Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell) from Coronation Street was never going to have a simple wedding with only a few people in attendance.
When Gemma marries Chesney (Sam Aston), she will wear the most lavish and stunning gown as she makes her way down the aisle.is a striking orange!
Drag queen and fashion designer Liquorice Black, known for her original designs on programmes like RuPaul’s Drag Race, collaborated on the construction of the enormous gown.
The garment of Gemma’s fantasies was made by Manchester designer Liquorice Black in collaboration with Dolly and Head of Costume Alex Hatzar from Coronation Street.
In the episode, Gemma bought this dress from a thrift store, but Izzy (Cherylee Houston) had it changed at the factory.
Be prepared to be utterly surprised since this two-meter-wide dress and seven-meter-long train (with extra fairy lights) were so big that a shorter version had to be produced because Dolly’s co-stars couldn’t get close enough to shoot certain close-up sequences!
“Myself and Alex in costume had lots of discussions about what Gemma would want as her dream dress and had put some ideas together,” Dolly stated in reference to the amazing design. We chose orange as a reference to both Gemma and Chesney’s gingerness and Gemma’s appreciation of vibrant hues.
‘Dolly and I have spoken about Gemma’s wedding dress for years even before she was dating Chesney,’ said Alex Hatzar, head of costume. I’ve always knew I wanted it to light up, but I didn’t want it to simply light up the skirt like we’ve all seen before. Gemma was never going to choose a white dress, so it had to be something that had a wow element.
Because Gemma is so colourful, orange simply seemed to fit the persona. It also suited Chesney and the family she’s getting married into. Since the character doesn’t have any money, we had to narrative quite a bit of it to make it work. Dolly and I had very early conversations about 6 months before shooting so we could communicate with editorial, and they helped make it happen.
I had a meeting with Dolly and the head of costume, and the two of them fully persuaded me that it would be a great exciting thing to execute. They also had confidence in my ability to carry out their vision.
So I consented. Dolly wanted lights, flowers, and a very long train. There were several suggestions for working together. It was really a collective effort; I didn’t simply ask, “Could you make something?” and then I went off and did it.
Since I am from Manchester, it has been an honour for me to work on this garment and to be invited to take part in the wedding that will be shown on the programme. I feel really fortunate to have contributed in any tiny way to the history of Coronation Street, a UK institution. I am forward to watch it on television.