Diane D’Angelo
Attending Catholic school in Ohio was the time when Diane D’Angelo developed her passion.
She became an altar girl so she could decorate the church for weddings. D’Angelo made sure the statue of St. Barbara, the patron saint of lightning, always had her crown adorned with flowers. A classmate remembers her drawing wedding dress fashion plates in sixth grade.
“I was steered toward art classes in high school,” D’Angelo said. “My teacher said I would never make any money with my paintings, but if I studied interior design and fashion, I could go anywhere.”
For the last three years, D’Angelo has taken her talent to the Broadacres area of Powell, where she relocated the thriving business she developed while living in southern California.
“Three years ago, my husband said he didn’t want to live in San Diego anymore,” D’Angelo said. “We were going to move to the South. We looked around a lot and settled into the Knoxville area.”
A passion for the bride
While the circumstances might be different, the business concept she has had for the past 39 years is the same.
D’Angelo designs the dresses and sells to about 100 stores. She will unveil her line of creations in various major national shows, and she’ll also have buyers come by her home for a firsthand look.
Besides putting her work in the retail world, D’Angelo’s favorite part of her work is being one-on-one with a bride, crafting a unique dress to fit her personality.
“I like my brides to have their own individual vision,” D’Angelo said. “When I sit down with a bride, I interview them. I don’t sell wedding dresses, I design brides. I listen to the bride. I’m not clerking a dress to them.”
D’Angelo said that many stores will mandate their staff are not allowed to spend more than 45 minutes with a potential client. A recent bride spent more than two hours designing the perfect dress.
While the designing process was going on, the bride warned she could spent between $2,000 and $3,000. With add-ons to what the two had collaborated on, it came to $1,600.
Keeping the prices reasonable
D’Angelo said her dresses will normally run between $700 and $1,700 — figures that irritate the big names in the industry.
“I don’t want to be big,” she said. “My parents were a steelworker and waitress. I realize how hard money can be to come by. I don’t want to play games with the prices.
“The wedding dress industry is dog eat dog. I don’t wholesale my dresses. I want to keep the prices reasonable.”
D’Angelo said the dresses she has for stores are under the “A True Private Label” label, while the dresses she designs in person are in her “D’Angelo Couture” business.
“My design abilities are diversified,” she said.
D’Angelo can be creative in different areas. She invented “soft gold” for the headband of the veil. It’s a mixture of silver plating and a flash plate in gold.
To contact D’Angelo, call or text 619-743-4274.
Article courtesy of AOL. https://www.aol.com/wedding-dress-designer-creates-gowns-100125336.html
