Courte Collection’s Les Noires: bridal favourites, recut in black
Introducing Courte Collection’s Les Noires, a love letter to la petite robe noire and to the bride who likes to make an entrance. For its latest collection, the Melbourne bridal label has taken its most-loved silhouettes, the Clara, the Lavinia, the Francoise and the Palazzo Pantalon, and remade them in black.
Think a cropped silk satin top with a square neckline and fine gold chain straps. A sleek mini with a men’s-style ruffle down the centre front, softened with tulle net. High-waisted palazzo pants, sharp tuxedo lapels and one very generous satin bow. Each piece keeps the tailoring that made it a signature of the label, and takes on new depth in noir. If you’ve been searching for a non-traditional wedding dress, start here.
Courte Collection was founded in 2021 by Anastasia Tushuizen, founder of Melbourne boutique Carte Blanche Bride, and Tania Stokes, the RMIT-trained designer behind Tania Stokes Couture. Together they design minimal, chic pieces for the wedding and the celebrations around it.
A new transeasonal wool, made to be worn again
Central to Les Noires is a luxurious new 100% wool, chosen for its transeasonal weight. It’s light enough for a summer soirée and substantial enough to layer through the cooler months, so a piece first worn to a February wedding earns its place again in July.
The Clara is cut in this wool, while the Francoise comes in black silk satin, closed at the back with a single satin button.
Natural fibres sit at the heart of how Courte Collection works, alongside made-to-order production in small runs in Melbourne. These are pieces built for a long life in your wardrobe.
For the bride writing her own dress code
On the wedding day itself, black has presence. Picture the Clara as a non-traditional wedding dress at a city registry ceremony, or the Francoise with a full-length metallic skirt for an evening reception with a little drama.
Les Noires is also made for the celebrations around the wedding, which deserve a moment of their own. The tuxedo dress for the engagement party. The Francoise with the Palazzo Pantalon for welcome drinks the night before, or for the late-night reception change once the dancing starts.
Each look is chic, a little unexpected and ready to wear again to the next long lunch, gallery opening or birthday dinner that calls for something sharp.
And for the guests who live in black, any of the four will hold their own at the right occasion.
For the bride who wants to make an impact, and a wardrobe that keeps working long after the wedding, Les Noires is the collection to know.
Scroll on for the highlights of the Les Noires campaign, photographed by Rolan John, with scenes shot among the gilded chairs and faded florals of Miguel Meirelles. Look for the black pieces paired with their bridal originals on a dressmaker’s form: the same lines, in two moods.
Your entrance, in noir. Book an appointment at Courte Collection’s Melbourne studio to see Les Noires in person, or shop the collection online at courtecollection.com.au. For more on the label and its founders, find Courte Collection in our directory.
