POV: Vivian
My friend Isabelle has been designing wedding gowns since we were in college together, back when everything was simpler and I didn't know what it felt like to watch the man you love marry someone else. She calls me Tuesday morning asking for help with a rush delivery, says she needs an extra pair of hands to prepare gowns for final fittings with several high-profile brides.
"Nothing complicated," Isabelle promises when I arrive at her studio in the Garment District. "Just quality control. Check seams, make sure embellishments are secure, steam out any wrinkles. I have three celebrity brides coming in today and I'm drowning."
The studio is exactly what you'd expect from a designer who dresses Manhattan elite: floor-to-ceiling windows, industrial chic aesthetic, mannequins draped in various stages of wedding dress construction. Isabelle has been working nonstop for weeks, evident in the dark circles under her eyes and the empty coffee cups scattered across work tables.
