This bride wore her mother's 1980s Issey Miyake wedding look

This bride wore her mother's 80s dress at her wedding.

"If someone had told us in high school that we would one day get married, we would have been completely shocked," recalls art consultant Nikeyu Callaway. At the time, she and James Augustine were attending boarding school in New York State. While they were close friends, they weren't a couple for a long time. "James was just a good friend to me," the bride says. Many years later, after the pandemic, they met again. What connected them was not only a shared longing for a life that combined city and country, but also their families' artistic roots. What began as a friendship eventually developed into a partnership. "It was unusual, but it just happened that way," says Nikeyu.

The moment she knew James would propose came while walking her dogs, Maggie and Bear, on a beach in the Hamptons. The sun was low, and a photographer was waiting in the distance. "When James knelt in front of me, Maggie, our dog, completely lost it. She ran around like crazy, then jumped into the ocean and came back soaking wet," Nikeyu says, slightly amused. "Aside from the fact that it seemed pretty crazy, the moment was perfect. We were laughing the whole time." The engagement ring—a cushion-cut gold-set Graff ring—was as special as this moment and set the tone for the upcoming wedding .

Nikeyu Callaway chose to wear her mother's dress from the 80s

Nikeyu initially felt overwhelmed in her search for the perfect dress. She tried on countless models, even ones that didn't really suit her. It wasn't until she reached Monique Lhuillier's studio that she felt she had found exactly the bridal look she'd been secretly seeking. "I've always loved her designs," she says. "So I was sure I'd find the perfect fit with her." A rose-print wedding dress with a trendy bubble hem immediately caught her eye. The look perfectly matched the planned atmosphere of the wedding in the north.

But things turned out differently than expected. The ceremony ended up taking place at "The Bridge," a golf club not far from her father's house in the Hamptons . For the new setting, Nikeyu wanted something both classic and sophisticated. The rose print gave way to a white gown enhanced with special details. "We added a sweetheart neckline and a detachable skirt," she recalls.

A special connection to Issey Miyake

But it wasn't just the dress that was eye-catching. The bride also caused a stir with the rest of her wedding outfits. It was especially important to Nikeyu to incorporate her Japanese heritage—an idea closely linked to designer Issey Miyake. "He not only shaped the fashion world, but also my family's history," she says. Through her encounter with her father, whom he later introduced to the legendary fashion photographer Irving Penn, a creative friendship was born that lasted for many years. "He was so close to our family that he even became my brother's godfather."

There are wedding outfits that already have their own story. This includes a two-piece ensemble that Issey Miyake once designed for the bride's mother. Nikeyu wanted to wear the look on her big day, but it was nowhere to be found for a long time. While browsing through a storage unit, Nikeyu rediscovered the design by chance. For her, it was a sign. She wore the two-piece to the rehearsal dinner at the Bridgehampton Inn and later to the welcome party at the Watermill Center. She tied her hair back in a high ponytail and complemented the look with dragonfly earrings by jewelry designer Gabriella Kiss, a gift from her mother-in-law. "She is also a close friend of the family, and her sons attended the same boarding school as us," explains the bride.