Janice Martin Couture is proud to participate in the Volunteers of America “Delaware Valley’s 13th Annual Oscar Night” America Gala. This event is officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Janice Martin Couture evening wear and custom bridal couture gowns will be featured in the event.

The event is hosted by TD Bank and will take place on Sunday, February 26th, 2012 at Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The event begins at 6:00pm with the fashion show starting at around 7:00pm.

For more information about this fabulous black tie optional event, visit the Volunteers for America Delaware Valley website.

Your wedding gown is one of the most personal and important purchases you will ever make.   Along the way,  you  will encounter photos of hundreds of gorgeous dresses, influences from trends and celebrity brides, more opinions from friends and relatives than you can handle and plenty of confusion when it comes to your personal style.  But, what if you have been to every bridal salon on the map and tried on a thousand dresses, but just can’t fall in love?   Perhaps you would love to wear your mother’s gown, but it needs a little updating.    Or, maybe you just want to be completely unique and ONE OF A KIND.   Then, you will want to call on someone like Janice Martin.  Janice is an amazingly talented and perfectly lovely designer of custom wedding gowns.  She can create a one of a kind gown that you have envisioned.    She can transform an heirloom into a unique and modern wow dress.  She can restore a veil and she she can make you a picture perfect bride.  And, she will listen and work with you while she creates your dream.

Click here to continue reading the full article on PhiladelphiaWedding.com

Read more of Wendy’s tips on Bridal Affairs: A Place to Share Ideas on All Things Wedding. You can also follow Wendy on Facebook!

Guest Post by Bride Jennifer: After I decided that I was going to use my maternal grandmother’s dress for my wedding gown, my bridal consultant recommended I work with Janice Martin. This was going to be my first exposure to a couture shop, so I didn’t know what to expect. And, my husband was quite skeptical about the notion of using my grandmother’s very conservatively designed 1945 wedding dress.

After meeting Janice and Freddie in her shop and learning that the fabric of my grandmother’s dress was in great condition for re-designing, we started planning.

Click on any image to view larger; wedding photographs by Bliss Productions

Although not every bride wants to take a lot of time to plan and design her dress, I did. It was so much fun! Janice graciously took in all my ideas and massaged them with her years of professional expertise. We spent hours “noodling” different designs, draping the fabric to see what could be done and how it looked, and “blue-skying” what would come next. In the end, my dress came out TRULY unique and stunning. My husband was speechless when he saw me in the gown. He couldn’t stop telling me how gorgeous the gown was and how amazing I looked in it.

Everyone who has seen the dress marvels at Janice’s talent for transforming what was once a very conservatively designed gown into a modern, sexy and sophisticated one. Beyond the outstanding look, it functioned perfectly. I danced the night away without pulling up the strapless top ONCE.

She truly is an amazingly talented dressmaker. I expect to build a collection of Janice Martin attire over the years, but will always have a special place in my heart for my wedding gown.

Among the many participants, Janice Martin Couture will have several gowns showcased, including an actual bride and her own special Janice Martin Couture original gown.  Some pieces that include fiber optics woven into them will be featured as well.

Tickets are normally priced at $50 per person for this special event, or $60 at the door. However, for friends of Janice Martin, tickets can be purchased at a discounted price of $30 by contacting Courtney Craig at 215-670-4324.

Phashion Phest Begins at 7PM at 1625 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.  Secure your ticket soon to attend this stylish and sophisticated event! Visit www.PhashionPhest.com for more information.

Selection from “Where and How to Find ‘The Dress’”
by Madalyn Rothman in Philadelphia Style Magazine

This season witnesses the return of romance, thanks in no small part to the latest fashion (and bridal) icon, the Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton—and her Grace Kellyesque long-sleeve lace gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. Janice Martin of Janice Martin Couture (41 Cricket Ave., Ardmore; janicemartin. net), who specializes in custom-designed dresses, says brides have come in looking for this exact type of gown. “To have two brides in the past six months who want dresses that look like Grace Kelly’s, I’d say that yes, there is something royal in the air,” observes Martin.

Continue reading the full article at Philadelphia Style

Photography by Zander Taketomo

Selection from “Say ‘Ken’ To The Dress” by Mimi James
featured in The Jewish Exponent, June 23, 2011

How three brides found three perfect gowns…

Selby started the dress quest at a bridal boutique’s trunk show – but quit after five dresses. Her mother came to the rescue by suggesting Janice Martin, the Ardmore dressmaker. “At that first meeting with Janice, we talked about what I like and don’t like, and the reality of my body. Janice looked at me – but not just my chest. She watched how I sit, stand and walk to get an idea of my body. Then, she pulled out amazing fabrics. Did I like the high sheen of this? The matte of that? Did I like lace? Modern lace, antique lace or French lace? Then, she did a sketch of what kind of dress she thought would be great for my body”

Selby and her mother loved the sketch, and the dress that resulted from it. It has several unique features. The white silk cotton is lined with baby blue silk organza, which is invisible to the eye but gives the outer white depth and a silvery sheen. It has pockets, which Selby requested. The dress is sleeveless and has a sash under the bustline. On that sash, Martin placed a brooch belonging to Selby’s grandmother.

On June 4, Selby and Feigenson were married near his family’s home in Maryland. “I had a fair amount of anxiety about the dress before I started shopping,” Selby says, “but I put myself in Janice Martin’s hands, and she put me in the dress. And I absolutely love it.”

Selection from the article sip & style: spring blooms by Alexis Siemons

As mentioned in my parisian pairing, I have been tailoring my sip & style posts to feature tea steeps from my favorite Philly tea shops paired with stylish creations from top local designers. These creative ladies and gents will be showcasing their fashionable designs in the Paris-inspired runway show at the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza on April 8^th, part of PIFA (Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts).

The rich, earthy Chrysanthemum Puerh sip would pair perfectly with the style of this elegant jacket designed by Janice Martin. The golden blossoms mirror the shape and size of the Chrysanthemum flower, while he decadent fabric and dark colors are the visual companion to the complex, earthy sip.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE…

Janice Martin’s PIFA Gown: A Multi-Tiered, Illuminating Experience

“This Friday, April 8, the fashions of nine local designers will share the runway with Ralph Rucci during PIFA’s Couture Runway Show.  In anticipation of the big event, we’ve contacted a handful of the designers for a taste of what to expect to see strutting down the catwalk.

Up next is Janice Martin, an Ardmore-based designer who specializes in couture bridal and evening gowns.  (Did you know that the Philadelphia Museum of Art once called upon Martin to assist in restoring Princess Grace’s bridal veil for a museum exhibit?)  Here, Martin tells us about one of the designs from her collection, a two-piece gown in lace and silk organza.  A true reflection of the PIFA theme of artistic collaboration, the gown is a partnership with lighting specialist, Lee Wainwright.

How does the design speak to PIFA’s Parisian inspiration and/or theme of artistic revolution?
Paris is the City of Lights.  The PIFA event references the Belle Epoque, a time in which many artists collaborated across many spectrums, therefore, I invited other artists to work with Janice Martin Couture in designing our gowns.  This gown features the work of Lee Wainwright of JFMagic, a lighting designer.  Other gowns in our section of the show include the textile designs of Lonni Rossi.”

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE…

More images coming soon!