Your daughter is getting married, and naturally you want to look and feel wonderful on the day. But choosing a Mother of the Bride outfit does not mean adopting a particular look simply because the occasion says you should.
There is no single correct Mother of the Bride outfit. The right choice should reflect you: your personal style, the formality and setting of the wedding, the colours you love, the amount of coverage you feel comfortable with and, most importantly, the clothes in which you feel confident.
At Shibumi, we start with the woman and the silhouette. Once we have found the shape and proportions that feel right, we can explore the colour, silk and embroidery that bring the outfit to life.
Our Mother of the Bride collection includes silk dresses, statement coats, jackets and trouser outfits in an extensive choice of fabrics and colours. Women's styles are available in UK sizes 6-26, with bespoke and alteration possibilities depending on the garment.
Start With How You Want to Feel
Before thinking about trends or what a Mother of the Bride is supposedly expected to wear, think about how you would like to feel.
For many of the women we dress at Shibumi, that means elegant, stylish and special, but still completely themselves. They want something contemporary without feeling as though they trying to fit a style that doesn't suit them, classic but without being old fashioned and distinctive without competing with the bride.
Too often, Mother of the Bride dressing is treated as though women reach a certain age and suddenly need a completely different wardrobe. We don't believe that. All women deserve to feel elegant no matter their age or size.
Style does not have an age limit.
Your daughter's wedding is an enormously important occasion, and you deserve to enjoy getting dressed for it. The aim is to find something that gives you confidence from the moment you put it on, while allowing your own personality to remain part of the outfit.
Find the Silhouette First
One of the most useful things we have learnt from dressing real Mothers of the Bride is not to begin with the fabric.
Visit the Shibumi showroom and you will not immediately be presented with dozens of colours and embroidered silks. We start by establishing which silhouettes work for you.
That means looking at the shapes you already enjoy wearing, your preferred proportions, the correct size and how much structure or movement you would like from your outfit.
We will usually talk about the wedding too. Is it particularly formal? Is there a colour palette? Would you rather wear a dress or trousers? Would you like more coverage? Do you want something understated or a little more of a statement? And is being able to wear the pieces again important to you?
Once the shape feels right, choosing the colour and fabric becomes much easier.
And if you arrive saying, "I have absolutely no idea what I want", that is perfectly fine too. Sometimes starting with a blank canvas is the best way to discover something you might never have considered yourself.
The Shibumi Mother of the Bride Look: Lyra Coat and Shift Dress
If there is one combination that has become the signature Shibumi Mother of the Bride outfit, it is the Lyra Coat with a Silk Shift Dress.
It is one of the combinations our Mother of the Bride customers choose most frequently, and for good reason.
The shift dress creates a simple, beautifully cut foundation, while the Lyra brings a distinctive curved neckline and gently flared silhouette to the complete outfit. Together they feel special enough for an important wedding without becoming overly elaborate or traditionally "Mother of the Bride".
Colour and fabric then allow you to make the combination entirely your own. You might choose a plain Raw Silk dress beneath an Embroidered Silk Lyra Coat , coordinate the two pieces closely, or introduce contrasting colours to create something more individual.
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If You Would Like More Drama: Devi Coat and Shift Dress
For a longer and more striking silhouette, the full-length Devi Coat works beautifully over a Shibumi Shift Dress. our Silk Slip Dress and our Palazzo Silk Pants,
The length gives the outfit considerably more presence and allows the colour and fabric of the coat to become an important part of the overall look.
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If You Prefer a More Tailored Look
The Aquila Coat and Avani Coat offer alternatives for women who are naturally drawn towards a more tailored or structured silhouette.
And if a coat does not feel like you at all, that is fine. Shibumi jackets and silk trouser combinations give you plenty of other ways to create an outfit for the day.
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Choosing a Mother of the Bride Dress That Fits Beautifully
Our Silk Shift Dresses are one of the most important starting points for Mother of the Bride dressing.
Women sometimes arrive at the showroom having already decided that a fitted dress will not suit them. This is particularly common among customers who feel conscious of their shape and have become accustomed to choosing looser clothing for additional coverage.
A properly fitted shift dress can create a beautifully balanced silhouette. Shibumi Shift Dresses are cut with a slightly higher waist and can be adjusted to work with the individual's proportions.
We have dressed women across our size range, including women wearing a UK 26, who have tried a fitted shift dress they might previously have ruled out and felt wonderful in it.
That does not mean a shift dress is right for everyone. It simply means that your dress size should not decide which silhouettes you are allowed to try.
Our approach is to fit the clothes to the woman rather than expecting the woman to change herself for the clothes.
