By Masa Zokaei, Javanan Staff Writer
On May 20, the elaborate couture gowns of Shahla Dorriz Bridal made its U.S. debut at the City of Hope’s annual event, Angels of the Southern California Food Industries Circle (SCFIC) Fashion Show & Luncheon, hosted by celebrity actress Florence Henderson, best known for her role as Mrs. Brady on “The Brady Bunch”.
The SCFIC, inspired by the miracles performed by angels, are a group of women from the Southern California Food Industries Circle committing themselves to bringing hope to children and adults battling cancer and other devastating diseases. The event was attended by CEOs of major U.S. companies such as Coca Cola and Zacky Farms, who were able to see the collection in a runway show that included dance performances, eclectic music, and some unforgettable highlights of Shahla Dorriz Bridal.
We got a chance to speak with Alexandre Dorriz, the Creative Director for Shahla Dorriz Bridal, as well as other collections, about working with City of Hope charity fashion show, and what inspired some of the designs in the new Bridal line.
Javanan: How did you get involved with City of Hope to do this fashion show? Did you work closely with the dancers and with the theme for this show?
Alexandre: Actually, Shahla has been involved with the City of Hope since 2002. There has been a lasting relationship between the foundation and my Mom for this time that’s allowed her to present with them closely for all these years.
The dancers and the theme of the show came into fruition by our wonderful choreographer, where we chose to work closer with our models for this show. Because of the audience and capacity of the event, being upwards of 1,000 people, and because of the cause, the show, theme, and dances were all catered to the City of Hope’s wonderful cause.
Javanan: I notice that you don’t always have typical models in your shows, in regards to the average age and experience level, including this one.
Why is it important for you and Shahla to do this?
Alexandre: Shahla loves creating lasting relationships with her models, some of whom she’s been working with for more than 15 years that were in this show. It’s nice because for the shows we all get to recap- especially for me because they’ve seen me grow up.
Javanan: Was this the debut of Shahla Dorriz Bridal line? And where did the inspiration for these dresses come from?
Alexandre: This was the U.S. debut of the bridal line after our show in Italy. Bridal is inherently very romantic, and I’m not a very romantic person – in the fairytale kind of way – but I am in a longing or forlorn way. So designing bridal gowns has been this beautiful reconciliation of dark and light romance.
Javanan: You created this futuristic dress that is a very signature dress for your line, the one that the crowd usually reacts to the most, are there any other dresses in the bridal line that you think might be your signature dress?
Alexandre: This is really the beginning of the bridal line(s) and its predominant look. I envision it will carry many permutations. I want to cater to all sorts of brides. With our custom gowns we’ve already begun some wild styles that really sate that creative tendency. Getting my feet wet in the wedding industry these past two years, along with my couture experience, has only excited me more about introducing more of my general fashion, and art, practices into the bridal lines. Brides are very gracious and open to this creative realm.