You should know about... BettyB

Flirty dresses make the BettyB girl.

In these uncertain times, there is comfort to be taken in a well made, fairly priced dress that will make you feel pretty, cool and sexy all at the same time. 

Step forward Betty Bridge, the 37-year-old mother of two who began making dresses from her flat off Portobello Market two years ago.

Using deadstock vintage fabric (rolls of cloth that have never been used), which she sources from the South of France, Portobello Market, and eBay, she creates feminine and chic day dresses ("urban rustic" is her way of putting it), which centre around the concept of the housedress. "I wanted to go back to that old fashioned notion of how, when you come home and put the dress on, you put your hands in your pockets, and immediately you feel relaxed."

That's not to say her designs don't have their own coquettish appeal. Bridge, who trained at Kensington and Chelsea College, has very particular ideas about fit, and as well as being a sexy just-above-the-knee length, a BettyB dress is fitted snugly around the torso, with a pleat front which flatters the stomach. "I wanted the dresses to be sensual and sexual in a '70s way, not a rigid tent like in the '50s," says Bridge.

Her latest additions include a line of cocktail dresses, in fondant coloured corded lace, which bring to mind her the 1975 version of The Stepford Wives film, one of Bridge's inspirations.

Since starting the line two years ago, the label is starting to gain a small, but significant following. As well as the trendy West London girls who love the easy, cool appeal of the frocks, a turquoise lace dress, which is featured on her blog, has just been shot for upcoming issues of Love and Wonderland magazines.

Plans for the future? Branching out in to swimwear (one-piece vintage styles, of course), and opening a salon style boutique in her apartment "between 3 and 5pm while the kids are at still at school." But for now, she's hoping to be accepted for a NEWGEN sponsorship which would give her the chance to show at London Fashion Week.
With dresses this pretty, how could they possibly say no?

Stockists: Mensah and Emily Evans

Dresses cost approx. £180

bettybgals.blogspot.com

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