Where needed, bespoke and made-to-measure options can also help us adapt aspects of the garment to suit you.
What If I Want to Cover My Arms?
You do not need to cover your arms simply because you are Mother of the Bride. But if having more coverage would make you feel more comfortable and confident, there are several ways we may be able to help.
Depending on the garment, options can include adding sleeves to a dress, changing the sleeve length or choosing a jacket or coat to wear over it.
A Silk Shift Dress beneath a Lyra Coat is particularly useful if you would prefer coverage through the ceremony and photographs while still having the option to remove your coat later in the celebration.
Sleeves can also be added to selected pieces such as the Willow Silk Top.
The point is not to tell you what ought to be covered. It is to make the outfit work around how you would like to feel on the day.
Can the Mother of the Bride Wear Trousers?
Absolutely. A Mother of the Bride does not need to wear a dress.
For women who naturally feel more themselves in trousers, a beautifully put-together silk trouser outfit can feel every bit as special as a dress and coat.
Silk Cigarette Trousers with a Nehru Jacket or Coat
For a cleaner, more tailored silhouette, pair Silk Cigarette Trousers with a Nehru Jacket or Nehru Coat.
The fitted trouser shape creates a smart foundation, while the distinctive Nehru collar gives the overall outfit its character.
Silk Cigarette Trousers with a Bhumi Jacket
The Bhumi Jacket offers another strong combination with Silk Cigarette Trousers, creating a tailored trouser outfit without the conventional feel of a traditional suit.
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Silk Palazzo Pants with a Lyra Coat
For something softer and more fluid, Silk Palazzo Pants beneath a Lyra Coat create a very different and more modern interpretation of Mother of the Bride dressing.
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Our Silk Suit
Our Shibumi Silk Suit is really something rather special. It can be made in so many different combinations. Here it is styled with a plain raw silk jacket and raw silk cigarette trousers in the same fabric. Elegant. Sophisticated. Stylish.
Silk Palazzo Pants with a Devi Coat
The same fluid trousers can be worn beneath the full-length Devi for a longer and more dramatic look.
We have dressed Mothers of the Bride in all sorts of unexpected combinations over the years. There is no reason to choose a dress simply because that is what you believe a Mother of the Bride is expected to wear.
Choose the silhouette in which you feel most like yourself.
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Choosing a Mother of the Bride Coat or Jacket
The outer layer is often what gives a Shibumi Mother of the Bride outfit its character.
Rather than giving every coat and jacket the same role, it helps to understand how the principal styles differ.
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The Lyra Coat
The Lyra Coat is our principal Mother of the Bride style and the natural starting point for the signature Shibumi dress-and-coat combination.
Its curved neckline and gently flared silhouette work beautifully over a Shift Dress and allow the colour and fabric to take centre stage.
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The Devi Coat
The Devi is the full-length alternative for a woman who would like more drama and presence from her coat.
Worn over a Shift Dress, it creates a striking complete outfit and gives a beautiful expanse of silk or embroidery.
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The Aquila Coat
The Aquila Coat offers a more classically tailored direction and can work particularly well when the wedding calls for a smarter, more formal look.
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Avani Coat
The Avani is another more formal, done-up style for women who prefer greater structure.
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Anya Jacket
If you would prefer a shorter layer rather than a coat, the Anya Jacket is an excellent Mother of the Bride option and can be combined with dresses or separates. Worn open like a gilet and very wearable after the wedding to upstyle your jeans or linen trousers.
There are many other Shibumi styles to explore, but you do not need to consider every coat or jacket at once. Start with the silhouette that feels right and build from there.
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What Colour Should the Mother of the Bride Wear?
There is no single colour a Mother of the Bride should wear.
The wedding itself is naturally part of the decision. It is useful to know whether the couple has a particular colour palette and whether there are any shades the bride would especially like you to include or avoid.
But that does not mean the wedding colours should automatically determine your entire outfit.
Think about the colours you already enjoy wearing. Which shades make you feel particularly good when you put them on? Would you like to coordinate gently with the wedding party, or would you prefer your outfit to stand independently?
At Shibumi, colour is a very personal part of the styling process. The aim is to find something that works within the wedding while still looking unmistakably right on the woman wearing it.
It is also worth looking beyond the wedding itself. If you love the colour, are you more likely to enjoy wearing the coat, dress or jacket again?
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Plain Silk or Embroidered Silk?
Neither Raw Silk nor Embroidered Silk is automatically more appropriate for a Mother of the Bride. Both can create a very special outfit.
The difference is in the character you would like the finished combination to have.
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Embroidered Silk Coat with a Plain Silk Dress
This is one of our most popular approaches.
