Atelier Aimée gown - 2011
If you've been to visit us at Happy Isles over the last few months, you have probably seen the label Atelier Aimée.
Saddled up next to Vera, Carolina, and Monique - when brides come across Atelier Aimée gowns the first question is usually, who is she?
Peach gown from Atelier Aimée's pink bridal collection. - 2013
Atelier Aimée is an Italian fashion house founded in 1961 as a bridal accessories brand - specializing in floral accents and headpieces.
After changing hands over the years, Italian businessman Rolf Kissing purchased Atelier Aimée in 1983.
His wife, Lucia Zanotti, soon took over as Creative Director and began creating show-stopping Bridal moments.
(Note: You'll notice many of these photos are not the *highest* of quality - that's how deep this dive was...)
Lucia Zanotti of Atelier Aimée
Lucia’s artistic sensibilities, romantic aesthetic, and passion for Italian craftsmanship gave rise to an era of larger-than-life gowns from Atelier Aimée.
Atelier Aimée Ballgown at Villa Carlotta - 2011
From an early age, Lucia desired to be a painter or a sculptor. But Lucia’s artistic soul is evident in her work at Aimée.
The skirts are voluminous, but not without shape, always sculptural. Gathered tulle, dramatic ruffles, and uniquely placed bustles create luscious silhouettes that would be right at home in Maria Antoinette’s court.
Atelier Aimée Printed Gown at Villa Carlotta - 2011
Lucia’s used color in her bridal collections with a painter's eye. (Lucia even called herself and her team “painter-tailors.”)
Soft washes of pink layered with puffs of warm ivory. Pink and green flowers embroidered over a sheer corset. Pale green sashes layered over lace bodices.
Atelier Aimée two piece set from Happy Isles.
Lucia’s collections from the early ‘00s to the mid-2010s are the antithesis of Vera Wang's classic American aesthetic.
Baroque, feminine, and so lushly Italian.
Two Looks from the 2011 Collection.
Take this duo of looks from 2011.
The flowing silk organza skirts, draped into ruffles or a front bustle, like the style on the right. Precisely placed flowers add color and youthfulness.
A gown from Atelier Aimée's sister label, Emé di Aimée.
Youthfulness is a through line in Lucia’s work at Aimée. Even more so in Atelier Aimée's younger sister line, Emé di Aimée. (Miu Miu to Atelier Aimée’s Prada if you will…)
Fun and never too stuffy, Lucia desired for her bride to not only be emblematic of the bride’s outer beauty, but her inner self as well.
Although the gowns were playful, Lucia loved her work and took her responsibility as a bridal designer very seriously.
“We are called to be present at what I consider a very dramatic and emotional moment …the bride must be very beautiful, the out-and-out protagonist of the ceremony…”
A gown from Atelier Aimée's "Romeo and Juliet" Collection from 2012.
Although lesser known, Atelier Aimée had high fashion DNA. Lucia collaborated on pieces with Dolce & Gabbana and counted Gianni Versace as one of her most devoted champions.
Always an advocate of excellent craftsmanship, Lucia Zanotti was proud to produce her gowns in the "traditional" way in her Italian workshop, maintaining the quality one would expect of the “Made in Italy” label.
The back of Maeve Kennedy's wedding gown from Atelier Aimée - 2009 // New York Times
Hand-sewn pearls, lace from France, silk from the best silk mills - Lucia fought to maintain a level of quality that was not always easy for a 21st-century business.
You can see that quality if you have had the pleasure of trying on one of their gowns at our salon.
Strapless ballgown from Lucia's "Romeo and Juliet" Collection from 2012.
And while the styling on some of the runway shows and editorials really, ahem, speak to a time. (Hi, 2010 top knot-esque up-dos...)
The gowns have an energy and romance we personally can’t wait to see more of.
