While most brides-to-be are busy planning a thousand details, Stephanie Larimer took on an even more ambitious project: to create her own dress for her June 2013 wedding. Although Larimer, who owns local clothing business Ruby Francis, has been sewing for years, it was her first attempt at designing a bridal gown.
Now almost two years later, that experience has inspired her newest line—Intended by Ruby Francis—which debuted at the Off White Indie Wedding Show in March.
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“The line is really an extension of that special time,” Larimer says of her wedding, “and it also gives me an opportunity to relive that with every gown and every bride I’m able to accommodate.”
Her wedding dresses are all priced less than $1,000 and are made from 100 percent reclaimed or vintage fabrics. Larimer spends hours scouring thrift stores, estate sales, and places like The Upcycle Exchange to find fabrics.
She says she’s inspired by independent women who have a “simple, but powerful style.”
“These dresses are very simple to allow a woman’s inner beauty to really shine through,” she says. “They accentuate those very beautiful qualities and let that natural silhouette show.”
In addition to dresses, the line includes an assortment of accessories, including capelets, headbands, and crowns. Larimer says the capelets, which are priced less than $100, are perfect for covering a bride’s shoulders during a spring or fall wedding. She also creates headbands and crowns from vintage lace.
For Larimer, the line is about “less production and more heart,” and she plans to continue adding new pieces for the foreseeable future.
Intended by Ruby Francis is available on Etsy. Larimer also will have a sampling of the line at these upcoming events: Washington Vintage Market, April 17–19 in downtown Washington, Mo.; St. Louis Vintage Market Days, April 24–26 in Chesterfield; and Spring Fling in the City, May 9 in Old North St. Louis.
