Evolving from its 1990’s origins, Brooks LTD creates memories to modern designs, transforming a treasured gown between mother and daughter.

This story beautifully illustrates the power of reimagining a piece of clothing for a new chapter in it’s cherished life. It demonstrates how quality garments can transcend their original purpose, adapting and evolving just as we do. Each piece carries memories while opening doors to fresh possibilities, bridging past and present in deeply personal ways.

This Brooks LTD custom dress bridges generations, read on for the shortened version…..

In 1990, the bride Carrie made a dramatic entrance on horseback wearing this stunning, custom-made gown by Brooks Luby.

Unconventional themes

While traditional venues were typical at the time, Carrie’s entrance was anything but conventional. This story likely resonates with those who appreciate unconventional wedding themes, venues, and attire.

Carrie circa 1990

Meet Zoe

Fast forward to 2023, and Carrie’s daughter, Zoe, got engaged. As athletic as they come, Zoe and her now-husband are avid travelers who seek out high mountain ranges for their adventures. Their lifestyle is exotic and always on the move, reflecting Zoe’s passion for health, fitness, and constant motion.

What you wear says alot about how you live and Zoe wanted this reflected in her gown with ease of movement in elegant fabric choices.

Fascinated by her mother’s wedding story, Zoe became enamored with the idea of wearing the same art wearable dress for her own wedding. Together with her mother, they opened the heirloom storage box that had preserved the gown for over three decades. To their delight, they discovered the original Brooks LTD label still intact, which led them back to me, the original wearable art designer.

Heirloom dress revealed

During our consultation, Zoe tried on her mother’s dress. It fit her like a glove, but she wanted to update it to suit her active personality and modern tastes. We lowered the neckline, removed the sleeves, took out the petticoat for a sleeker silhouette, and added a pocket for her vows – all changes that reflected Zoe’s style while maintaining the dress’s essence.

Zoe in her Mother’s gown after 30 years of storage, note the neckline, the fit and the sleeves, all about to change.

Transformation

New neckline, armhole and pocket details.

The Wedding Day

The result is captured perfectly in a photo that truly showcases Zoe’s personality. The image reveals the impeccable fit of the updated dress and her husband’s adoring look. Their smiles radiate joy and happiness, a testament to living a life together as a couple, the success of our collaboration and the dress’s transformation.

Wearable Art Clothing Designer

As the designer, I am forever grateful to have met Zoe after 30 years of knowing her mother. It gives me immense pleasure to help women attain the dress of their dreams. Working on my original dress was a treat, allowing me to appreciate its excellent construction from the inside out. The hand-stitched elements, luxurious fabric choices, and attention to detail – both in 1990 and now – make me proud to know that the dress has been passed down and worn with great pleasure.

For anyone inspired by this story or looking to breathe new life into a treasured garment, I encourage you to reach out. Together, we can transform any meaningful piece – whether it’s a beloved jacket, a family heirloom, or a vintage find – into something that honors its history while celebrating your present self. I specialize in creative transformations that break conventional rules, helping you showcase your authentic self through reimagined clothing that tells your unique story.

Zoe’s infectious smile

Connecting in a personal way

Zoe and I at the final fitting

Memories to Modern: Transforming Treasured Clothing

Quality garments can transcend any purpose, adapting and evolving just as we do. Maybe you’re entering a new phase of life and want your wardrobe to reflect who you’ve become. Whether you’ve embraced your natural gray hair, shifted to a more relaxed lifestyle, or simply want to express yourself differently, your clothing should be a true reflection of who you are.

For anyone looking to breathe new life into a treasured garment, I can help transform any meaningful piece into something that honors it’s history while celebrating your present self.

Together, we can create unique transformations that showcase your authentic self through reimagined clothing that tells your story.  I encourage you to reach out,

This concept includes any cherished garment, I’ve been known to recreate pieces into wearables that break the rules and let you showcase your true newly discovered self where authenticity takes center stage.

The post Memories to Modern: Transforming Treasured Clothing appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

A one-of-a-kind bride along with her mother and twin sister in custom ensembles by Brooks LTD.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.  Flower arrangement by Bouquets.  

