and differently, while also savoring the one-of-a-kind feeling from one’s wedding day. Who wouldn’t want to incorporate a Chanel-approved bridal bow, headband, or hat into their wardrobe? And the Kiki Boater Hat with the veil recalls that iconic scene in Nancy Meyers’s The Parent Trap, when Elizabeth James brings Hallie to a photoshoot and has the brilliant idea of styling the veil with a top hat, but with a French couture twist.
We got the chance to chat with Royer, a Studio Berçot graduate and Vivienne Westwood alum, to briefly talk about the new aisle styles, the brand’s progress, and more:
Since joining Maison Michel for the FW15 season, how has the brand and its designs evolved?
“When I arrived at MM, the label was well known by an elite, parties, and VIPs; it was an insider’s brand with a very strong social network. What needed to be done was to open up to a wider type of customer/public and place MM headwear on a streetwear level which was the vibe at the time. In terms of design, I started to work on personalities to imagine new shapes—who could where what and where and which occasion? The collections became a massive grid, where the blanks were filled, whether it was related to the weather or a special occasion.”
Are there any iconic weddings/brides that you took inspiration from?
“Not really…I just thought about myself and the current context, asked myself, ‘What would I do if I were to get married?'”
Where do you see these pieces worn best?
“For most of them, I could see the pieces worn for a wedding that would be modern and without the weight of a high organization and family pressure.”
Can you describe who you think the “Maison Michel Bride” is?
“A free woman who wants to look great for herself and her loved one. A woman who would just want to celebrate her happiness by shaking traditions a little bit and having a minimal wedding full of joy and fun…for that she needs easy to wear pieces.”
