Bridal shop owner's grandmother smiling at the camera

The origin & mission of Vionnette
A note from our founder

The purpose of Vionnette is simple: to bring the rarest and most exquisite vintage wedding dresses to those who appreciate their unique beauty. Everything I do for Vionnette, I do to honor my grandmother, Alice, whom I loved more than anyone in the world. (She is pictured at far right in both images above.)

I grew up with Alice, who was a seamstress in a bridal shop that was owned by a distant relative. I can’t remember a time when I did not love wedding dresses and bridal fabrics. I’ve been sewing, crocheting, embroidering, knitting, and weaving since I was a child. But I didn’t follow in Alice’s footsteps right away. I studied material culture in college, and then went to law school, after which I worked as a public defender for a decade. But I always loved bridal.

Predictably, the process of shopping for my own wedding dress in 2014 was less like shopping and more like obsession. I tried on at least 200 dresses, and I bought four: two vintage and two modern. Unfortunately for my wife, it did not end there. I continued collecting special vintage and contemporary wedding dresses for years, placing them in the back of my closet. It’s a large closet, which made it difficult to tell when they began to take over.

Eventually, I decided to transition out of my legal career. Over the years, I had discovered that many brides shared my interest in vintage bridal couture. Maybe you do, too, and that’s why you’re here.

I began acquiring more and more standout vintage dresses from private owners and international vintage fashion dealers, and the Vionnette collection took form.

Every gown in our collection is important, for one reason or another. Several of the dresses come with personal tokens from the former owners as gifts to the future owner. Some come with interesting stories, like the dress from a woman who vividly recalls her meetings with Vera Wang herself when designing her fully custom gown in the late 1990s.

All of these dresses hold a piece of me and their former owner, and it is with great love that I offer them to my clients.

I hope you will be one of them.

xx,

Monet

…and in case you were wondering what happened to Alice’s gorgeous wedding dress, she was an immensely practical woman, and she donated it to Goodwill.

The author's grandmother walking along a dock on the side of the ocean

Alice in the 1980s, killing it in her turtleneck and trench coat.

The author's grandmother standing in front of a department store with her friends in the 1970s

Alice in the 1970s, showing up all of her friends in a baby blue leisure suit.

The vision of Vionnet

An "enemy of fashion"

Our name is a tribute to Madeleine Vionnet, the legendary French couturier who perfected the use of the bias cut (a method of cutting fabric that allows it to drape and cling to the wearer’s body) in the 1920s.

Vionnet was a brilliant geometrician and master at couture finishing techniques. Her free-flowing, elegant creations – a significant departure from the corseted, stuffy gowns of the Victorian period – dominated fashion in the 1920s and 1930s. Vionnet’s body-skimming, elegant silhouettes modernized and revolutionized women’s attire. She dressed some of the most prominent women of the era, including Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Joan Crawford.

Just as revolutionary as Vionnet’s approach to fashion was her approach to labor practices. Her employees enjoyed on-site childcare, paid maternity leave, on-site medical and dental care, and a dining hall. These are remarkable workplace benefits even by today’s standards.

Vionnet’s fashion house operated for approximately 25 years. It closed with the onset of World War II in 1939, and Vionnet retired fully the next year. Her name faded into relative obscurity for a while, but her effect on fashion never did. Today, many of the world’s most prominent designers credit her as one of their major influences.

Vionnet’s success is all the more notable because she was extremely private, disliked the culture of the fashion world, and – unlike many of her contemporaries, such as Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel – was uninterested in engaging in self-promotion. In fact, she referred to herself as an “enemy” of fashion, explaining that “[t]here is something superficial and volatile about the seasonal and elusive whims of fashion which offends my sense of beauty.” Madeleine Vionnet was true to herself and herself alone.

Portrait of Madeleine Vionnet, (Jean Dunand)

Madeleine Vionnet

In a time when fast fashion prevails, trends change as quickly as the algorithm, and labor practices remain abysmal in many parts of the world, Madeleine Vionnet’s ideals and message resonate strongly with us.

Our values

01

Your wedding dress matters

A wedding dress has unique importance in a person’s life. There is no other garment that people throughout history have gone to such great lengths to wear, or that inspires as much creativity and artistry.

We believe that a wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime* item that should be made with great care, skill, and attention to detail. The quality and style of your wedding dress should reflect its importance, as well as your unique style. Your bridal style should feel true to you, not the algorithm.

*Or twice, and sometimes thrice, but you get the idea.

