Here comes the bride

NST, Monday June 9th 2008

By Dazman Manan

Exquisite and with a contemporary twist, award-winning designer Syaiful Baharim’s bridalwear collection will definitely enhance the wearer’s appeal.

WEARING pastel, or something bright for that matter, may help a bride stand out at her wedding. But toying with tones other than white for a wedding dress can be tricky. Which is why, white, although a common choice, is always a classic pick and often the more appropriate shade.

Designer Syaiful Baharim’s latest line of bridalwear pays homage to the pristine hue. But while he sticks to evergreen white for the range, his designs are classic with a contemporary twist. All of Syaiful’s bridal dresses are stunning enough to be worn on one’s wedding day, and beautiful too for evening or formal occasions after that.

With white as the base colour, the line plays on flowy fabrics, pearl trimmings, soft pleats, ribbons and ruffles to inject just the right dose of allure. “These accents make the wearer even more feminine and appealing,” says the boyish-looking designer.

Almost all of his creations took at least a few days to complete, most of which were handcrafted. The pleats and ruching, for example, were painstakingly sewn by hand and the precious pearls too were hand-encrusted.One of the many stunning pieces is a white number enhanced with diamante and pearls on the waist; the skirt sways with pretty pleats. Another interesting dress is a modern kebaya with exquisite embroidery, fine lace, ribbons and ruching as its main feature.

The award-winning designer also offers a selection of dresses suitable for the Muslim bride, one of which is a long A-line dress cut to appreciate one’s natural body shape. The stress is more on comfort, but with Syaiful’s touch, it is equally chic. It comes with a matching tudung or headcover in lovely white lace.

His new muse, TV personality Daphne Iking looks demure in this ensemble as she does in Syaiful’s other creations. “I chose Daphne to be my muse for the Bridalwear 2008 collection because she represents the modern woman of today. She has a successful career, a wonderful marriage and is blessed with a beautiful child. While she manages all three, Daphne never fails to look good and her choice of outfits, whether on or off screen, is highly commendable”. And, in Syaiful’s bridalwear, she’s simply breathtaking.