Agyness Deyn—model, actress, singer—could have gone virtually anywhere for her wedding dress. But when it came to exchange vows with hedge fund manager Joel McAndrew in Brooklyn Heights last weekend, she was enveloped in a mighty cloud of tulle by the young English designer Molly Goddard.
A mutual friend, London makeup artist Celia Burton, put Deyn in touch with Goddard, and it turned out to be a match made in tutu heaven. The designer, who is renowned for her oversize, fairy-tale dresses, says that Deyn was super-relaxed about her gown, the furthest thing from a spoiled, entitled bridezilla.
“She came to the studio in May or June, tried on a few things, and then said, ‘Do whatever you think best!’” Goddard recalls. “I got the feeling of what she was after immediately—a wedding-y wedding dress, a bit glam but not glamorous, and sparkly, which scared me a bit.” She describes the result as ivory with a hint of green (a whisper so subtle maybe only the designer can see it?), with a pearly pink layer visible underneath and sporting a bodice replete with Goddard-trademark smocking in metallic turquoise, a color choice inspired by the bejeweled blue Manolo Blahniks Deyn brought with her to the studio.
Goddard avows that if you don’t like the bride, it’s much more difficult to make her dress, but in this case the bond was instant. “We only did one fitting, a pretty quick process—I think we set some kind of record! We had so much fun; we were drinking water out of champagne glasses.”
They also cooked up a veil together, looking at pics of Audrey (Hepburn) and Grace (Kelly) for inspiration. “The dress is quite big, so we just cut a circle in tulle and plopped it on her head; it looked crazy! A potato-shaped piece of tulle pinned to her hair—she is one of the few people who could carry it off.”
And if, as Goddard admits, a voluminous turquoise-embroidered and smocked ballet ball gown and veil are, well, kind of over the top, she is quick to add, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” Looking at photos of a radiant Deyn and her beaming bridegroom, who could possibly disagree?