Press
Women’s March scarves featured on Main Line Times
When Janice Martin looked at a computer screen of pictures she’d taken at the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C., all the colorful protest signs reminded her of a quilt.
“The placards were so creative and pithy,” she said.
The idea for a quilt would not be unusual for Martin, a premier custom dressmaker who designs and sews bespoke wedding dresses, evening wear and elegant suits in her Cricket Avenue shop in Ardmore. She lives and breathes sewing and fabrics.
“We make our patterns here; we do fittings — it’s a very European process,” said Martin, who opened her shop in Ardmore in 2005, after operating in locations in Philadelphia. “It’s not something that you find in very many places.”
Martin had the inspiration to put the protest signs on scarves and to sell those scarves for good causes. She had previously helped a client, Liddy Lindsay, with a scarf to raise money for the Metropolitan Opera, Martin said.
Martin had already begun Sewn for Good in 2014 to help the Tabitha Foundation, using silk textiles woven in Cambodia and funding programs for women, children and people with HIV/AIDS there. Each dollar is then matched by a Philadelphia donor who makes a contribution to Covenant House or the Salvation Army, said Martin.
Now the colorful silk scarves, inspired by the Women’s Marches, are being sold through Sewn for Good, with 10 percent of the $75 sales price going to benefit Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and the National Constitution Center. More scarf designs are in the works to contribute to the League of Women Voters and a museum, she said.
“I have people stop me all the time when I’m wearing my pink one because it’s so pretty. They are conversation pieces,” she said.
Janice Martin Couture featured on PhillyMag.com
In May, we hosted an exclusive bridal event with Aux Petits Delices. The event was featured in Philadelphia Magazine’s Wedding section.
From PhillyMag.com:
Janice Martin is a talented dressmaker and seamstress based in Ardmore who can either design you a custom dress from scratch—sketches, muslin fittings and all—or rework your mother’s or an heirloom gown into something you can’t wait to wear down the aisle. (We talked to her a bit about that special process a few years ago.)
Click here to read the full article
2015 Best of the Main Line
Main Line Today
www.mainlinetoday.com
Summer 2015
Janice Martin Couture was named “Best Couture-Minded Bridal Boutique” by Main Line Today as part of their 2015 Best of the Main Line & Western Suburbs.
“A Dr. Seuss wedding in a Philadelphia cemetery”
The Fab Bride
www.offbeatbride.com
Spring 2014
Selection from “A Dr. Seuss wedding in a Philadelphia Cemetery” originally posted on OffbeatBride.com
Certain words come to mind when you think “Dr. Seuss.” Whimsical, definitely. Colorful, for sure. Adventurous. Lighthearted. Fun as all get-out. Each one of these descriptions fits Katelyn and Steve’s Philadelphia wedding to perfection. I mean, just look at Katelyn’s shoes — those have to be hand-decorated, right? How amazing are they? This Dr. Seuss-themed event covered it all: book titles as escort cards, Truffula trees for centerpieces everywhere, and am I seeing a guest with a genuine Lorax mustache? Please tell me he did that just for the wedding. Please.
What’s that? You want more bad-ass-ness? WELL. Katelyn and Steve set up their Dr. Seuss wonderland in Laurel Hill, which happens to be Philadelphia’s most historic cemetery. Bad-ass-ness assured.
Check out the full gallery of images by Alix Passage on OffbeatBride.com
“How to Host an Old Hollywood Glamorous Wedding in Philadelphia”
PartySpace.com
www.partyspace.com
Fall 2013
Selection from “How to Host an Old Hollywood Wedding in Philadelphia” originally posted on PartySpace.com
courtesy of PartySpace.com
Old Hollywood glamour is new again thanks to Gatsby. Jay Gatsby. It’s a wedding trend that has sparked a resurgence in 1920s style in the hairstyles and fashion of award-winning young artists on the red carpet recently and brides alike…
Another element of the Gatsby era is fabric that moves with your body. Janice Martin Couture designs one-of-a-kind couture wedding gowns featuring hand-finished details, a superior fit, and the highest quality fabrics for the most flattering bridal silhouettes. Whether it’s silk organza, hand beaded French lace, modern chic or a throwback to a bygone era, Janice Martin Couture can create a wedding dress as individual as you. Pair your gown with dramatic bling or strings and strings of pearls from Silpada Designs. If it shines, so do you. Just don’t rip them off your neck and throw them at your husband like Daisy.
