NEWS photo Nell Lucente NORTH SHORE designer Hilda Fassas creates fairytale dresses like this bridal gown of dupion silk edged in hand-beaded lace, worn by Marianne. Fassas’ designs will be featured at the Wel- come Wagon Bridal Showcase Sunday, Oct. 3 at North Van- couver’s Coach House inn. Phone 275-1558 for more information. =e Ae equipment en ea T-shirts _ starting at $15 Sale ends Sat. Sept. 11/93 "Children’s sizes 0-14 yrs. Wee World Mon.-Sat. Baby & Children’s Wear 10.5.30 1856 LONSDALE AVE., N.VAN. 985-8600 AN EXQUISITE wedding gown transforms the young bride into a princess for a day. And while real-life princesses don’t give a second thought to the expense of their no-holds-barred fairytale gowns, the rest of us do. Still, choosing a gown that suits your dreams and your budget is not an impossible task. Veteran dressmaker Hilda Fassas has been sewing since she was a 14-year-old in Austria. Brides-to-be coming into her North Vancouver studio this year are requesting cither very full or very straight. “They're not as beaded as they used to be, they're very plain,” she says of the gowns most in de- mand. ‘It’s a more classic look.’* Nevertheless, words like “classic”? and ‘‘plain’’ do not necessarily go hand in hand with ‘inexpensive,”’ or even ‘‘afford- able.”” A penchant for natural materi- als like imported silk tafettas and dupions, French embroidered or antique lace, and delicate point d’esprit can’ run the price of a By Layne Christensen Fashion Reporter simple yet classic dress well into three figures. But cutting costs on your gown does not have to cut in on your style. Substituting a dupion silk underskirt with one made in a synthetic silk will reduce the price without compromising the look of the dress. Opting for locally made inex- pensive lace instead of imported will achieve a look that is basically the same. Anothez solution is to choose a simple, affordable dress and fancy it up with a hand-beaded head- piece which Fassas custom makes for $82-3130 — long veil and choker of pearls. 2ND ANNUAL Kidz Cut-a-thon a fundraiser for Wed. September 1st 9:00-6:00 pm BACK-TO-SCHOOL HAIRCUTS AGE + $5.00 Special guest appearance by RONALD McDONALD SUNDAY + WEDNESDAY = FRIDAY EMPIRE 124 W. 3rd Street 984-6121 44:30-11:45 HAIR DESIGN SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER? #201- 1217 Lonsdale Ave. 985-6811 ‘Lonsdale Florist be costly And what the Austrian-trained designer says many resourceful brides are doing is recycling their gowns. A short gown with a full, em- broidered overskirt does double duty as a party dress when the skirt is removed. A mermaid bridal gown, which runs straight to the knee and then full to the floor, can also be worn again, without the layers of tulle kicking about the ankles. Using velcro to attach trains, bows and other fancy details will ensure their easy removal so that the dress can be worn again at special functions or holiday. Yet many brides, says. Fassas, still go the traditional route, buy- ing a gown all of silk — ‘‘because it is more expensive, better: to wear, and can be put away in storage”? — wearing it once, then leaving it to be enjoyed by the next bride in the foauly. For more information about Hilda Fassas’ creations, please phone the designer at 986-3518. 1219 LONSDALE AVE. a NORTH VANCOUVER 987-1643 : - Wee World| Baby & Children's Wear 1556 oie Ava. ” 985-8600 PAULA PHILLIPS . Interior Decorator / Colourist : 985-9128.