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Those familiar with the bridal industry will recognize Polk as the designer-creative director behind the ultimate\u00a0Cool Bride brand Houghton. Known for its edgy designs, and for setting\u00a0bridal trends\u00a0\u2014 with crop tops and pants, cutout dresses, and leather and varsity bridal jackets all part of the roster \u2014 the New York-based label was never for the traditional bride. Instead, it was for the fashion-forward woman who happened to be getting hitched. But while the media looked forward to the splash that Houghton would make every season \u2014 which ranged from a\u00a0documentary-style fashion film\u00a0to an opulent presentation in a Manhattan townhouse \u2014 according to Polk, the \u201chardest thing to hear from brides\u201d since then, was that they didn\u2019t feel like the collection was for everyone.<\/p>\n
In January of 2018, when Houghton closed, many in the industry mourned the loss of the impossibly cool brand. As an editor, I was devastated to have one less brand that made Bridal Fashion Week exciting to attend and cover; when I recently got engaged, I was devastated as a bride-to-be with few places to turn to for\u00a0non-traditional wedding looks.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Polk was left to figure out what was next for her. After leaving New York City, where she lived and worked, for Los Angeles, she began consulting other bridal brands. \u201cYou have to learn from the mistakes, from what goes wrong,\u201d she tells me. \u201cThat\u2019s where you learn, and that\u2019s where you grow. And I wanted to share that with other businesses. I had all this knowledge to share with other people and young designers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As Polk settled into this new role, brides continued to reach out to her for custom wedding looks. Many went so far as to ask when,\u00a0not if<\/em>, she would create a collection. Because of the number of inquiries, Polk began to envision what, on December 1, officially launched as Katharine Polk. \u201cIt happened so organically,\u201d Polk says when I ask her when she knew it was time for her second act. \u201cIt was a matter of me just being able to build up enough money and savings to be able to create that so I could present it to them. And being able to do it right. I didn\u2019t want to just rush and create something just because. I wanted to make sure I had the foundation I needed and that I was communicating a real brand message that was true to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n That message is \u201cbridal for everybody,\u201d which, according to her, means \u201cevery ethnicity, every person, every body shape, every size\u2026\u201d And while Polk has always operated with inclusivity in mind \u2014 Houghton often cast non-models and prioritized inclusivity in front and behind of the cameras \u2014 this time, the message is at the forefront of her label. With that in my mind, she didn\u2019t separate Katharine Polk\u2019s collection into straight and plus sizes. Instead, all dress styles are available in sizes 00 to 30.<\/p>\n \u201cI want my women to feel amazing without feeling like they\u2019re being put in a different garment because of their size. I want my collection to feel like everything can fit every woman,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t want you to feel like you have to wear this dress because you\u2019re a certain size. Like, \u2018You\u2019re only able to wear this dress, you can\u2019t wear these because of your size.\u2019 I want you to have the same selection as everyone else does.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked why so many brands not only create separate collections \u2014 in 2017,\u00a0Good American made headlines\u00a0when it asked for Nordstrom to carry its 00-to-24 size range together \u2014 but sometimes entirely neglect women over a certain size, she points to the training designers get when they are starting out. \u201cI was trained in a certain way where sample sizes [usually size 0 to 4] is how you create a collection. I think the fashion industry has created a certain mentality of how collections are made, how collections are presented on the runway, and that\u2019s not the reality of the rest of the world,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of just retraining yourself, or teaching yourself, and pushing yourself to learn different techniques.\u201d She adds that she is lucky to work with \u201camazing\u201d seamstresses and pattern-makers who can design in every size.<\/p>\n In 2018,\u00a0Polk told me\u00a0that one of the things she learned from starting and closing a business is the need to \u201csimplify and be really good at one thing.\u201d This collection exemplifies that. Whereas Houghton was putting out sometimes six collections a year, resulting in hundreds of new styles over the course of its existence, with her namesake line, Polk wanted to create a collection that would serve as the \u201cfoundation\u201d for the brand to expand on in the future, rather than toss out entirely with the arrival of the new season. The result is nine dress styles.<\/p>\n\n \u201cAs a designer, of course, I have a board of a million other designs that I would have loved to add to Katharine Polk. But I had to really restrain myself and really edit, knowing that, in the long run, these were the designs that I could build on,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to spend the time on this collection, mastering and knowing that these patterns were perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fashion industry has created a certain mentality of how collections are made, how collections are presented on the runway, and that\u2019s not the reality of the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Some of the styles were inspired by the requests and feedback she got and from brides for custom orders \u2014 \u201cso they were already road-tested.\u201d Others came from Polk\u2019s knowledge of what sells well and what\u2019s missing from the market. \u201cI looked at what brides were asking me for. I looked at how many requests I was getting for certain gowns. I did tons and tons of research, took tons and tons of fabric meetings,\u201d she says. Silhouettes range from a midi wrap dress to an open-back slip and a\u00a0Regency era-like gown\u00a0with goofy sleeves that\u00a0Daphne Bridgerton\u00a0wouldn\u2019t have hesitated to marry the Duke of Hastings in. With every piece made-to-order in L.A., all the dresses are customizable in terms of color, fabrics, and styles. \u201cYou can mix and match all the styles. You can easily say, \u2018I want a sleeve, I don\u2019t want this sleeve, I want to take this skirt and put it on this style,\u2019\u201d Polk explains.<\/p>\n While over the years Polk has become known for avant-garde wedding creations that would land her placements in fashion magazines (as opposed to just bridal ones), her focus this time around is to make her brand accessible to as many brides as possible. \u201cI can do an editorial gown, I can do a $20,000 gown, I can order a couture fabric, that\u2019s the easy part, but I wanted to create something that was affordable to a majority of brides,\u201d she says. And while the $500 to $4,650 price point may not be affordable to everyone, it is reasonable by industry standards where sometimes bridal gown alterations alone can cost $500. \u201cFor me right now, less is more. I am thoughtful and intentional with every decision I make,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n Many would have hesitated to start a new brand so soon after closing one \u2014 let alone in a pandemic! Yet, according to Polk, having the time to think about the things that she did, yes, wrong, and, maybe more importantly, right as a businesswoman and designer has given her the confidence she needed to dive headfirst.<\/p>\n\n \u201cAs a designer,\u00a0of course<\/em>, I always think I am going to make something and no one will buy it,\u201d she laughs. \u201cThat said, I poured my entire savings into this company. I completely believe in it. I am a different person than I was at Houghton. I\u2019ve learned so much, and I\u2019ve poured all of that into my new business\u2026 I know in my gut that I am doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n At Refinery29, we\u2019re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n The coronavirus pandemic led to the closure of many\u00a0fashion businesses, but it has also marked the arrival of new ones. For brides-to-be, the most exciting has been the debut of designer\u00a0Katharine Polk\u2019s namesake wedding dress line. Those familiar with the bridal industry will recognize Polk as the designer-creative director behind the ultimate\u00a0Cool Bride brand Houghton. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[173],"tags":[4646,1994],"yoast_head":"\n\r\n \t