A couple weeks ago I blogged about a special bride and her family whom I had the pleasure of working with last year.  Specifically, I wrote about the family heirloom that I transformed into a headpiece for the bride.  These ladies were such fun!  Not only did I get to create the bride’s unique headpiece for her wedding day, but I also custom designed her rehearsal dinner dress, along with her mother and sister’s wedding day ensembles.  Now, these were not your average rehearsal dinner, mother of the bride, or maid of honor dresses.  This crew was far too creative for that.  And, after all, every custom design I make is a reflection of the wearer and their personality.  What we ended up creating together were three bold outfits that paid homage to the colorful personalities of the women, along with the location they were being worn in.  Plus, as an additional challenge, each look was intentionally created using multiple layers that could be worn all together, or mixed and matched for a whole new look at future occasions.  What appeared to be a gown was actually separates, including pants!  How’s that for long term, sustainable use?

The bride wore purple. Custom rehearsal dinner look by Brooks LTD.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.

A multi-layered, convertible look is a great option for a non-traditional bride seeking versatility and mileage.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.  Flowers by Bouquets.

With her rehearsal dinner taking place at a Colorado Rockies baseball game, the bride and I knew that purple (the team’s color, for those unfamiliar) was the obvious color choice.  As an avid Rockies fan, the bride wanted to make sure that her outfit showcased her team pride.  We chose a sheer purple fabric with tonal purple embroidered accents to use for a jacket and pants, and a purple silk charmeuse cami and shorts as the under layers.  Sheer pants layered over shorts is a trend that has been making waves lately, and I thought this was a fun occasion for just such a look.  Particularly for a nontraditional bride with a sporty vibe.  It was quite the showstopper, and the bride’s radiant smile in her custom ensemble made me a happy designer.

A happy mother of the bride in her ruby lace ensemble.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.

Mother of the bride posing in custom Brooks LTD.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.

For the wedding day, the bride’s mother and sister chose bold jewel tones – one ruby, the other turquoise, respectively.  The mother of the bride’s dress featured a full length lace layer, again over a satiny silk charmeuse slip.  A wide silk belt inspired by a Japanese obi belt accented her waist and broke up the length of the ruby lace overlay.

The bride’s twin sister wears a convertible turquoise lace look.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.

Two happy twins wearing their unique, custom designed outfits.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.

The bride’s twin sister sported a bright turquoise ensemble, which included lace pants underneath a smooth silk charmeuse skirt.  The lace pants peeked out from a split in the skirt, subtly showing off this unique detail when she moved.  We paired these with a lined lace cap sleeve top.  The beauty of this ensemble was that the bride’s sister could wear her matching lace-pant-and-top look without the skirt at a later date, making the outfit multifunctional.  I do love a good convertible style!

One fabulous looking wedding party, all wearing custom Brooks LTD.  Photo by Erin Lassahn.  Flowers by Bouquets.

As evidenced from the photos, everyone loved their custom designs, which helped make the happy occasion even more special.  They fit each woman like a glove – both literally, and figuratively.  The looks were playful, colorful and unique, just like the wearers themselves.  And in the end that’s what couture design is all about.

Custom Occasion Dresses by Brooks LTD

Wedding season is coming up, which means that it’s time to start thinking about bridal, mother of the bride, and bridesmaids’ gowns!  I specialize in custom designing unique, one-of-a-kind ensembles that are tailor made to fit you and your personality.  If you’re getting married and are looking for something bespoke, please visit the Contact page of my website to schedule a consultation.

The post Unique Wedding Ensembles For Creative Women appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Model Dorotka wears a custom Brooks LTD bias cut silk charmeuse wedding dress. Imagery by photographers Kai Davis, Joel Serrano and John Oh, with Dorotka handling concept, styling and HMU.

We’re lucky to live in a state that many couples travel long distances to for their destination weddings.  Every year Colorado plays host to thousands of mountain weddings, from Vail to Aspen, to Telluride to Estes Park.  As a Colorado-based couture fashion designer, it’s quite often that I find myself designing custom wedding dresses to fit just such a setting.  A truly custom design, however, requires taking both the setting, as well as the individual style, personality and body type of the bride herself into consideration in the design of the gown.  With the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, I tend to find that dresses which reflect a similar natural elegance and ease are most apropos.

Dorotka plays the perfect Rocky Mountain bride at the Dove Inn in Golden, Colorado.  Photos by Kai Davis, Joel Serrano and John Oh.

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph one of my custom bridal creations with not one, but three talented photographers –  Kai Davis, Joel Serrano, and John Oh – and model Dorotka T., who did her own concepting, styling and hair and makeup, all at the Dove Inn in Golden, Colorado.  This charming B & B – with its cozy interior and easy access to the foothills – was the perfect place to showcase the grace of my bias cut silk charmeuse gown.

