Oui Madam
You've probably passed the new boutique on Cookham High Street and ogled the dresses in the window – after all, they are
a bit of a talking point. Managing Director of the bridal atelier Cynthia Grafton-Holt has spent years working for the UK’s leading fashion and designer houses and making dresses for VIPs. I caught up with her to discuss her love of weddings, why she's moved from Notting Hill to the countryside, and what the celebs she has dressed are really like...
Tell me about you, and what brings you to Cookham?
Married to my wonderful hubby Paul, I have a grown-up daughter and two
delightful grandchildren. We live in Wooburn Green – close to the new boutique
in Cookham – having recently made ‘the trek’ from North London’s commuter
belt to enjoy life anew in the wonderful and picturesque countryside – replete with swans serenely passing our bedroom window each morning on the adjacent river... ahhh!
Cookham is so lovely and endearing. It was the first village we felt completely
at home in when we happened upon it one rainy afternoon, shortly after making the move to Wooburn. Our first choice for a boutique fell through (now the dry cleaners), but we were delighted when we were told the old cake shop was now available. We made an instant decision to move in, and are glad we did, as the folks in the arcade and village are very accepting and friendly towards us.
I am yet to go to Malik’s in Cookham – I'd like to, but simply haven’t had the time. Everyone has told me to go! I have been to the Peking Inn (it was fab);
and on a sunny day, I'd like to stroll up and down the high street, check out
Vicki Bond and Seconds Out, before sipping a white wine spritzer in the gardens at Moor Hall.
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Tell us about your new bridal boutique on the high street
The new boutique has now been completely renovated to reveal, what
we hope people will perceive as, a sophisticated and stylish wedding atelier
nicely perched on the high street. The boutique offers both ready-made designer wedding dresses (£750–£1,500) and a bespoke service whereby we design the gowns from scratch and make them afresh for each bride (£2,500–£3,500). The shop window is often commented upon by the local community as it is rather unique – displays have included a black dress (used in Africa Fashion Week
for their cover in London recently), an exquisitely tailored white trouser suit
ensemble and a short leg-revealing white bridal gown, accessorised with
black biker jacket and black ankle-high-length boots to match (see right)!
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How did you get into this industry?
I have been passionately involved in fashion and wedding dresses for the
past 30 years. Working with brides-to-be is a thrilling and exciting business that helps to get me out of bed each day. I often get swept along with their emotions and enthusiasm, and do find myself attending many of their wedding days whenever I can. After all, who can resist a wedding?!
I ran Adore Couture, a bridalwear business in London’s Notting Hill in
the 1990s, where I met many of my celebrity clients. When the success of the
film Notting Hill caused rents to skyrocket, I left the area and took a break to complete my Master’s degree and teacher qualifications in order to take up lecturing. I am now back in town, so to speak, and eager to re-establish myself and the Oui Madam brand anew…
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Have you styled the rich and famous?
During my career, I have made dresses for many of the famous retail brands – Alexander McQueen, Roland Mouret, Nicole Farhi, Giles Deacon, Marios Scwhab, Matthew Williamson, Suzanne Neville, Pronovia and Victoria Beckham. Working with these famous houses has been a blast and I have made numerous friends and acquaintances along the way. Victoria Beckham is actually very lovely,
friendly and down to earth.
I have made dresses for J-Lo, Reece Witherspoon and Rosamund Pike. I have also made them for the likes of Mrs Ann Coren (mother of Giles & Victoria), Mrs Venables, Mrs Lineker, Linda Ferrari, Kym Mazelle, and Viscountess Eccles – to name but a few. The simplest dresses can be the most daunting, as per the
one for J-Lo, as there is no room to hide errors or mistakes within the folds or embellishments; it must be picture perfect – it either makes her look a million dollars or it doesn’t; fortunately for me (and her) it did!
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