Check out the full article on PartySpace.com
Janice Martin Couture Promotional Video
Promotional Video
Directed by Tony Wood
Winter 2013
Check out this promotional video for Janice Martin Couture created by local photographer/videographer Tony Wood.
“A Spring Wedding in a Meadow of Flowers”
Chic Vintage Brides
Winter 2012
Selection from “A Spring Wedding in a Meadow of Flowers” originally posted on ChicVintageBrides.com
courtesy of Chic Vintage Brides
Carina at Love Me Do Photography “Eleanor and Drew’s wedding took place at the Durham Creek Tree Farm & Hippodrome, a family friend’s property. The ceremony was in the grass surrounded by daisy fields, and Eleanor looked stunning in her vintage inspired Janice Martin Couture dress. She also donned a floral crown by Lilies and Lavender , and Anthropologie shoes. It was a beautiful wedding to photograph, and Eleanor and Drew were the perfect couple!”
Have you ever seen a more romantic venue?? Bride Eleanor said “I grew up down the road from the location and always thought it would be the most beautiful place to be married, so when Bart and Robin, the owners, offered it to us when they heard we were engaged, it was an easy decision on our part to say yes. We wanted a simple, laid back, intimate wedding that felt genuine to us, with all of our closest family and friends there.”
Real Wedding: Beth & Andy
The Fab Bride
Winter 2012
Selection from “Real Wedding: Beth + Andy at The Galleries of Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia PA” originally posted on TheFabBride.com
courtesy of The Fab Bride
What better way to start the week than with this amazing unique and fun wedding that took place at The Galleries of Moore College of Art and Design and was beautifully photographed by Jacqueline Schlossman of Readyluck Photographers!
Beth and Andy are co-own Blinebury Design, an innovative fully charged design company and as a result, their art museum D.I.Y. wedding was a multi-sensory experience. Their love and artistry went hand in hand throughout their CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black, a four color printing process) themed day.
“One of a Kind”
Winter 2012
Selection from “One of a Kind” originally posted on PhiladelphiaWedding.com
by Wendy Hartigan
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.
“Mirror, Mirror”
Philadelphia Inquirer
Bridal Issue
Summer 2011
Selection from “Mirror, Mirror: Pippa wowed in white, but it actually was a throwback” by Elizabeth Wellington
featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 1, 2011
Let’s face it, we are still talking about the sleek, white Alexander McQueen gown Pippa Middleton donned at her sister Kate’s April nuptials.
Not only did the cowl-necked showstopper score mega posh points, I think it will play a role in launching an all-white wedding party trend.
After all, while it may have appeared Pippa was snubbing tradition when she dared to dress in white, the royal family actually was giving a nod to Old World customs.
“It’s an ancient superstition,” said Clare Sauro, curator of Drexel’s historic costume collection. “The bridesmaid was thought to be a stand-in for the bride, and they often both wore the same color to confuse evil spirits.”
And it wasn’t just evil spirits that were a threat, Sauro added. People were looking to kidnap brides from wealthy families. The unbetrothed sister was the perfect decoy. (Speaking for all unbetrothed sisters, yikes!)
“Think of a very special package you wanted delivered on time. That is how families thought of brides at those times,” Sauro said. “And special packages need decoys.”
But brides – and their maids – didn’t always don white. Although the ancient Greeks wore white, brides of subsequent eras simply wore their “best” dress, which, depending on regional customs, ranged from navy blue in Europe and the Americas to red in Asia. That’s because white was nearly an impossible color for everyday folks to wear – it got dirty quickly. No matter where you were, the bridesmaids dressed in the same color as the bride.
It wasn’t until after Queen Victoria wore a white gown to her 1840 wedding to her cousin Prince Albert that it became fashionable for brides to wear the color again. Previously considered a color for the rich, white came to signify chastity and purity when Victoria, who was still a virgin when she married, adopted the color.
Continue reading the article here
Photo: Champagne gown with fitted bodice, tiered skirt and LED lights by Janice Martin Couture