Vanguard Allure

Top Menu

  • Vanguard

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Allure Magazine
    • Features
    • Magazine
    • Profiles
  • Allure TV
  • Celebration
    • Fashion & Style
    • Weddings
    • Lifestyle
    • Events
  • Wellbeing
    • Allure Woman
    • Healthy Living
    • Beauty
  • Happiness
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Travel
    • Relationships
    • Career
  • News
  • Vanguard

logo

Vanguard Allure

  • Home
  • Allure Magazine
    • Behold Nollywood's Game Changing Producers

      May 15, 2022
      0
    • Faith Morey: Supermodel Living Her Dream

      May 9, 2022
      0
    • Linda Uneze: The Transformational Coach

      May 1, 2022
      0
    • Kate Henshaw: Fighting for Women’s Rights

      April 24, 2022
      0
    • King Hakbal: Styling Royalties

      April 17, 2022
      0
    • Aisha Gambo: In Pursuit of Sustainable Development

      March 29, 2022
      0
    • IWD: Women who broke glass ceilings

      March 14, 2022
      0
    • IWD: Women Bridging Gender Gaps

      March 7, 2022
      0
    • Zikel Cosmetics introduces SkinFit collection to the Nigerian market

      March 2, 2022
      0
    • Features
    • Magazine
    • Profiles
  • Allure TV
  • Celebration
    • Fashion & Style
    • Weddings
    • Lifestyle
    • Events
  • Wellbeing
    • Allure Woman
    • Healthy Living
    • Beauty
  • Happiness
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Travel
    • Relationships
    • Career
  • News
    • 1994 ‘Glamour Girls’ remake to premiere on Netflix June 24

      May 22, 2022
      0
    • Kim Kardashian files for emergency protective measure following death threat

      May 22, 2022
      0
    • D'banj reveals kid bro was kidnapped

      May 21, 2022
      0
    • JJC's son resumes attack on Funke Akindele and dad, alleges they cheated ...

      May 21, 2022
      0
    • Documentary on Yoruba culture features Ooni Of Ife, Femi Kuti

      May 21, 2022
      0
    • Blossom Chukwujekwu traditionally weds lover in Benin city

      May 20, 2022
      0
    • Toyin Lawani calls out Chioma Ikokwu for spreading rumours about her

      May 20, 2022
      0
    • Rihanna welcomes son with A$ap Rocky

      May 19, 2022
      0
    • Chris Rock likely to host 2023 Oscars after stage slap by Will ...

      May 19, 2022
      0
  • I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

  • Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

  • Ooni of Ife honours actress Nancy Isime with Royal African Medal

  • Alex unusual pens emotional message to AY’s daughter, Ayomide

  • Actress Ngozi Ezeonu shares stunning photos to mark 57th birthday

Allure MagazineInterviews
Home›Allure Magazine›Mai Atafo – ChoosingThe Ultimate Dress

Mai Atafo – ChoosingThe Ultimate Dress

April 24,2016
Share:

While you may have envisioned your dream wedding dress, as far back as, when you were a teenager, when it comes to making the special gown, how do you pick the right wedding dress that fit and flatter your body type? We consulted one of Nigeria’s leading designers, Mai Atafo , who is Aer, who has a passion for making women look and feel fabulous, served up expert tips on finding the ultimate dress, as well as, his experience over the years working for brides.

When a would-be bride comes to you for a wedding dress but she doesn’t have anything in mind, what are the things you look out for?

Mai-Atafo

The first thing I take into consideration is her body type.  I look at what she thinks she wants to wear or would wear, or what she wouldn’t like to wear.  l try to see if what  she has In mind  fits her body type. If it doesn’t, I try to make her understand and pick something for her that will fit her body type. I also make her understand why what she wants is not possible or, why it’s perfect; and why she shouldn’t look at some other person’s body type to choose a design. Whatever she picks it should be chosen with her own body type in mind.

What if she insists on a particular style?

You have to make her understand that if she wants this dress, it may not look good on her, but if she insists, I might be forced to make it for her. If at the end it doesn’t look good, then she understands that she insisted on it.’  Not everyone can be Beyonce . You cannot bring Beyonce’s picture and say you want something like that. Some people are in denial ,and some people do not even know  any better. That is why consultation is more important than making the dress itself,  because if you get the consultation wrong, you make the wrong   dress. If you get it right, you make the right dress.

How long should a bride wait before picking out a dress?

I think once you choose a wedding date, the next thing is to pick out the dress.  It is very important so that you have enough time to make any sort of adjustments that may arise.  If it has handwork, or hand beading, there will be enough time to do it.  Again, the more time you have, the cheaper the dress can be.

What are the challenges associated with working for brides?

