When brides-to-be are on the hunt for something stylish that doesn’t involve a bedazzled fishtail or a tulle gown in the shape of a cream puff, they turn to Houghton, an outside-the-box line of bespoke bridalwear founded in 2011. We caught up with designer Katharine Polk (and her sweet bulldog!) to talk shop.
tFS: How’s your bridal business doing?
KP: It’s insane. It’s larger than my ready-to-wear business. Our showroom has turned into a bridal atelier.
tFS: What’s your biggest challenge?
KP: Most of our brides tell me they couldn’t find a dress at bridal salons. By the time they come to us, they’re getting married in two to four weeks, and they want something custom. Our bridal is all made-to-order, and our embroidering is done overseas, so that can be challenging.
tFS: Where do most of your clients hail from?
KP: We have a lot of British and Australian brides, actually.
tFS: Where do you think the future of bridal is going?
KP: A lot of young girls, who are our customer, are opening their own stores.
theFashionSpot: Your dog Jonesy is a street style star today!
Katharine Polk: That’s why she was hanging out in the front. To get all the street style photographers to take pictures of her. She had a plan the whole time.
