Halter gown by Jesus Peiro.
When bride Colleen was a teen facing body image issues, she learned to embrace her curves from the many personally autographed photos of Marilyn Monroe that graced her grandmother’s kitchen walls. So as homage to the movie legend, Colleen wanted to emulate Marilyn for her wedding day.
I immediately began pulling gowns that evoked that 1950’s Hollywood glamour. First was a slinky Elizabeth Fillmore gown that Colleen saw on the rack that evoked Marilyn’s sexy side. This was the gown that everyone had in mind. Next Colleen gave one of my picks a try, a gown from Jesus Peiro that was a modern take on Marilyn Monroe’s famous halter dress. With Colleen torn between the two gowns, she tried on a different silhouette that didn’t feel special enough for her. While in this third gown, Colleen declared that she had made her choice and went back to the dressing.
After returning confidently to the pedestal in her final choice, the Jesus Peiro halter, she and I agreed that it was the confidence that Colleen felt that most embodied Marilyn’s memory. Hair and makeup experts Lindsay and Raychel created a modern version of Marilyn’s classic hairstyle and makeup.
Simple and clean lines define the back of the gown.
For her makeup, Raychel played up Colleen’s lips with a sensual red color like Marilyn wore.
Lindsay created a modern version of Marilyn’s soft tousled curls.
Crystal belt detail.
Hair jewelry (Apricot Bubbly) by Cheryl King Couture for added sparkle.
Earrings (Nile) by Thomas Knoell for Watters.
My sketch for my “Modern Marilyn” bride Colleen.
To see more gowns by Jesus Peiro, go to www.jesuspeiro.com.
More accessories from Cheryl King can be found at www.cherylkingcouture.com.
To view the complete Thomas Knoell for Watters collection go to www.wattersbridal.com.