Designer Destinations: Grace Loves Lace founder on her favourite beaches, cities and where she's jetting off to nex

Laura Hampson chats to Megan Ziems, founder of cult Australian bridalwear brand Grace Loves Lace, about the joy of living on the coast and why she’s swapped Spanish beaches for hiking in New Zealand
Megan Ziems (centre), founder of Grace Loves Lace in Queenstown, New Zealand
Megan Ziems/Unsplash

A decade ago, Grace Loves Lace founder Megan Ziems had an idea: she would set up an e-com business designed to fill the gap in the bridal market for unstructured, comfortable and luxurious wedding dresses.

“I saw an opportunity to produce ethically - in Australia and without mass producing - using luxurious fabrics,” Ziems tells the Standard.

“Women, until then, had a traditional approach to being a bride for the day and wore the strapless, boned corseted gown and with extortionate margins.”

Since then, Grace Loves Lace has gained an almost cult-like legion of fans in the bridal sphere (and a cool 700K followers on Instagram) for its pared-down, lace-covered gowns. It also boasts 10 showrooms around the world with five more planned for 2020.

Below, we chat to Ziems about living on Australia’s Gold Coast, holidays to French Polynesia and why London is one of her favourite cities.

All-time favourite holiday…

“Growing up it was Granada in Spain for its food, family and culture.”

Favourite country to visit…

“Now that I have kids I'm all about keeping it easy. Australia is so far away from Europe so we don't go over as often as I used to. These days we absolutely love Queenstown in New Zealand for its crystal clear lakes, mountains and epic hiking tracks. It's amazing in both the summer and winter months and we get there a few times a year.

“I also adore Tahiti in French Polynesia and plan to head back as soon as I can. If we were closer we would spend most of our time between France and Spain.”

Favourite city…

“Paris and Barcelona. I do like London as well. For the food, art, energy and beauty.”

Favourite beach…

“We are lucky enough to live on the beach on the southern end of the Gold Coast which is pristine and quiet, definitely a favourite. Just up the beach is the Currumbin Alley which is the best beach for surfing with our kids and has beautiful rock pools. We are so spoilt with local beaches and creeks. Outside of Australia we have enjoyed beautiful beaches in the Maldives that are absolutely stunning.”

Favourite restaurant…

“Both of my favourites are in Queensland, Australia: Rick Shores on Burleigh Beach and Omeros Brothers in Marina Mirage. Omeros brothers is a Greek family run restaurant on the marina and has a laid back, luxe environment. You can watch the boats and smell the salty air. The food is always incredible - I get the Spaghetti Napoli Marinara. Rick Shores is right on the beach and you can watch the iconic Burleigh headland - you're almost sitting on the sand. Their famous bug rolls are to die for.”

Packing essentials…

“I pack a lot of silk and linen, easy to wear pieces along with my exercise gear and swimmers. Having two little kids means I have to be low maintenance and try to pack as little as possible so we are not lugging around too much luggage. The most important packing essentials for me personally are my vitamins, sleep mask, and all my powders and tonics that I take. When I travelled through India in my 20s I invested in some beautiful quality pashminas and I always travel with one to this day. “

Carry-on beauty essentials…

“Lip balm and hand sanitiser.”

Megan’s top picks from the Grace Loves Lace collection:

Grace Loves Lace

Song gown, £1,980 | Buy it here

Grace Loves Lace

Palm gown, £2,200 | Buy it here

Grace Loves Lace

Dosa heels, £230 | Buy it here

Grace Loves Lace

Essie earrings, £270 | Buy it here

Grace Loves Lace

Pearly veil, £280 | Buy it here

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