The Merry & Bright: Dress | Custom-Made Short Couture Dress

Custom Made in Your Size + Your Colorway

Big sleeves. A spectacular twirl. And a whole lot of personality.

The Merry & Bright is our short couture take on the classic holiday dress—featuring a beautifully structured satin bodice, dramatic detachable puff sleeves, a full vintage-length skirt, fluffy contrasting trim, and a sparkling statement buckle.

Originally created in our signature Christmas red, this design is now available custom made in your size and your choice of colorway.

Keep it classic in red, black, and white—or completely reinvent Merry & Bright to coordinate with your portrait session, event, birthday, or creative vision.

The Bodice

The smooth satin bodice features a classic round neckline and fitted silhouette, with a dramatic oval opening at the back.

A lace-up corset at the lower back provides adjustability through the bodice and waist, while a delicate satin neckline tie adds additional adjustment at the upper back.

A contrasting satin waistband defines the natural waist and is finished with a sparkling rhinestone buckle at center front.

Detachable Statement Sleeves

The oversized satin puff sleeves are one of the defining details of Merry & Bright—and they're completely detachable.

Wear them for the full dramatic couture silhouette, then remove them for a cleaner sleeveless look.

The sleeves are designed with generous gathering and structure to create that exaggerated puff while remaining comfortable enough for movement and portraits.

One dress. Two distinct looks.

The Skirt

Merry & Bright features a short, very full vintage-inspired skirt designed to hold its rounded shape rather than falling flat.

The satin outer skirt is generously gathered at the natural waist and supported with layers of tulle and structured crinoline underneath.

Horsehair structure within the hem helps create the dramatic bell-shaped silhouette and beautiful movement this design is known for.

A fluffy contrasting tulle ruffle finishes the lower edge, creating the signature Merry & Bright look.

Choose Your Colorway

The original Merry & Bright combines Christmas red satin, a black waistband, sparkling rhinestone buckle, and fluffy white trim—but your custom dress doesn't have to.

Create a completely different version with available color combinations such as:

Pink + White + Gold
Emerald + Ivory + Gold
Burgundy + Black + Ivory
Royal Blue + White + Silver
Black + White + Crystal
Blush + Ivory + Gold
Red + Black + White — the original

Have something completely different in mind? Contact us to discuss available satin, trim, and accent colors.

Custom Made in Your Size

This listing is for a made-to-order couture dress, so you are not limited to the sizing of our Merry & Bright rental gown.

The design can be created for children, tweens, teens, and adults, with the proportions of the bodice, sleeves, skirt, waistband, and overall length adjusted appropriately for the wearer.

Because the short silhouette is an important part of this design, we use your submitted measurements to create the intended vintage-length proportion rather than simply enlarging or reducing a standard pattern.

Your Custom Order Includes

1 Custom-Made Merry & Bright Short Couture Dress
2 Detachable Statement Puff Sleeves

The contrasting waistband, rhinestone buckle, structured underskirt, crinoline, and coordinating hem trim are incorporated into the finished dress.

Perfect For

The Merry & Bright is designed for Christmas portraits, holiday minis, Santa sessions, birthdays, fine-art photography, editorial portraits, pageants, special occasions, mother-and-daughter sessions, and statement photography.

Choose Christmas red for the original holiday look—or change the color palette and make this silhouette entirely your own.

Important Custom Order Information

This is a custom-made garment and is not a rental.

Your dress will be constructed according to the measurements submitted with your order. Please carefully follow our measurement instructions to ensure the best possible fit.

Fabric colors, trims, buckles, and specialty materials are subject to availability. Comparable materials may be recommended when an original component is unavailable.

If your gown is needed for a specific event or photography date, please review our current custom-order production timeline before purchasing.

Designed by Bentley + Lace • Custom Made to Order

The Merry & Bright

Your size. Your colors. Your twirl.