October: Fallin' for Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year – the crunch of the fallen leaves on the ground, lighting the fireplace and hearing the crackling wood, and two words…sweater weather.

This year, Fall started in a very sweater friendly city…London! It was my first time in London, a trip that I have been looking forward to for the past 6 months since we started planning! After years of drawing inspiration from photos online and in magazines, I was excited to finally be able to see all of it in person. One of the highlights was my visit to Liberty London, an upscale department store that also carries a wide array of Liberty prints in all types of fabrics! It took everything to not buy one of each of the beautiful silk twills and satins. The inspiration didn’t stop there. Hyde Park, little floral boutiques on quiet corners, the intricate architecture on historical sites, the art deco interiors of Bob Bob Ricard… The list goes on. 

After a few days in London, we flew to Tuscany for the main reason we came to Europe: one of my best friends’ wedding. The bride and groom found a quaint Italian village that was built in the 1500’s that was the perfect venue for their destination wedding. The property was in the beautiful Tuscan hills, just outside of Lucca. It was the most picture perfect location for what was to be the perfect wedding.

Six months ago, the bride, Chelsea (Founder of Brow Authority), came to me with a vision of what she wanted for her gown – something simply elegant and dramatic and something no one else would have. Together, we created her dream wedding dress… a silk crepe mermaid gown with hand placed lace applique and lace bell sleeves. She completed her look with a custom Katie Fong lace trimmed cathedral veil.  Watching her walk down the aisle to meet her soon to be other half was an emotional moment that I’ll never forget.  

This October was truly a month to remember and it’s not even over yet!

xx Katie

Fabrics at Liberty of London

A little floral boutique on the street. 

The Bar at Sketch. 

Borgo Giusto in Tuscany. 

The Bride wore custom Katie Fong Bridal. Image by Monro Photography. 

The Bride wore custom Katie Fong Bridal. Image by Monro Photography. 

The Bride wore custom Katie Fong Bridal. Image by Monro Photography. 

Bridesmaids! I'm wearing the Alana Gown and my college friend Eva is in Halston.

Hi, September.

Over the years, I have watched September become the most desirable wedding month of the year. Venues are booked years in advance, and our busy time reaches its peak. The fact that my wedding anniversary also is in September is the cherry on top.  To me, it’s a month filled with so much love, happiness, and amazing weather.

Since launching the Katie Fong brand in 2013, we’ve grown to a customer base that extends from Massachusetts to Tennessee, and have made gowns for weddings hosted in our hometown of Greenwich as well as exotic international destinations such as Uruguay. We’ve dressed elegant ladies of all ages -- even one who celebrated turning 100.

It’s been an incredible experience making each one of our customers feel beautiful. None of this would have been possible without my team who works with me behind the scenes. That includes New York City factories who have produced complete made to measure gowns in under a month, my seamstress Liliana who has been with me since I was working full time in Manhattan and all of my AMAZING interns from FIT, Parsons, and Greenwich High School. Most recently, Miami University of Ohio graduate Ali McCann, joined the Katie Fong Team as our Sales and Production assistant. Many of you have had or will have the opportunity of working with Ali, who is one of the most kind-hearted, sophisticated, and intelligent women I know. I am so grateful to have her with us!

This past Labor Day weekend, my friend Mackenzie Horan, founder of the blog Design Darling, married the love of her life. I felt lucky to have the opportunity to design a custom jumpsuit for her wedding after-party. You can see a video of it here. The wedding took place in Nantucket, MA, one of my favorite places in the world. My husband and I go every summer, and it just so happened that our last two trips involved KF Brides! The island is also one of my favorite places for inspiration: the town’s history, people, and beaches… Nantucket just oozes style feeling timeless, elegant, and chic.

I hope you all enjoy the last month of the warmer weather, as we head into Fall. As always, our time invites you to stop by the store anytime to just say hello (you might be greeted by my dog Tucker) as well as check out our new accessories shipments and customizable silk basics in more than 300 colors for your fall and winter occasions!

xx Katie

Inspiration from Nantucket.

Most of my lace appliqué is inspired by florals. 

The Sienna Dress in Custom Lace

The happiest day of my life, in Katie Fong Custom Bridal. My gown was made of silk faille and hand embellished with two types of laces and seed pearls. Owen wore a bespoke suit. 

My beautiful best friends in the Anna Dress in blue/white.