Hold The Frills: A Eulogy

I remember when I was growing up passing by a wedding gown shop on my way to school. When you’re a little girl you’re supposed to be enthralled by the princess-look and all the magic that goes with it. But what I saw year after year in that window was mortifying, really. Frills and laces, puffed sleeves and impossible mermaid tails, lots of beads and loads of fabric (I’ve just almost described Lady Diana’s wedding dress which I thought it was a sin!). Instead of making me dream it made me swear to myself that I would never marry looking like an ornate cabbage.

     Princess Diana buried in her own excess  
Photo:Pa Archive/PA

And then suddenly one day, the window started to change before my eyes. Less bells and whistles accompanied the mannequins, less cloth, less ornament, less of everything-even the lighting seemed different. I thought, well, after all I may not need to have my wedding gown bespoke, I can just buy it off the shelf! (author’s disclaimer: she didn’t). That was Pronovias, a world-leading wedding attire company. Made in Spain. And the creative mind behind its rebirth was Manuel Mota, who made stylish yet affordable dresses for every bride that was fed-up with tacky and couldn’t pay a seamstress. And not just for the “novias”, but also for the guests, who could wear them to other formal ceremonies as well. He even dressed the bride’s maids, an unusual phenomenon in Spain (thank God).

Unfortunately after 23 years of tireless work for Pronovias, Manuel Mota died last Tuesday at 46. He took his own life, putting a very tragic, though some might say romantic, end to a prolific career in the fashion world.

Although his name was always under the umbrella of Pronovias, many women who perhaps never knew his name have been saddened by his death, and their daughters’ loss. 

Adiós Manuel, you’ll be sorely missed.