I think the greatest challenge is, a lot of brides are not realistic about what they want. Many of them want certain things that their body won’t fit into or they want a certain kind of dress that they do not have the budget for .  Those are basically the challenges in the job.

What is the trend for bridal dresses now?

I don’t think anything has changed so much. What people are doing is what they have been doing.  More and more mermaid gowns, Nigerian brides love mermaid gowns a lot.  What happens now is that they play more with the kind of lace they use.  Some People now do properly made hand appliqué on their dresses, which is now becoming a huge trend.  The fabrics are becoming more and more interesting.

What fabrics work better for bridal dresses?

The fabrics used are all the right ones.  I think the most important thing is to get the right fabric for a particular style.  You should know what fabric works for what style, and once you are able to achieve that, then there is no problem. However, if one fabric doesn’t work for a particular style, it can work for another. It doesn’t mean one is better than the other.  It could be richer than the other, with the lace or hand beading. But people are different; some do not want hand beading, but a plain wedding dress. So I don’t think one is preferred to the other.

How many times should a would-be bride go for fittings before the final dress is done?

For as many times as she wants. For instance, if she wants to come for fitting ten times, I will be happy to do it; so that we can get it right.

But, I will do a minimum of two fittings; to me that is just ideal. When you make the first fitting, usually, the dress is not quite done yet, but by the second fitting the dress is about 80% done. However, if I have the chance, I want to do it when it is a hundred percent done.  After that we can try it on again with her accessories. If she wants to wear a corset underneath, we can see it to see how it looks.  She should even wear with her shoes as well, to see how comfortable it is. I could even decide which angles you should take pictures from. What to do and not do with the dress.

How has it been over the years working with brides?

It has been great; every bride has her own special requirements. When bride’s come in with what they have in mind for their big day, it’s always quite interesting interacting with them. It feels very good to be a part of it.

By Yemisi Suleiman

 

TagsMai-AtafoWedding dress
Previous Article

MOCKTAIL DELIGHT FOR WEDDING

Next Article

Allure’s Weekly Fablist: Sporty Mesh, Low Slung ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • Allure MagazineFashion & StyleNews

    The Assembly launches creative mentorship scheme to bridge the fashion gap

    December 14, 2017
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineNews

    British teenager makes history with this wedding dress from toilet roll (Photos)

    December 8, 2016
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineEntertainmentmusicNews

    Music diva, Omawumi releases star-studded video for ‘Somtin’ single (watch)

    January 24, 2018
    By allure1
  • Fashion & StyleLook of the day

    Look of the day: Toyin Lawani’s gorgeous ruffled magic

    September 14, 2019
    By RITA
  • Allure MagazineEventFashion & StyleNews

    #HLFDW2017: Fashion week attendees share their Celebrity Style Icons

    October 30, 2017
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineNews

    Wedding dress saga: Actress, Mercy Aigbe finally speaks

    January 10, 2018
    By allure1
0

  • Allure MagazineEntertainment

    IYANYA ACCUSED OF MONEY SCANDAL BY PROMOTER

  • News

    “Everybody smokes weed” Burna Boy says, reveals why marijuana has not been legalised in Nigeria

  • Allure MagazineNews

    Woman gives birth to baby boy inside BRT bus in Lagos

  • 5312
    Followers
  • 12744
    Likes

Timeline

  • May 23, 2022

    I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

  • May 23, 2022

    Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

  • May 23, 2022

    Ooni of Ife honours actress Nancy Isime with Royal African Medal

  • May 23, 2022

    Alex unusual pens emotional message to AY’s daughter, Ayomide

  • May 23, 2022

    Actress Ngozi Ezeonu shares stunning photos to mark 57th birthday

Categories

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

    By joy onuorah
    May 23, 2022
  • Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

    By joy onuorah
    May 23, 2022
  • Ooni of Ife honours actress Nancy Isime with Royal African Medal

    By Temitope
    May 23, 2022
  • Alex unusual pens emotional message to AY’s daughter, Ayomide

    By Temitope
    May 23, 2022
  • Chioma Jesus, Sammie Okposo, Midnight Crew set for #THUGGLA2018

    By RITA
    April 24, 2018
  • American rapper, Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer prize for 2017 ‘Damn’ album

    By RITA
    April 17, 2018
  • Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti drops new album titled ‘Black Times’ 

    By RITA
    April 23, 2018
  • Actor, Yul Edochie declares intention to run for presidency

    By RITA
    April 23, 2018

Entertainment

  • May 23, 2022

    I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

  • May 23, 2022

    Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

  • May 22, 2022

    1994 ‘Glamour Girls’ remake to premiere on Netflix June 24

  • May 21, 2022

    Blood Sisters lead actress, Ini Okojie, marries Instagram fan turned lover

  • May 21, 2022

    Documentary on Yoruba culture features Ooni Of Ife, Femi Kuti

Follow us