OMOTOLA Pearl Beaded Aso Oke Engagement Dress with Gele

OMOTOLA wore this burgundy aso oke engagement dress for her traditional ceremony, with the gele shaped from the same cloth. Handwoven, hand beaded, and cut as a single column from neck to hem.

The cloth

Handwoven aso oke in deep burgundy, with the fine horizontal ribbing that changes under light as you move through a room. The colour is set at the loom rather than dyed afterwards, which is why it holds its depth in photographs and under evening lighting. The gele comes from the same weaving run and is shaped to your head, not bought in. A matching ipele is cut from the same cloth.

The beadwork

Pearls in cream and blush are set by hand and graduated in size, laid in a fanned motif across the bodice that narrows to a shield at the hip. Finer seed beads fill the yoke and follow the square neckline. Below the hip the pearls run in unbroken vertical lines to the floor, and that is the detail doing the real work, because it carries the eye the full length of the column.

The sleeve

Fitted through the arm, then released into a bell cut open by hand. Every diamond and teardrop is cut through the woven cloth, scalloped along the edge and finished so it will not fray with wear. It is the one piece of movement in an otherwise still silhouette, and it shows when you raise your hand to greet.

• Handwoven aso oke, colour set at the loom
• Hand set pearl and seed bead motifs, front and skirt
• Hand cut open work bell cuff
• Square neckline, fitted column to the floor
• Matching gele and ipele from the same weaving run

Details

Jewellery, shoes, clutch and hand fan are styling for the shoot and are not included.

Ordering

Weaving happens before anything is cut, so an aso oke commission needs a longer runway than lace. Send us your date before you order and we will tell you honestly whether it can be made, particularly around the December and Easter peaks. Because the cloth is woven to order, almost any colour is possible, including a shade matched to your aso ebi from a swatch photograph.

Regular alterations: a deeper or shallower bell on the sleeve, a heavier or lighter scattering of pearls, a fuller gele, and a walking slit at the back. We ship across Nigeria and to brides in the UK, US, Canada, Ireland and Australia. Import duty on international orders is charged by your own customs authority on arrival and is not included in the price.