“The Dressing Club bride is effortlessly elegant, traditional yet contemporary – the epitome of French fashion.” Le Dressing Club
Ssh! Did you hear? There’s a new bridal concept in town, and it’s set to sweep you off your Manolo-ed feet. Le Dressing Club (founded in 2015 by Victoire le Prince Ringuet) has not only caused waves in Paris with its enchanting concept and store, but has recently opened a new boutique in Earl’s Court, London. Partnering with the likes of Rime Arodaky, Delphine Manivet, Laure de Sagazan, Victoire Vermeulen, Margaux Tardits, Donatelle Godart, Marie Laporte and more, the likelihood of taking to the aisle in your favourite French designer is no longer a mere dream. Prepare to discover a treasure box of second-hand gowns, exhibition models, old collection designs and prototypes – all in brilliant condition – with a price tag that’ll make your heart-stop (and the husband-to-be jump for joy) and the realisation that your choice is eco-friendly too. With up to 60% off the original selling price, Le Dressing Club is a must-visit for any London or Parisian bride.
I caught up with Le Dressing Club to discover more about their incredible brand…
#1 Talk us through the concept of Le Dressing Club?
“Le Dressing Club was founded in 2015 by Victoire le Prince Ringuet in Paris. In 2013, as Victoire was looking for a bridal gown for her own wedding, she quickly discovered the minimum budget for a French designer wedding dress was €3000 minimum. This sparked the idea of democratizing access to high-end wedding dress designers by launching the concept of a luxury bridal outlet. Victoire started the adventure in her own home by collecting her friends’ wedding dresses. The dresses flowed in and fittings took place in her living room! As the concept’s success grew, she was urged to open a dedicated showroom and started thinking bigger.
In 2015, she launched Le Dressing Club in a beautiful Haussmann-style apartment in Paris. She formed partnerships with the most sought-after French bridal designers such as Rime Arodaky, Laure de Sagazan, Victoire Vermeulen, Maison Floret and Donatelle Godart to name a few. We currently work with over twenty-five French bridal designers, and also work with wedding dress retailers. Back to our concept! We give a second life to both samples, previous collections, prototypes from French bridal designers, as well as second-hand wedding dresses in immaculate condition from specific designers.
We have two important objectives at heart. Firstly, give every bride-to-be the chance to find their dream dress, consequently we resell our dresses with up to 60% discounts off their original retail price (£1500 to £3000). Secondly, we aim to improve sustainability in the bridal industry. Given wedding dresses have painfully short life-cycles, we give life to dresses that would otherwise be disposed of or stored in a box. We recently created our own wedding dress brand called Alba in our Parisian atelier. Entirely made in France and from natural fabrics, we design affordable yet elegant French wedding dresses.”
#2 Describe the Le Dressing Club bride? Is she stylish? Does she want to wear a French brand down the aisle, is she eco-friendly?
“Le Dressing Club bride is effortlessly elegant, traditional yet contemporary – the epitome of French fashion. She’s a bold, assertive and independent woman that seeks quality, refinement and modernity. Needless to say she is environmentally conscious. Every bride-to-be that enters our showroom supports our sustainable concept. Brides are also offered the possibility to resell their dresses in our showroom after their weddings.
Furthermore, Le Dressing Club bride has a distinct personality and her own way of thinking. Each designer we offer describes and embodies a different personality. Our unique variety of designers, ranging from effortless boho to refined glamour, is a way for brides to identify themselves by finding their dream dress.”
#3 What made Le Dressing Club open up in London?
“Following Le Dressing Club’s success in Paris and increasing demand from London-based brides, we opened a pop-up store in London for three days last year. It was a huge success! So, we decided to go further and permanently export our concept to the UK by opening our Earl’s Court showroom in September 2020. We also pride ourselves in bringing the work of French designers not available on the UK bridal scene. That way our brides are guaranteed to wear pretty unique and exclusive dresses!”
#4 What’s the best way for a London bride to get in touch regarding one of your gowns?
“It’s pretty straightforward:
- Head to our website: click here. ledressingclub.com
- Have a look at our wonderful bridal pieces.
- If you like what you see, book a fitting directly from our website.
You can browse our Instagram/Facebook pages and you will be redirected towards our website. Make sure you follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about our new arrivals and events.”
#5 What sort of life have your stocked gowns had? What is the beauty of the service you offer?
“We offer more than a service. We are fortunate to be unique by bringing a fresh French touch with our concept.
In our London showroom we mainly have samples and previous 2018 to 2021 collections of beautiful, high-quality wedding dresses. Those dresses essentially come from France, either from our Parisian showroom or directly from our partner brands or retailers. We maintain close relationships with our iconic designers which is hugely important to us. They provide us with stunning, high-quality pieces which we then resell in our showroom.
Our wedding dresses aren’t just a combination of beautiful materials. Beyond the fabric, each gown has its own story, each designer has their own way of creating and conveying a personal message through their creations. We believe we take these two aspects into account to provide a personalised service to our brides. That is what we feel defines the beauty of our service and concept.”
Discover more about Le Dressing Club here.
For more bridal boutique suggestions and wedding dress inspiration on Bridal Editor click here.
