Quinceañera dress: ball gown, princess, or doll cake.

The day I started designing formal dresses, I thought I could make everything but Quinceañera dresses, because, for example, a wedding or graduation dress, even if it sometimes has a princess style, the result always seems to be more modern and refined than a Quinceañera trousseau. I was afraid that some of my clients would see my work as less "chic" if I ventured into Quinceañera dresses.

One day the challenge arrived. I was asked to design a Quinceañera dress and I couldn't say no, it was for the daughter of a good friend. That's when I started to analyze why it looked different, and once I focused my attention on the subject, I quickly understood that the materials used had a lot to do with it. It's sad, but unfortunately I found models made with very poor quality fabrics; I won't mention names or places. This is just the first piece of advice I'm giving to you, Quinceañera, or the birthday girl's mom: Pay attention to the materials! They could be charging you an arm and a leg for something of very low quality. With the idea of entering fantasy realms, they sometimes include things that look like they came from a stationery store. Remember it's a dress, not a costume.

Then I realized that, indeed, the style of this design tends to be very princess-like, reminiscent of the era of Maximilian and Carlota, who introduced the waltz and the type of attire for this celebration, which indigenous people had already celebrated before the arrival of the Spanish. It's beautiful to follow a tradition; it's part of the richness of our culture. But the interesting part comes when this tradition evolves and is influenced by current trends and feelings. That's where design can come in, and again, the result will be a dress we could imagine on a runway, not just in a museum. One of my favorite questions is: How do you want to look? Like a cake doll or a model? And yes, they always prefer the model! So here's the second piece of advice: Don't just follow Quinceañera dress trends. Dare to be inspired by runways, trendy actresses, red carpets, and even wedding dresses; I promise the result will be much more captivating.

And last but very important! It is essential that the dress adapts to the style and body shape of the wearer, and not the other way around. Although Quinceañeras are usually slender, and some are more "curvy," they have the great advantage of being at an age full of youth; there's really no way not to look pretty. I've seen cases where the poor girl's torso is squeezed and her figure is deformed when it's not necessary, as the current trend is more natural. Or sometimes, for the super thin girls who are just developing, they put tremendous padding in the bust, or matronly cuts. Definitely, everyone needs something that dresses her and highlights her natural youthful attributes without forcing it; that will give her elegance and good taste.

Anyway, these are the three premises with which we work on Quinceañera dresses at Débh Herrera; and as a designer, they have allowed me to revalidate a tradition that I thought could not be modernized and refined. I hope my advice is useful; I will be very happy to help you with your dress in our studio!