High atop the mountain in custom Brooks LTD.  Photos by Kai Davis, Joel Serrano and John Oh.

Showing off the train of her silk Brooks LTD wedding dress, as captured by Kai Davis, Joel Serrano and John Oh.

A custom dress by Brooks LTD fits like a glove.  Photos by Kai Davis, Joel Serrano and John Oh.

Dorotka was every part the radiant mountain bride, with the bias cut of the dress gracefully draping around her curves into the train.  The open, cowl back revealed just the right amount of skin, while the hand-appliqued silk at the bust added a tasteful bit of volume as well as coverage.  It’s a pared-down dress, yet does not compromise on its exquisite details, luxury and craftsmanship.  The perfect thing for the Colorado bride!

A cowl back and elegant train sweep the staircase at the Dove Inn.  Photos by Kai Davis, Joel Serrano and John Oh.

Custom Wedding Dresses by Brooks LTD

Wedding season is on the horizon, which means it’s time to start thinking about the dress!  I specialize in custom designing unique, one-of-a-kind wedding gowns that are tailor made to fit you and your personality.  If you’re getting married and are looking for something bespoke, please visit the Contact page of my website to schedule a consultation.

The post A Custom Wedding Dress Fit For a Mountain Wedding appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Image via Style Me Pretty

Engagement season is upon us (hello, holiday proposal!), and that means brides are beginning to think about the wedding dress and bridal accessories.  Custom, alternative wedding dresses – i.e. styles that are not your run-of-the-mill, off-the-rack look that reflect more of your individual personality – have been a mainstay of my atelier for longer than I can count.  (Check out the Brides page of my website to read more about my Brooks LTD custom gowns and see examples from some real brides.)  Some say ‘the beauty is in the details,’ and I’d have to agree – especially when it comes to a bride’s big day.  Adding personal touches to your wedding look can make you feel even more connected to the garments you’re wearing, making them exponentially more meaningful for such an important rite of passage.  One way to add a personal touch (and be sustainable while you’re at it!) is to repurpose a family heirloom, such as a part of a family member’s wedding dress, either by incorporating it into your dress, or even reimagining it as an accessory.  One of my favorite recent examples of this has to be the time I worked with bride Megan and her family to create dresses for both her rehearsal dinner and wedding day.

Consultation with mom and daughters for their custom designs, including a mother of the bride dress, maid of honor dress, and dresses for the rehearsal dinner.  Mom Jina and bride Megan deliberate on fabrics at the Brooks LTD atelier.

Reimagining twin sister Erin’s wedding dress strap for Megan’s bridal headpiece. Sustainable and meaningful!

Megan and her twin sister Erin are, needless to say, very close.  Megan wanted a way to incorporate something of Erin’s into her bridal look, as her “something borrowed.”  So we took the strap from Erin’s own wedding dress, and I transformed it into Megan’s headpiece for her special day.  Their mother Jina was thrilled, as well as the twins.  It was clear to me how proud (and tearful!) this added detail made them feel, after looking at their wedding photos.  What a fun project to be a part of!

Megan and her mother Jina on her wedding day.  Jina wears a custom Brooks LTD dress. Note Megan’s headpiece, which I created using the strap from her twin sister’s wedding gown.

Tears of joy: Twin sister and Maid of Honor Erin gets emotional looking at bride Megan during the wedding. Erin wears custom Brooks LTD.

Megan shows off her special, repurposed headpiece by Brooks LTD.

Custom Wedding Dresses by Brooks LTD

Not all brides are created the same!  I specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind wedding gowns that are tailor made to fit you and your personality.  If you’re getting married and are looking for something bespoke, please visit the Contact page of my website to schedule a consultation.

The post Turning an Heirloom Into a Creative Accessory for Your Wedding Look appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

She came to me after looking around for her perfect gown and not finding quite the look she dreamed of elsewhere. She wanted something special that radiated her personality and flattered her figure. The dress would be a short cocktail dress in a decorative tulle fabric with three-dimensional flowers. My vision of this dress could also be worn for a mother of the bride, gala event, cocktail party or any other black-tie social occasion.

When she decided to have me make a custom handmade dress, Jody and her fiancé came to visit to see how the process works. Since they had done their research, they had a vision of some design elements that would work on her figure. We draped several different fabrics over her street wear and she tried on several sample elements in my atelier in downtown Denver. Jody had also ordered two pairs of shoes that she loved, so we had a color palette to start with. It’s funny to see what sparks a dress design – shoes in this case!

