Yesterday evening, Stuart Weitzman and designer Andrew Kwon joined forces to host a bridal styling salon at the shoe brand’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City. On-site, Stuart Weitzman debuted its new limited-edition Bridal Bliss capsule collection, with models wearing the shoes and dresses from Kwon’s Collection 8—Prelude No. 2.
Dreamy tulle gowns, embellished with crystals, beads, and more, filled the boutique as three models showcased Kwon’s looks with the pearl-adorned strappy sandals, heels, and flats. Dozens of guests, including Aoki Lee Simmons and Your Rich BFF’s Vivian Tu, sipped champagne and mingled as they watched the couture pieces float through the room. The models changed over the course of the night to show multiple styles by Kwon and Weitzman.
Kwon, outfitted in a dark green suit and white sneakers from the Stuart Weitzman debut men’s collection, chatted with attendees as soft classical music played. The partnership moment comes just weeks after the two fashion players teamed up for his New York Bridal Fashion Week show. All the models wore Stuart Weitzman shoes as they debuted Kwon’s latest designs in April.
At the salon, Kwon spoke with ELLE.com about how he approached designing his eighth collection. “Music is such a huge inspiration to me and always has been,” he said. “I just think there’s something so cinematic about tying fashion with music.” Kwon, who custom designed ELLE digital director Claire Stern Milch’s wedding gown, found that Stuart Weitzman’s Bliss collection to really complement his work.
He explained that the shoes are “not just bridal in the way that it’s white. There’s a new modernity to their pieces, and that very much aligns with my pieces. These are timeless while being modern, and I think that’s something so hard to achieve sometimes as a designer.”
Kwon paired his dresses with three different Stuart Weitzman shoes: the Bliss 75 Sandal, the Bliss 85 Pump, and the Bliss Flat. Each pair features over 1,600 pearls applied by hand.
He also spoke about the versatility in both his work (some pieces convert into minidresses!) and Weitzman’s. Offering variety is so important, as brides “are finding an incredible way to create this bridal wardrobe,” he explained. “They’re thinking about all the shoes they’re gonna wear and what they’re changing into, or what they’re wearing from the ceremony to the reception to the after-party. And that’s why when you look at [Stuart Weitzman] shoes—they are such fun, beautiful party shoes, but they are still super elegant. There’s a beautiful craftsmanship that goes into making them, and you’ll see it with the pearls that are used. Even if you’re wearing a long gown, people are like, ‘Oh, you’re not gonna see the shoe,’ but you are. Every step that they take in this gown, you’re seeing a peep of the shoe. Just like a peek-a-boo of whatever it is.”
See photos from inside the salon below:
Bri is the editorial and social media assistant at ELLE.com. Before joining the team at ELLE, she worked as the editorial assistant for Seventeen.com and Cosmopolitan.com where she covered all things celebrity news and pop culture. You can probably find her sipping an oatmilk iced chai while searching for the best new makeup products or thrifting her entire wardrobe.
