Boutique dresses

We here at One Fab Day always love to find a new bridal boutique stocking something a little bit different and this one is a find. And, there’s no better time to introduce Petticoat Lane to you One Fab Day readers after having just celebrated their first birthday a couple of weeks! Congratulations Petticoat Lane! The doors opened in December 2010 and the ladies haven’t looked back since.

Petticoat Lane is idyllically situated in the quaint village of Hillsborough, County Down, just off the Dublin to Belfast motorway and so this gorgeous bridal shop is accessible for all you brides to be in the north or the south.

This gorgeous boutique was created by mother and daughter team, Denise and Katie Patterson who have a real flare for all things bridal.

The decor at Petticoat Lane has a glamorous-vintage inspired theme, with luxurious carpets throughout, lovely big (HUGE actually!) comfy changing rooms and fab sofas for your entourage to chill out on for all the ooohhing and aaahhing! If the dA©cor of the shop is anything to go by, choosing the most gorgeous dresses at the bridal shows to bring back to the Emerald Isle is in safe hands.

Denise and Katie have designers stocked exclusively in store from many of the fashion capitals of the world with a great range of fashionable bridal accessories, a wide range of bridesmaid dresses and Mother of the Bride attire. A one stop shop!

They carefully choose a range from vintage to modern looks, to glamorous and classic styles. Among the designers dresses they stock they are the only bridal shop in Ireland and the UK to stock a New York based designer Amsale Aberra’s gowns, under the labels Amsale, Christos and Kenneth Pool. They also stock The Vintage Wedding Dress Company decades collection which are, quirky, vintage designed gowns from each era through the 20th century.

I recently visited the ladies at Petticoat Lane and had such a lovely experience. I asked Katie what they were doing before they opened the shop and how it all started….

“We opened on the 4^th of December 2010. Before opening the shop I had recently graduated from Queens University Belfast studying Geography and going on to work in logistics and my mum, Denise worked as a nurse. We had both been thinking about opening a bridal boutique for the past five years and had been researching and basically waiting for the perfect time and location to come up. In September 2010 we found the perfect premises in Hillsborough, Co. Down. We decided to go for Hillsborough for numerous reasons: its fab location for both the Southern and Northern markets, also easily accessible to airports for girls travelling from England (mainly London) which we often get and because Hillsborough is such a quaint village and the premises was exactly what we were looking for with its original beams that fitted our vision for vintage theme decor well.”

How did you decide what designers to stock?

“We decided to stock designers which were not in Northern Ireland, Ireland or the UK as yet. This is our niche in the market. We came across some fabulous designers including Amsale, Christos and Kenneth Pool from New York. After visiting their work rooms in New York we knew the impact the gowns would make for British and Irish Brides. We also have taken on the Vintage Wedding Dress Company and Beverly Lister for Northern Ireland. We have seen a great response from these labels.

We try to stock a range of gowns which suit all brides’ budgets. We also stock an array of fabulous bridesmaids, mother of the bride/grown, shoes and accessories.”

What should a bride to be expect if she pays you a visit and chooses one of your dresses?

“Our main priority is the bride and from the moment she makes an appointment we treat her with fabulous service. Refreshments are offered to the brides nearest and dearest during an appointment. We have an in house fitting services, we can dress the bride on the morning of her big day and we storage of the dress until two days before the big day, to name a few.”

Petticoat Lane has a fab collection with a very stylish vibe. If you’re looking for something a little bit different we’d definitively recommend you take a look.