Maids to Measure was founded by sisters Sinclair and India Sellars back in 2012 after they saw a gap in the market for a fashion-forward British-designed and made bridesmaid brand.
India, who originally worked in finance before being made redundant, was working for Vera Wang and quickly realised that brides kept asking her for bridesmaid dress recommendations, and, other than big American companies like Dessy and Twobirds, there weren’t any. At the same time, Sinclair was a bridesmaid and the dresses she was having to wear were all from online sites with huge lead times. “There wasn’t a high-quality brand that you could buy into and feel a part of,” they say. So Maids to Measure was born.
Fast forward ten years and they’re now one of the most popular bridesmaid brands around, with the likes of Sophie Habboo and our very own TWE co-founder Isabella Foulger dressing their bridal squad in Maids. Here, we caught up with Sinclair and India find out a little more about their story and their favourite bridal trends…
We love working in the wedding industry because…
“We’d both had quite corporate backgrounds before we moved into the wedding space – and the wedding industry is hugely different. There’s a real sense of community – everyone is really lovely and supportive of one another – and it’s much more creative.”
Maids To Measure is best known for…
“Being the go-to brand for bridesmaids. We create beautiful British-designed and British-made bridesmaid dresses that you’ll still want to wear after the main event. For lots of bridal brands, bridesmaid dresses are just an add-on, but we consider ourself a bridesmaid specialist. Of course, the dresses are so lovely, you can wear them as a beautiful occasion dress too.”
Our biggest achievement to date is…
We’ve won lots of awards, but our biggest achievement is probably opening our flagship store in Chelsea. Set on Fulham Road, it’s right next to the wedding mile with all the big bridal designers. Before, we had this hidden studio – which we actually really loved – and then it was Covid, so everything went online. But brides do like to physically look and feel, and the shop is in such a fab position. Retail is really hard, and it can be tough out there – there’s a lot of competition and a lot of brands making inexpensive dresses. So to have a physical brick-and-mortar shop is something we’re really proud of. And brides love coming in, as they love the experience of trying on all the dresses with their closest friends.
Our all-time favourite look for a bridesmaid is…
“The halterneck,” says India, “because of its ever-flattering neckline. At my wedding, my bridesmaids wore a dark emerald green in our Holly style – since it was a Christmas wedding – and I knew I wanted a forest green to go with my engagement ring. I actually really wanted a satin, like the dresses we have at Maids to Measure now, but we didn’t do that at the time. So they ended up in identical high-neck chiffon dresses instead.”
Sinclair had 13 bridesmaids and says she went for more of a miss match look with various shades of pale pink, champagne, ivory and neutrals. “At India’s wedding, everyone had to look the same, whereas I was a little more relaxed with my bridesmaids.”
The highlights from our own wedding day are…
“I had a December wedding,” says India. “Walking into the candlelit church – I had all my bridesmaids go first – and the build-up was just amazing. When I explained everything I had organised for my wedding, I remember my mum saying, ‘Oh god, it sounds a bit like a circus’, because I had so much going on. I had an ABBA tribute band, a Frank Sinatra impersonator, and a brass band all dressed as Santa Claus, it was amazing. I’m very visual and very creative, so I really cared about our guests walking into the marquee and thinking ‘wow’. I also designed my own wedding dress with my bridal designer friend Andrea Hawkes.”
“Mine was the other extreme,” says Sinclair. “I kept it fairly basic. My one piece of advice for brides-to-be is to have an on-the-day coordinator. I had a wedding planner, but not an on-the-day coordinator, so I felt like I was the one watching the time and making sure everyone was in the right place, or the speeches ended at the right time.”
The current wedding and bridesmaid trends we’re loving are…
“We really like printed satin bridesmaid dresses – so hopefully we’ll be launching one of those next year. But satin, in general, is key at the moment,” they agree.
“I think the chiffon, floaty, boho, beaded bridesmaid dresses have kind of been and gone,” says Sinclair. “Instead, it’s all about simple, slick, chic dresses.”
“I quite like it when the bride just chooses a colour and lets her bridesmaids pick out their own dresses – so they’re all in the same colour but have different necklines. A friend of ours got married a few weeks ago and her bridesmaids wore a mix of burgundy, rust and pink – it sounds awful, but it actually worked really well and meant everyone wore something they felt comfortable in,” says India.
“Hair accessories that match the dresses are also really in,” they say. “We used to see a lot of flower crowns for bridesmaids, but now it’s moved on to headbands, hair bows, scrunchies and matching bouquet ribbons.”
The new bridesmaid collection is so special because…
“We put so much time and energy into finding the right material. We really wanted to do a satin range, but it’s hard to find a nice satin that’s got the right amount of shine and isn’t too clingy or too thin. We spent a lot of time looking at endless fabric samples and our new collection is made from this lovely matte satin with a medium weight, so it hangs well. They’re beautifully made and we really pride ourselves on the quality. In fact, when brides come into the store they often can’t believe the prices of the dresses – because the quality is that great.”
The best person to follow on Instagram for big-day inspo is…
“Maids to Measure, of course. We know everyone probably follows her already but Sophie Habboo – who’s recently married Jamie Laing. In our store we have Freya Rose shoes and our Gigi and Olive collaboration – they’re also great for hen inspiration.”
And finally, what’s next for Maids To Measure…
“We’re bringing three new colours out and two new styles – launching in June 2023 for Autumn Winter – an olive, burnt orange and a rose pink. We basically took our two bestsellers in chiffon and remodelled them in satin. One of our popular designs was a cowl neck, so we’ve redesigned that in satin, and the other was our Caroline dress. We wanted to create a dress for girls of all shapes and sizes – we have a lot of cami-style dresses and some cut on the bias – and a lot of girls would say they don’t feel comfortable in those because they don’t like their arms. So we took the Caroline dress and made a really easy, wearable dress with angel sleeves, a V-neck, and a really cinched in waist. Sometimes satin can be hard to wear, so we wanted to create something super flattering, that you could – importantly – wear a bra with. We’re already planning our Spring Summer for next year, which is exciting. We just love all the colours, all the designs and all the fabrics.”
Visit the Maids To Measure website.
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