After the first consultation, I had ideas of what would work for her wedding. They came back to look at the drawings and the fabrics I found that might work for the dress. Together we narrowed down the fabric choices to a grey beaded tulle or a pink beaded tulle with three-dimensional flowers. We chose the pink and I was off and running.

While I waited for the fabric to arrive, I prepared the first fitting of a muslin. We had two fittings of the muslin to get it perfect before I cut into the gorgeous special fabric. Placement of the flowers were very important, so there wasn’t any room for error and required special focus and attention to detail to get it right.

I cut apart the carefully executed muslin and used it as the final pattern. In fact, I saved this muslin as Jody and I talked about other dresses for more upcoming events this summer. Fabric and design will change the muslin fit, but we have a start for more options.

Below you will see various photos and views of Jody in her dress at her wedding day. The extended family included many children and young adults, you can see everything was thought out even down to the pink converse shoes. The flowers designed by Newberry Brothers were also exquisite. Everything was soft in pinks, with touches of red roses. Thank you to Joe and Joyce at Studio JK Photography for these great photos.

Congratulations to Jody and Don for their recent marriage! I am honored to have been your couturier for the festive event. You both looked radiant.

Looking for a unique, handmade wedding dress that’s unlike any other?

Sometimes your vision for the big day requires a wedding dress no one else has – one of a kind.  Reach out to me for a custom wedding dress that fits you and suits your personality perfectly.

The post A Unique Handmade Wedding Dress for a Second-Time Bride appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Sarah’s family lives out of town and not here in Denver, so her best friend Katie joined her for the first few consultations. After we talked about her vision for the wedding dress she had in mind, I started researching fabric choices and made a sketch. With my direction, Sarah was happy to help choose the final fabric and the rest was up to me and my creativity.

After we nailed down the fabrics and initial designs, we had a few fittings and it all came together when Sarah’s blue shoes arrived! As women, we love having that special pair of shoes to complete an ensemble, especially for our wedding day!

The whole dress design process was fun and as an extra addition to this project was that I had the honor of also creating her bridal accessories! It’s not too often that I get the opportunity to complete the whole concept for brides, but Sarah gave me artistic freedom to do it all.

I’ve had a lot of experience making fascinators and belts and this gave me that same opportunity. Hand stitching is always a relaxing detail that I love to do for my clients.

From time to time, clients give me a review on Google. Sarah was no exception and her words were so specific I thought I’d share them with you:

“Brooks designed and created my custom wedding dress! It was such a fun process, she listened to what I initially wanted, and added her expertise and creativity – it all resulted in a one-of-a-kind dress that was vintage-inspired, beautifully crafted, and the fabrics & design were perfect for the occasion – AND it fit like a glove! Brooks included my best friend and I on the process, we met her at the fabric store, and in her fabulous studio multiple times. She also created a custom headpiece with a birdcage veil and a fun belt for the dress. All in all, this was such a great experience – for me, it was 200% better than spending months at bridal shops, never really finding what I wanted. Thank you!”

Below you can see the final bridal look in her wedding day photos, with their celebration at a family cabin (a geodesic dome home) in Presque Isle, Wisconsin!

Wedding Photographer: Melissa Grace Photography

Looking for a unique, custom-made bridal gown that’s unlike any other?

Sometimes your vision for the big day requires a wedding dress no one else has-a one of a kind.  Reach out to me for a custom wedding dress that fits you and suits your personality perfectly.

The post A Custom Wedding Dress Designed for Sarah appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

For me, one of my favorite highlights of the whole day were the clothes. Meghan expressed herself so eloquently through her choices of classic details with meaning, especially in her bouquet and veil.

“Flexible” being a word that this couple, and this wedding, has managed, to everyone’s great surprise, to attach to the formerly-perceived-as-entirely-rigid royal family.”  — Vanessa Friedman, NY Times

With this Royal Wedding, the world was able to see the new, modern influences on the British Empire. And the modest, simple, and elegant fashion design was at the forefront of the event. It made me want to dress royalty. It also reminded me of how I have described my work to potential clients in the past: “You deserve a wardrobe that treats you like nobility.” And isn’t nobility another word for royalty?

Meghan Markel’s choice of fashion for her wedding dress was classic, demur, elegant and tasteful. The clean design line of her wedding gown will add another dimension of choices for women getting married in the bridal marketplace. Classic design and luxury fabrics are all one needs to create a statement. In my world of fashion, I have always believed that timeless design is everlasting.