02

Quality matters

The quality of wedding dresses dipped in the 1970s, when polyester fabrics flooded the market, and has deteriorated further in the past two decades. Today, most wedding dresses – even some very expensive ones – were produced offshore under questionable labor conditions using poor-quality, plastic-derived fabrics. The vast majority of today’s brides do not have access to the quality of materials and construction that existed in high-end wedding dresses from the ‘90s and earlier.

Unearthing couture vintage dresses gives modern brides a chance to experience couture quality. It also gives us a chance to help preserve garment construction and embellishment techniques. For instance, in the ‘90s, many of Vera Wang’s gowns were beaded completely by hand by highly skilled embroiderers in France, which is virtually unheard of today. Wearing a vintage dress like this ensures that the great skill and creativity that went into creating it will not be wasted or taken for granted.

03

People matter

Above all, we value the humanity of everyone who has played a role in bringing our dresses to life, including (and especially) our brides. We are real people, our dresses were made by real people, and many of our dresses were once worn by real people. We are interested in more than just fashion – we value the humans, the skills, and the love stories behind our pieces. This is why we have gorgeous, high-quality dresses by little-known and/or retired bridal designers, not just the big names in fashion. We are committed to bringing you the most exquisite vintage wedding dresses, which means we have many couture gowns by designers who are still undiscovered by today’s brides. These are the gems in the vintage market.

This value also undergirds our commitment to giving back. We believe that bridal can be a force for good in the world, not just a source of beauty, so we donate a portion of the proceeds of every dress to nonprofits like VOW For Girls.

Employment

Thank you for your interest in working at Vionnette! If we are currently hiring for any positions, you will find them posted here.

Bridal consultant / boutique manager

posted April 29, 2026

We are seeking someone to work closely with our founder on the daily activities of running the store. This position has wide-ranging responsibilities that touch on many different aspects of the business, not just taking bridal appointments (although bridal appointments are the most important part!).

The position will be 20+ hours a week to start, with the goal of reevaluating the schedule after a 3-month trial period. Our intention for the person in this role is that they will learn the ins and outs of the business, and eventually take on the position of boutique manager.

General requirements

In addition to the specific requirements outlined below, you must:

Have several years of work experience, including experience managing projects/processes. This is not an entry-level role.
Be punctual and extremely reliable
Be willing to work weekends, as this is - for obvious reasons - a weekend job!
Be a strong communicator (verbal and written)
Have familiarity with standard computer-based tools like Google Sheets, Dropbox, Microsoft Word, etc.
Have a general understanding of vintage fashion trends, contemporary and vintage designers, etc.
Love (or at least happily tolerate) steaming!

Bridal consultant/customer service responsibilities

The person in this position will be responsible for:

Conducting bridal appointments and related follow-up tasks
Overseeing alterations appointments
Responding to customer inquiries
Assisting with general daily tasks like keeping the shop tidy, maintaining inventory, etc.

The right person for this role:

Has a huge heart and a lot of empathy
Is warm, friendly, kind, and inclusive
Is polished and highly professional
Understands the importance of making people feel welcome and creating a loving, intimate space for our brides & their friends/families
Is creative, inventive, and able to think out of the box
Does not get overwhelmed or stressed easily, even in emotionally complex situations

Social media, marketing, and PR responsibilities

The person in this role will also be responsible for supporting our marketing, PR, and social media efforts by:

Assisting with photo shoots & the development of long-form and short-form social media content
Planning and executing special events (like pop-ups)
Assisting with celebrity styling requests
Assisting with the development of other marketing avenues
Other activities as assigned

The person in this role:

Is willing to sign an NDA, as we have frequent contact with celebrity stylists
Understands that everything we do is a team effort, and no task is too small or menial for any of us
Is flexible, easygoing, and enjoys working on a small, close-knit team
Enjoys coming up with content ideas
Is willing to travel for special events
Is not required to be on camera (but can be if they want to!)

Compensation & benefits

Compensation is well above market rate for bridal stylists in our area. This position is eligible for health insurance benefits and paid time off. In addition, sttaff members who are currently engaged receive private sourcing of any/all of their wedding looks, as well as a substantial discount. (This is a service available only to Vionnette staff members, not the general public.)

Equal opportunity employment

We are an equal-opportunity employer, and we welcome applicants of all backgrounds and abilities. If you require any accommodations during the application process, please reach out to us at hello@vionnettebridal.com

How to apply

Please send a cover letter, your resume, pay requirements, and a list of at least three professional references to us at hello@vionnettebridal.com. Just for fun: in your cover letter, tell us your favorite decade of fashion (and why)!

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The origin & mission of Vionnette A note from our founder