A plain silk dress creates a beautifully simple foundation and allows the colour, pattern and detail of an embroidered coat to become the focus of the outfit.
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Plain Silk Coat with a Plain Silk Dress
Do not underestimate a complete outfit in a beautifully chosen plain silk.
A dress and coat in coordinating Raw Silk can create a strong, elegant silhouette, particularly when you choose one of Shibumi's richer colours.
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Plain Silk Coat with an Embroidered Dress
Reversing the idea works beautifully too.
An embroidered dress beneath a plain coat means the dress becomes the focal point when you remove your outer layer later in the day.
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Embroidered Coat with an Embroidered Dress
There is no rule saying you cannot combine embroidery either.
What matters is proportion and balance. We consider the scale and placement of the embroidery in relation to the individual woman and the complete outfit.
Pattern should never be ruled out simply because of someone's dress size. It is about finding the fabric and proportions that work beautifully together.
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Cashmere Coat and Silk Dress
Another combination that works really well is one of our cashmere jackets or coats worn over a silk shift dress.
If you are someone that prefers less structure then this could be the best choice for you. The cashmere is more ' fluid' in the way it falls. Generally not seem as quite as ' smart' for weddings but we don't like any rules at Shibumi and have styled some sensational outfits in our cashmere and silk combinations.
Fit, Body Confidence and Feeling Like Yourself
Many women arrive at our showroom with at least one part of their body that they are thinking about.
It might be their arms, tummy, bust or height. Sometimes it is their overall size. Sometimes they simply believe a particular style is "not for them".
We listen to those concerns because feeling comfortable matters. But our aim is never to give a woman more things to worry about.
Instead, we look at proportion, fit and balance. If greater coverage would give you confidence, we can explore it. If a different length works better with your proportions, we can consider it. And if you have ruled out a silhouette because of something you have been told you should or should not wear, it can sometimes be worth trying it before deciding.
Your daughter's wedding photographs will be treasured for years. You should be able to look back at them and remember enjoying the day, rather than remember worrying about your outfit.
The aim is simple: to feel comfortable, confident, beautiful and completely yourself.
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Sizes, Bespoke and Alterations
Shibumi women's styles are available in UK sizes 6–26, with bespoke and made-to-measure possibilities depending on the garment.
Adjustments can include sleeve length, adding sleeves, changing dress length, altering proportions and other fit changes where the style allows.
Getting the fit right from the beginning is particularly important with Raw Silk because it is a non-stretch fabric.
When we take your measurements ourselves, we can advise on the appropriate size and any alterations that may help. Customers who live further away can also provide measurements remotely where appropriate.
A silk dress that needs to be made slightly smaller can generally be taken in by an experienced alterations specialist. Letting silk out can be more difficult because previous stitching may leave visible marks, another reason why it is worth concentrating on the fit at the outset.
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What Happens at a Shibumi Mother of the Bride Appointment?
A showroom appointment is not simply an opportunity to browse the rails. It is a personal styling process designed to help us understand you and the wedding you are dressing for.
We will usually begin by talking about the occasion: where the wedding is taking place, how formal it is and whether there is a particular colour palette.
From there, we get to know your own style and the colours you naturally love.
Rather than immediately choosing fabrics, we try different silhouettes to understand which proportions and shapes you feel best wearing. Once those are established, we can explore silk colours, embroidery and different combinations, as well as any alterations or bespoke changes that might be helpful.
The process can include:
Talking about the wedding and dress code
Understanding your personal style
Exploring colours you love
Trying different silhouettes
Establishing the right size and proportions
Looking through Shibumi's silk and embroidery choices
Discussing possible alterations or bespoke changes
Building the complete outfit
Putting you at ease
Bringing out your inner goddess!
And if you arrive without the slightest idea what you want, that is not a problem. We love a blank canvas. Together we work that out, it is part of the experience.
BOOK A MOTHER OF THE BRIDE APPOINTMENT
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Choose an Outfit You Will Want to Wear Again
A Mother of the Bride outfit should feel special on the wedding day, but that does not mean it has to spend the rest of its life at the back of your wardrobe.
We often think about how each part of an outfit can work again separately.
A Lyra Coat can later be worn over different dresses, trousers or more relaxed pieces. A Silk Shift Dress can be worn without its matching coat. An Embroidered Silk coat can bring colour and character to something much simpler.
Silk Palazzo Pants and tops can be separated and recombined with other Shibumi pieces, while jackets can work for dinners, parties, future weddings and other special occasions.
That ability to make the pieces your own long after the wedding is an important part of choosing the right outfit in the first place.
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We have you covered. Shibumi.