Photo Credit: Getty Images, Town & Country

One of my favorite clothing designs of the guests was worn by Amal Clooney. The color was lovely and the design simple and understated. I especially liked the surprise of the train extending beyond the garments hemline.

Photo Credit: Getty Images, PopSugar

Megan’s gown for the reception also resonated with me. “The Cold Shoulder” has been around for decades, and you can read more about the style in the New York Times. It’s sexy and revealing in a very subtle way. Shoulders have a tendency to remain the same shape and size no matter a woman’s weight fluctuations, so it’s a beautiful option for many body types. I’m sure this design element will show up in many new bridal collections over the next year!

Photo Credit: Getty Images, Town & Country

Below you can see some of my current designs photographed this past season, and I think they simulate what everyone saw at the recent Royal Wedding.

Photo Credit: Hardy Klahold

I also like to think that my ‘mustard’ version of a summer suit would have looked well at the Royal Wedding.

Photo Credit: Hardy Klahold

And these ladies look like they would fit right in with the Royal Family, don’t you think?

Photo Credit: Hardy Klahold

About Brooks LTD

Modern trends blended with timeless elements are always part of my inspiration for every custom design I create. I collaborate closely with clients to ensure the most stunning look for their personal style. This is what makes the Brooks LTD atelier an influencer in the Denver fashion scene.

If you’re looking for a custom wedding dress, mother of the bride dress, or custom lifestyle clothing, reach out to me for a consultation by calling 303-573-3801. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Fashion at the Royal Wedding appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Not peach, not orange, salmon. That was her driving force for the entire wedding, from flowers, cake and everything in between.

The Process of Designing Karen’s Custom Wedding Dress

It was quite the journey for me to find the exact match from a color swatch. When I pulled out a color card of available laces, there was the exact color. Finding the undergarment color fabric was the challenge. I was thinking I may have to dye the silk to get the right color. Not only was the color important but the quality of the fabric needed to have body as Karen wanted a strapless dress. Boning and structure were eminent in this complicated task.

I like to take a photo of my client in her daytime clothing so that I can look at it during the creative process.

One thing I suggest to potential brides is to bring in their vision of what a gown for their day would look like. I find it so interesting that women have a vision of what they want to look like and sometimes the technical aspect doesn’t work with either the fabric or a body type.

Strapless dresses demand so much structure for the gown to stay up, the inside of the garment is highly constructed so that the wearer will be comfortable all night and not tug at her gown for staying in place. I love a challenge!

Here is the original vision of the gown Karen saw herself in:

Fast forward to one of the next steps in the custom-dress process, I create a strapless prototype for Karen to try on.

At the second fitting, not only does the prototype have the shape we are trying to achieve, but I use the exact kind of fabric for the sample. In order to see how something is going to fit, we have to first create it in the fabric we plan to use. 

You’ll see in photo below that I used the salmon duchess satin for the bustline fit. Although it looks odd, it gives me the perspective I need to continue to the next step.

Photo credit: Meredith Harris Photo

It is at this point that I suggest Karen consider sleeves to hold the gown in place. It is still constructed like a strapless gown but has the extra security of a cap sleeve for beauty and function. Even small cap sleeves can help provide a more elegant aesthetic for any body type, especially since strapless dresses can often appear a little too snug around the arms/shoulders and upper back. 

Meredith also captured me fitting the lace overlay on Karen in my atelier so that the pattern is symmetrical with some extra movement in the back of the gown, mainly a subtle train. 

Photo credit: Meredith Harris Photo

Photo credit: Meredith Harris Photo

After this fitting, the details of the sleeves and the fit were the main concern. We needed to make sure she could move easily and feel comfortable on her big day.

Here are a few shots I took on delivery day:

The Day of the Wedding

At the wedding, Heather and Gunther of High Altitude Photography captured the dress in an elegant way. As you can see the dress fit Karen beautifully, she was able to move without restraint, and her venue, hair and other details blended together seamlessly. I am so appreciative of High Altitude Weddings to share the day with me through their creative photography!

It’s so gratifying to see ‘the day of’.  Thank you to Meredith Harris and High Altitude Photography for their work and Karen’s vision of an unusual dress in an unexpected color to complete her wedding dreams.

Yes, dreams do come true.

Contact Brooks LTD for a Custom Wedding Dress

Sometimes your vision for the big day requires a wedding dress no one else has worn! Reach out to me for a custom wedding dress that fits you and suits your personality perfectly.

The post Custom-Made Salmon Colored Lace Wedding Gown appeared first on Brooks Ltd.