Sweet Role
As design director for two bridal lines, Melissa Sweet does double duty.
AUGUST 2006
By Melanie Lasoff Levs
Bridalwear designer Melissa Sweet’s philosophy on wedding gowns is simple: "Brides should wear “whatever makes you hum,” she said. “Literally, when you feel that heart vibration — when it makes you want to giggle and sing your favorite song. It’s come to represent a way for a woman to express what she’s thinking, feeling and intending in this moment of her life.”
Sweet applies this philosophy as design director for the Priscilla of Boston Collection. The company purchased her Melissa Sweet Bridal, based in Atlanta, in 2005. In her new role, which she assumed in March, Sweet oversees design direction for both the Priscilla line and her own line, which she launched in 1996.
The 10 Priscilla of Boston stores nationwide carry the Melissa Sweet line, but the Denver and Atlanta Melissa Sweet stores have closed. Both lines are still available online at melissasweet.com and priscillaofboston.com, which is linked to Sweet’s site.
The two lines have similar price points — $2,500 to $6,000 retail — but distinct personalities. Gary Schwartz, president of Priscilla of Boston, describes the Melissa Sweet line as “whimsical, fashion-forward and modern,” while Priscilla of Boston dresses tend to be “classic and traditional.”
Those characteristics illustrate Priscilla of Boston’s rich history. In 1945, designer Priscilla Kidder opened a bridal shop In Boston, featuring her handmade dresses. They became so popular that local, then national, department stores began carrying her gowns. In 1956, Kidder designed Grace Kelly’s gown for her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco. For the next several decades, the designer outfitted many famous brides, including several first daughters. Although Kidder died in 2003, Priscilla of Boston gowns continue to lead the industry.
Sweet understands that to capture the bridal market, both lines must be simultaneously timeless and trendy. “Melissa has the ability to make classically updated modern gowns as well as the core of what she does, which is much more fashion-forward,” Schwartz said.
Sweet first attracted the interest of Priscilla of Boston’s management years ago. “She was one of the companies on our short list,” Schwartz said. “We went after Melissa to find out if there would be interest in selling her company and then, as we got to know her, we felt we could utilize that in Priscilla eventually.” Federated Department Stores, Priscilla of Boston’s parent, is looking for a buyer for its bridal group, which also includes David’s Bridal and After Hours, but Schwartz said a sale would not change Sweet’s role in the company.
Sweet calls her Priscilla bride an “American thoroughbred” and her Melissa bride “a citizen of the world.” While the Priscilla customer prefers straight beading, the Melissa customer likes it asymmetric “It’s a different psychographic, and focusing on that makes it easier to make those design decisions,” Sweet said.
This year, she will design bridesmaids’ dresses for both lines. In her Melissa Sweet bridesmaids’ collection, dresses will be shorter and more in line with cocktail attire. Her goal is to make bridesmaids’ dresses less of an afterthought, beautiful in their own right, without taking attention from the bride. Fabrics in the Melissa line will include high-end ready-to-wear silk faille and cotton lace, which has a crocheted look, she said. Priscilla bridesmaids’ dresses will be in silk crepe de chine, eyelet and silk charmeuse. Both lines have multiple color options.
For October, the Melissa Sweet bridal line will focus on lighter-textured gowns, while Priscilla of Boston will update classics such as lace, embroidery and beading.
Sweet’s goal is to stay relevant in the bridal marketplace. “I’m not looking to peak and drop. I’m looking to be sustainable and in the American psyche as a go-to brand,” she says. “Priscilla of Boston was that for 50 years, and that’s what I want to continue for it, and to build for Melissa,”
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