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Canberra Today 25°/29° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Corsets to bridal dreams

IN a converted garage in Richardson, British-born fashion designer Vicky Kidd-Gallichan experiments.

At the moment she’s hand painting silk roses; delicate flowers she’s made “like the old French couture houses had made them”.

Vicky owns Rockstars and Royalty, designing and making one-off bridal gowns. She specialises in Victorian corsetry and has branched out to jewellery and fascinators.

But how did Vicky, originally from Portsmouth, find her way to Canberra?

In England, Vicky studied jewellery metal work in college but sewing, a skill taught by her mother at 10, was her favourite hobby.

“I was trying to make a corset,” she said. “At that time I was making all my own clothes.

“I began experimenting and wanted to get things right.”

She said after she studied and taught herself Victorian corsetry, she knew that’s “what I wanted to do”.

In her shop in Portsmouth, Vicky made goth corsets and nightclub wear, but gradually moved into wedding gowns.

“My clients have a dream in their head and I get to make it a reality,” she said. “That’s something special. I’m passionate, I love doing it.

“Every bride is different, every gown is different, every fascinator is different. It’s just something different every day.”

Vicky met her Australian husband while he was in England on a working holiday. When his visa was up, they decided to move back to his home town of Canberra to “settle”.

In 2008, a year after her move to Canberra, she started Rockstars and Royalty.

She now has a two-year-old daughter Lily, and between being a mum and making gowns, she keeps herself pretty busy. From starting out showing her gowns at local wedding fairs, she now has an affiliation with Shop Handmade.

“People here are definitely more open minded,” Vicky says of her Australian clients.

And “word’s getting around” with Vicky now picking up clients from Sydney and Melbourne.

“I feel a lot of people are wanting gowns that are different to what you can buy off the rack,” she said.

“I think my corsetry also sets me apart from anyone else.

“I can also make gowns for girls in any size and any proportion.”

Spending between 100 to 150 hours on one gown, Vicky describes her style as “a really classic, feminine shape with a modern twist”.

She says she draws inspiration from designers including the late Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler and Mr Pearl, who has designed many dresses for Dita Von Teese.

Sassy Studios 2012 Photographer: Shanna Jones Model: Anoush Anou Hair/MUA: Dave Reid Wardrobe & Styling: Rockstars and Royalty Location: Civic, Canberra
She also spends hours, sometimes “working till midnight in my pyjamas”, experimenting and pushing herself to develop new techniques.

But despite her quiet success, Vicky’s happy in her Richardson studio.

“Sometimes I think I’d like to start my own label,” she said. “But I am such a control freak, I’d want to do everything, I don’t trust anyone to do the sewing – I’m so picky.

“And I’ve developed a special skill set. It’s years of hard work creating my own methods of doing everything.”

More information at rockstarsandroyalty.com.au

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