Introducing New Marriage.com Expert, Michelle Roth

We are pleased to welcome our new Marriage.com Expert, prominent bridal gown designer Michelle Roth! A featured designer at Kleinfeld in New York, Michelle and her collections have received acclaim, with features on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, E!, Oprah, Fox and Friends, CNN FN, Brides and Modern Bride. And now, we are excited to feature her expertise. We begin with the following interview… 

How did you decide to become a dress designer?

My parents have a successful bridal business in Sydney which has been the family business since before my birth. From the time I was young, myself, my brother (& co-designer) Henry and sister Lilian were very strongly ensconced in the world of fashion and bridal fashion particularly. I loved working with my parents in their business, particularly my mother with her passion for patterns, fabric study and bead work design. When I finished school I completed a Political Science degree at the University of Sydney and moved to New York to work in the Australian embassy there. This is when I fell in love with New York and wanted to combine all the experience that I had gained from my degree and being at the consulate and the passion that is part of my family history and forge our family design company in New York City.

Why did you decide to focus on bridal wear?

Bridal wear was very much in my blood. Working with brides and families towards a wedding means that you get to know them at a very special time of their lives. I am not certain that I really had an option because it has always been such a passion and joy, and I learned designing from my mother from the age of 5. Of course, for my parents being holocaust survivors, designing wedding gowns is about new chapters, optimism, joy of life. And from the darkness of World War II, it is our honor and creative responsibility in the way that we know best. And that is through wedding dresses.

Describe your design process. Where do you get your ideas/inspiration?

The Michelle Roth collection is very much a sophisticated and dramatic creativity because it is so classic, feminine, stylish and uncluttered. I am all about fabrications and textures. It starts with brainstorming with my hip hop influenced brother Henry, where we bring our ideas together and discuss what’s inspiring us. The process also includes reviewing beading and fabrications and new generation fibers with which we drape and create bead mock-ups that translate into sketches and muslins, which is the outline of the dress that then goes into creation of the first sample. We then line up all the samples created to determine which ones best communicate the inspiration of that season. The chosen few are featured on the runway and on to the exclusive stores that we work with, and then down a bride’s aisle for her very own red carpet moment. I am very much about opera, fine art and international style.

Describe your design style. What makes your dresses unique?

I have been in Manhattan now for 20 years, and I am very inspired by the drama of very clean sophisticated gowns. My gowns are unique because we have a known signature for understated future vintage gorgeous Manhattan style. I feel that my gowns celebrate femininity with finesse. I love working with crystals, beading and clean, unadorned structure.

What is the most rewarding part of your profession?

The highlight for me is meeting with brides at the Trunk Shows which we have almost monthly at Kleinfeld in Manhattan. I enjoy meeting my brides, listening to them describe their wedding plans and aspirations. It adds an element of emotion and a bond that is real, tangible and heartfelt. My brides bring inspirational stories – some make you laugh, others moisten my eye, but all are courageous, intelligent, wonderful women exploring life and writing new chapters.

What is the most demanding part of your profession, and how do you overcome it?

Everything is a challenge, and nothing is demanding!

Describe any changes to your collection as you have become a more experienced designer. Do you notice any trends occurring within your own collection?

I actually feel that I am prepared to be more daring. My gowns have become grander; they make more of a statement. I am flourishing in confidence because my brides are confident in their own individuality, and this allows me to explore how a bride wants to be seen as she walks down the aisle.

Describe your favorite dress that you have designed?

I am so proud of my new collection. We have introduced new fabrications including a number of gorgeous dresses made from old school cotton seersucker and some others which have been hand crocheted. Of course none of these are my out and out favorites – that would be like choosing a favorite child!

What do you enjoy to do outside of your profession? What are some of your hobbies?

The joy of mine and my families’ lives are our nearly 2 year old twins Zoe and Max. They truly have filled our lives with happiness, and every day is an absolute thrill. In fact, I have celebrated the delightful personality of our daughter Zoe in the names of the gowns from my latest collection. We have Zoe in the Country, Zoe on the Red Carpet, Zoe Smells the Roses, and of course Zoe at the Palace (because she is a princess after all!). I love opera, hiking, going to the Met. Being inspired by galleries and the visual obsession I have with Manhattan is my hobby, in between running a young family and design showroom in New York City. I know that eating well drinking lots of water and exercising are essential for a balanced lifestyle.

Would you like to share anything else about yourself or your collection with our audience during this interview?

We are heading into a new decade. Brides more and more understand the desire to have a gown that is exclusive. We are all exploding with individuality nurtured by blogs, websites, twittering, facebook and myspace. As we head into the new decade I think this is one of the things that brides are going to be concerned about because we want to look and celebrate in an exclusive way. I am excited that my collection is no. 5 out of 75 designers at Kleinfeld, the largest bridal store anywhere on the planet. Exciting and exhilarating for me and my family.